SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question
A company is deploying a web application on EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer. The application experiences high traffic during business hours and low traffic at night. The company wants to automatically scale the instances based on CPU utilization. Which TWO steps are required to achieve this?
⚠ Common exam trap
SAP-C02 often tests the misconception that a CloudWatch alarm alone performs scaling — candidates must remember that the alarm must be tied to a scaling policy, and that the ASG must be attached to the load balancer target group.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create a dynamic scaling policy based on the average CPU utilization metric.
Option C is correct because target tracking or step scaling dynamic policies use the CloudWatch Average CPUUtilization metric of the Auto Scaling group to automatically add or remove instances as load changes, which is exactly the CPU-based automatic scaling the company requires. Option D is correct because an Auto Scaling group is the foundational resource that manages the EC2 fleet's desired/min/max capacity and health checks, and associating it with the ALB target group lets the load balancer register and route traffic to the instances it launches. Option A is not required because scheduled scaling is time-based rather than CPU-utilization-based, so it does not satisfy the stated requirement. Option B is wrong because an NLB operates at Layer 4 and is not needed here; the ALB already handles HTTP/HTTPS traffic appropriately. Option E is wrong because a CloudWatch alarm that only sends an email notification does not perform any scaling action.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Configure a scheduled scaling policy to add instances during business hours.
Why it's wrong here
Scheduled scaling adds capacity at fixed times, so it cannot react to the CPU utilisation metric the scenario requires; a target tracking policy on CPU is needed. Scheduled policies suit predictable, calendar-driven peaks, such as a known nightly batch window, not variable daytime load.
- ✗
Replace the ALB with a Network Load Balancer for better performance.
Why it's wrong here
A Network Load Balancer operates at layer 4 and cannot evaluate HTTP path or host rules, and swapping it does not create the scaling policy the scenario needs. It is tempting for latency-sensitive TCP workloads, where an NLB would genuinely be the right choice.
- ✓
Create a dynamic scaling policy based on the average CPU utilization metric.
Why this is correct
A target-tracking dynamic scaling policy adjusts capacity automatically to hold average CPU utilisation at a chosen value, directly satisfying the requirement to scale on CPU utilisation. CloudWatch aggregates the EC2 metric across the Auto Scaling group, so the policy responds to business-hours peaks and nightly troughs without manual intervention.
- ✓
Create an Auto Scaling group and associate it with the ALB.
Why this is correct
An Auto Scaling group is the mechanism that actually launches, registers and terminates EC2 instances across Availability Zones, and associating it with the ALB target group ensures scaled instances receive traffic from the load balancer.
- ✗
Create a CloudWatch alarm that sends an email when CPU exceeds 80%.
Why it's wrong here
A CloudWatch alarm that only emails an operator notifies a human but never adjusts desired capacity, so instances do not scale with CPU. It is tempting because alarms underpin scaling policies, yet it would be correct when the requirement is alerting rather than automatic scaling.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on SAP-C02
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Variation 1. A company runs a web application on EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer. Users report intermittent slowdowns. CloudWatch metrics show high CPU utilization on the instances. The company wants to improve performance with minimal architectural changes. What should a solutions architect do?
medium- A.Use Amazon ElastiCache to offload database queries.
- ✓ B.Configure an Auto Scaling group with a dynamic scaling policy based on CPU utilization.
- C.Replace the EC2 instances with a larger instance type.
- D.Enable Amazon CloudFront in front of the ALB to cache content.
Why B: An Auto Scaling group with a dynamic CPU-based scaling policy directly addresses the root cause (high CPU utilization) by adding more instances when demand rises, distributing load and improving performance. This is a minimal architectural change because the ALB already exists and simply registers new instances automatically. It preserves the existing application design while providing elasticity to handle intermittent spikes.
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Amazon Web Services exam blueprint
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