- A
Deploy a standby Aurora cluster in the DR Region and use synchronous replication.
Why wrong: A standby cluster is expensive and synchronous replication adds latency; cross-Region replicas are simpler and cheaper.
- B
Use Aurora Global Database with a secondary cluster in the DR Region.
Why wrong: Global Database has a typical RTO of 1 minute, but the cost is higher due to the secondary cluster; cross-Region replicas are cheaper.
- C
Configure an Aurora cross-Region replica in the DR Region. Use Amazon Route 53 to fail over DNS.
Cross-Region replicas provide fast failover (typically <1 minute) and are cost-effective as they only replicate data.
- D
Take daily snapshots and restore them in the DR Region using cross-Region snapshot copy.
Why wrong: Restoring from a snapshot can take longer than 15 minutes and data loss may be up to 24 hours.
Quick Answer
The answer is to configure an Aurora cross-Region replica in the DR Region and use Amazon Route 53 to fail over DNS. This combination meets the 15-minute RTO because Aurora cross-Region replicas asynchronously replicate data with minimal performance impact on the primary cluster, and you can promote the replica to a standalone cluster in just a few minutes. Route 53 health checks then automatically redirect traffic to the promoted cluster, completing the failover well within the required window while keeping costs low—you only pay for the replica’s storage and minimal compute until failover. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your ability to balance RTO with cost efficiency, often trapping candidates who over-provision a full standby cluster or rely on slower snapshot-based recovery. Remember the key trade-off: Aurora cross-Region replicas give you sub-minute data loss (RPO) and sub-15-minute RTO without the expense of a hot standby. Memory tip: think “Replica + Route 53 = Rapid Recovery under 15.”
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company is designing a disaster recovery solution that must recover an application in a different AWS Region within 15 minutes of a failure. The application uses an Amazon Aurora MySQL DB cluster. Which combination of strategies will meet the recovery time objective (RTO) while minimizing costs?
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
Configure an Aurora cross-Region replica in the DR Region. Use Amazon Route 53 to fail over DNS.
Option C is correct because an Aurora cross-Region replica asynchronously replicates data to a DR Region with minimal performance impact, and you can promote it to a standalone cluster within minutes. Combined with Amazon Route 53 DNS failover, this achieves an RTO under 15 minutes while keeping costs low, as you only pay for the replica storage and minimal compute until failover.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Deploy a standby Aurora cluster in the DR Region and use synchronous replication.
Why it's wrong here
A standby cluster is expensive and synchronous replication adds latency; cross-Region replicas are simpler and cheaper.
- ✗
Use Aurora Global Database with a secondary cluster in the DR Region.
Why it's wrong here
Global Database has a typical RTO of 1 minute, but the cost is higher due to the secondary cluster; cross-Region replicas are cheaper.
- ✓
Configure an Aurora cross-Region replica in the DR Region. Use Amazon Route 53 to fail over DNS.
Why this is correct
Cross-Region replicas provide fast failover (typically <1 minute) and are cost-effective as they only replicate data.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Take daily snapshots and restore them in the DR Region using cross-Region snapshot copy.
Why it's wrong here
Restoring from a snapshot can take longer than 15 minutes and data loss may be up to 24 hours.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Aurora Global Database (which is designed for low RTO but higher cost) with a simple cross-Region replica (which offers a slightly higher RTO but significantly lower cost), and they overlook the 15-minute RTO requirement that both can meet, making cost the deciding factor.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Aurora cross-Region replicas use the same storage volume as the primary cluster and replicate changes asynchronously at the storage layer, typically with a lag of less than 1 second. When promoted, the replica becomes a fully writable cluster, and the promotion process usually completes in under 5 minutes. This approach is cost-effective because you can run the replica on a smaller instance class and only scale up during failover, unlike Aurora Global Database which requires a full secondary cluster with its own compute and storage.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Design for New Solutions — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAP-C02 question test?
Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure an Aurora cross-Region replica in the DR Region. Use Amazon Route 53 to fail over DNS. — Option C is correct because an Aurora cross-Region replica asynchronously replicates data to a DR Region with minimal performance impact, and you can promote it to a standalone cluster within minutes. Combined with Amazon Route 53 DNS failover, this achieves an RTO under 15 minutes while keeping costs low, as you only pay for the replica storage and minimal compute until failover.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This SAP-C02 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SAP-C02 exam.
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