Quick Answer
The answer is the AWS TCO Calculator and the AWS Pricing Calculator. The AWS TCO Calculator is specifically designed to estimate total cost of ownership for AWS migration compared to on-premises by allowing you to input your current on-premises infrastructure details—such as server, storage, and network configurations—and then generating a side-by-side cost comparison with equivalent AWS services. The AWS Pricing Calculator complements this by providing detailed cost estimates for the AWS resources you plan to use, enabling you to refine your projected spend. On the SAP-C02 exam, this question tests your ability to select the right tools for a migration cost analysis, a common scenario in the "Design for Cost Optimization" domain. A frequent trap is confusing AWS Cost Explorer, which analyzes existing AWS spending, with the TCO Calculator, which compares on-premises versus cloud costs. Remember the memory tip: "TCO for the old, Pricing for the new"—the TCO Calculator compares your legacy on-premises environment, while the Pricing Calculator estimates your future AWS bill.
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of accelerate workload migration and modernization. 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 planning to migrate a workload to AWS and needs to estimate the total cost of ownership (TCO) compared to on-premises. Which TWO AWS tools can be used to perform this analysis?
AWS Pricing Calculator
Estimates monthly costs for AWS services.
AWS Organizations
Why wrong: Manages multiple AWS accounts, not cost analysis.
AWS Cost Explorer
Why wrong: Analyzes existing AWS costs, not TCO comparison.
AWS TCO Calculator
Compares on-premise costs to AWS.
AWS Budgets
Why wrong: Budgets are for setting cost thresholds, not TCO comparison.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AWS Pricing Calculator
Options A and C are correct. AWS Pricing Calculator estimates costs of AWS services. AWS TCO Calculator compares on-premise costs to AWS. Option B is wrong because AWS Budgets tracks spending. Option D is wrong because AWS Cost Explorer analyzes existing AWS spending. Option E is wrong because AWS Organizations manages accounts.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
AWS Pricing Calculator
Why this is correct
Estimates monthly costs for AWS services.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS Organizations
Why it's wrong here
Manages multiple AWS accounts, not cost analysis.
AWS Cost Explorer
Why it's wrong here
Analyzes existing AWS costs, not TCO comparison.
AWS TCO Calculator
Why this is correct
Compares on-premise costs to AWS.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS Budgets
Why it's wrong here
Budgets are for setting cost thresholds, not TCO comparison.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — study guide chapter
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Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization practice questions
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FAQ
Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — This question tests Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: AWS Pricing Calculator — Options A and C are correct. AWS Pricing Calculator estimates costs of AWS services. AWS TCO Calculator compares on-premise costs to AWS. Option B is wrong because AWS Budgets tracks spending. Option D is wrong because AWS Cost Explorer analyzes existing AWS spending. Option E is wrong because AWS Organizations manages accounts.
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 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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