- A
Enable detailed monitoring (1-minute metrics) on the ALB and create a CloudWatch dashboard to view the RequestCount and TargetResponseTime metrics.
Why wrong: Detailed monitoring provides aggregated metrics, not per-request timing.
- B
Integrate the application with AWS X-Ray and enable tracing on the EC2 instances to capture trace data for all requests.
Why wrong: X-Ray is useful but requires code changes; the question asks for two actions, and A and D are more immediate.
- C
Set up an Amazon CloudWatch Synthetics canary that follows a step-by-step guide through the application and monitor the step durations.
Correct: Canaries can measure end-to-end latency and pinpoint slow steps.
- D
Enable access logging on the ALB and analyze the logs to find requests with high latency.
Correct: ALB access logs contain per-request fields like target_processing_time and response_time.
- E
Enable VPC Flow Logs on the subnets where the EC2 instances reside and analyze the logs for packet loss.
Why wrong: VPC Flow Logs show network flows but not application-level latency.
SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of continuous improvement for existing solutions. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 runs a web application on Amazon EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer (ALB). The application experiences intermittent latency spikes. The operations team has enabled detailed CloudWatch metrics and EC2 instance status checks. The team needs to identify the root cause of the latency. Which TWO actions should the team take to diagnose the issue? (Choose two.)
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
Set up an Amazon CloudWatch Synthetics canary that follows a step-by-step guide through the application and monitor the step durations.
Option C is correct because CloudWatch Synthetics canaries simulate user workflows step by step, and monitoring step durations helps pinpoint which specific part of the application is causing latency spikes. This provides granular, end-to-end visibility into the user experience beyond what aggregate metrics offer.
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.
- ✗
Enable detailed monitoring (1-minute metrics) on the ALB and create a CloudWatch dashboard to view the RequestCount and TargetResponseTime metrics.
Why it's wrong here
Detailed monitoring provides aggregated metrics, not per-request timing.
- ✗
Integrate the application with AWS X-Ray and enable tracing on the EC2 instances to capture trace data for all requests.
Why it's wrong here
X-Ray is useful but requires code changes; the question asks for two actions, and A and D are more immediate.
- ✓
Set up an Amazon CloudWatch Synthetics canary that follows a step-by-step guide through the application and monitor the step durations.
Why this is correct
Correct: Canaries can measure end-to-end latency and pinpoint slow steps.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Enable access logging on the ALB and analyze the logs to find requests with high latency.
Why this is correct
Correct: ALB access logs contain per-request fields like target_processing_time and response_time.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Enable VPC Flow Logs on the subnets where the EC2 instances reside and analyze the logs for packet loss.
Why it's wrong here
VPC Flow Logs show network flows but not application-level latency.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse network-level diagnostics (VPC Flow Logs) or aggregate metrics (ALB detailed monitoring) with the application-level, user-experience-focused diagnostics needed to pinpoint the root cause of latency spikes in a web application.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
VPC Flow Logs show network flows but not application-level latency.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
CloudWatch Synthetics canaries run Node.js or Python scripts that execute multi-step API or browser workflows. By monitoring the duration of each step, you can identify which specific operation (e.g., database query, external API call) is contributing to latency. This is more effective than aggregate ALB metrics because it correlates latency with specific user actions, and canaries can be scheduled to run frequently to catch intermittent issues.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
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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Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAP-C02 question test?
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — This question tests Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Set up an Amazon CloudWatch Synthetics canary that follows a step-by-step guide through the application and monitor the step durations. — Option C is correct because CloudWatch Synthetics canaries simulate user workflows step by step, and monitoring step durations helps pinpoint which specific part of the application is causing latency spikes. This provides granular, end-to-end visibility into the user experience beyond what aggregate metrics offer.
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 11, 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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