The answer is to use a target tracking scaling policy based on average CPU utilization. This is the most effective approach because a target tracking policy acts as a control system, automatically adjusting the Auto Scaling group’s desired capacity to maintain a predefined metric target—such as 50% CPU—even during sudden traffic spikes, without any manual intervention. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this concept tests your ability to distinguish between reactive and predictive scaling mechanisms; a common trap is choosing scheduled scaling, which only works for known, predictable patterns, not the sudden, unplanned spikes described here. Remember that target tracking is ideal for dynamic, real-time demand, while step scaling offers more granular control but requires manual threshold configuration. Memory tip: think of target tracking as a thermostat—it constantly measures the temperature (CPU) and adjusts the AC (instances) to keep the room comfortable, no matter how quickly the weather changes outside.
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 runs a web application on EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group behind an Application Load Balancer. The application experiences sudden traffic spikes. What is the most effective way to ensure the application can handle the spikes without manual intervention?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use a target tracking scaling policy based on average CPU utilization.
Option D is correct because a target tracking scaling policy based on CPU utilization automatically adjusts capacity in response to demand. Option A is wrong because scheduled scaling works for predictable patterns, not sudden spikes. Option B is wrong because a larger instance size may not handle spikes if only a few instances. Option C is wrong because manual scaling is not automated.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Use a target tracking scaling policy based on average CPU utilization.
Why this is correct
Target tracking automatically adjusts capacity to maintain a target metric, handling spikes.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Increase the instance size to handle more load per instance.
Why it's wrong here
Larger instances may still be overwhelmed; horizontal scaling is more effective.
✗
Manually increase the desired capacity when traffic spikes.
Why it's wrong here
Manual intervention is not automated and may not react quickly enough.
✗
Use scheduled scaling to add instances at expected peak times.
Why it's wrong here
Scheduled scaling is for predictable patterns, not sudden spikes.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SAP-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use a target tracking scaling policy based on average CPU utilization. — Option D is correct because a target tracking scaling policy based on CPU utilization automatically adjusts capacity in response to demand. Option A is wrong because scheduled scaling works for predictable patterns, not sudden spikes. Option B is wrong because a larger instance size may not handle spikes if only a few instances. Option C is wrong because manual scaling is not automated.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SAP-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company is deploying a web application on AWS that must scale automatically based on CPU utilization. The application runs on Amazon EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group. Which configuration is required for the Auto Scaling group to scale based on CPU?
easy
A.Create a scheduled scaling action to add instances at peak times.
B.Create a simple scaling policy that adds one instance when CPU exceeds 50%.
✓ C.Create a step scaling policy based on a CloudWatch alarm for CPU utilization.
D.Configure the ALB health check to mark instances unhealthy if CPU is high.
Why C: Create a CloudWatch alarm on average CPU utilization and a scaling policy. Option A (scheduled scaling) is for time-based. Option B (simple scaling) is not recommended. Option D (ELB health check) is for health, not scaling.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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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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