The correct answer is to rightsize the instance to a larger type, as this directly addresses the high CPU utilization by providing more compute capacity without altering the workload architecture. When an EC2 instance consistently exceeds 90% CPU, it indicates resource contention that degrades performance; moving to a larger instance type in the same family (e.g., from t3.medium to t3.large) alleviates the bottleneck while keeping the application footprint unchanged, making it a pure cost-performance optimization. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish rightsizing from other cost levers like Reserved Instances or horizontal scaling—a common trap is confusing commitment discounts with performance fixes. Remember the mnemonic: “High CPU? Go up, not out.”
SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of continuous improvement for existing solutions. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 DevOps engineer notices that an EC2 instance's CPU utilization is consistently above 90%. They need to optimize costs without affecting performance. What should they do?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Rightsize the instance to a larger instance type.
Option C is correct because rightsizing the instance to a larger type can provide more CPU capacity, potentially reducing contention and allowing the same workload to run efficiently. Option A is wrong because buying Reserved Instances locks in cost but does not solve performance. Option B is wrong because terminating and recreating does not change instance type. Option D is wrong because adding more instances may increase cost unnecessarily.
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.
✗
Add more EC2 instances behind a load balancer.
Why it's wrong here
This may increase cost without solving the root cause if the workload is not parallelizable.
✓
Rightsize the instance to a larger instance type.
Why this is correct
A larger instance provides more CPU capacity, improving performance.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Purchase a Reserved Instance for the current instance type.
Why it's wrong here
Reserved Instances reduce cost but do not address high CPU utilization.
✗
Terminate the instance and launch a new one of the same type.
Why it's wrong here
Same instance type will still have high CPU utilization.
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 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.
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.
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — This question tests Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Rightsize the instance to a larger instance type. — Option C is correct because rightsizing the instance to a larger type can provide more CPU capacity, potentially reducing contention and allowing the same workload to run efficiently. Option A is wrong because buying Reserved Instances locks in cost but does not solve performance. Option B is wrong because terminating and recreating does not change instance type. Option D is wrong because adding more instances may increase cost unnecessarily.
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.
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Question Discussion
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