- A
Reduce the Time-to-Live (TTL) of cached objects.
Why wrong: Reducing TTL would cause objects to expire sooner, increasing cache misses and worsening the hit ratio, not improving performance.
- B
Add a read replica to offload read traffic.
Why wrong: Adding a read replica helps scale read traffic but does not reduce CPU load on the primary node, which is caused by high write or management overhead.
- C
Scale up to a larger node type, such as cache.r5.xlarge.
Why wrong: Scaling up to a larger node type provides more resources temporarily, but it does not solve the underlying architecture issue of a single node; the CPU utilization may still remain high due to data distribution limitations.
- D
Enable cluster mode and distribute the cache across multiple shards.
Enabling cluster mode distributes the cache across multiple shards, thereby reducing CPU load per node and improving the hit ratio by balancing the workload.
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 company uses Amazon ElastiCache for Redis to cache frequently accessed data. The cache cluster is a single node (cache.r5.large). Over time, the cache hit ratio has decreased, and the CPU utilization is consistently above 80%. What should a solutions architect do to improve performance?
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
Enable cluster mode and distribute the cache across multiple shards.
Option D is correct because enabling cluster mode distributes data across multiple shards, reducing CPU load on individual nodes and improving the cache hit ratio by allowing more efficient use of memory and processing. Option A is incorrect because reducing TTL would cause more cache misses, further degrading the hit ratio. Option B is incorrect because read replicas offload read traffic but do not reduce CPU utilization caused by high write activity or data management. Option C is incorrect because scaling up to a larger node type provides more resources but does not address the architectural limitation of a single node; the increased CPU utilization is due to the single node being overwhelmed, not just resource capacity.
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.
- ✗
Reduce the Time-to-Live (TTL) of cached objects.
Why it's wrong here
Reducing TTL would cause objects to expire sooner, increasing cache misses and worsening the hit ratio, not improving performance.
- ✗
Add a read replica to offload read traffic.
Why it's wrong here
Adding a read replica helps scale read traffic but does not reduce CPU load on the primary node, which is caused by high write or management overhead.
- ✗
Scale up to a larger node type, such as cache.r5.xlarge.
Why it's wrong here
Scaling up to a larger node type provides more resources temporarily, but it does not solve the underlying architecture issue of a single node; the CPU utilization may still remain high due to data distribution limitations.
- ✓
Enable cluster mode and distribute the cache across multiple shards.
Why this is correct
Enabling cluster mode distributes the cache across multiple shards, thereby reducing CPU load per node and improving the hit ratio by balancing the workload.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
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
How to think about this question
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.
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.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- 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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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.
- →
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All SAP-C02 questions
1,746 questions across all exam domains
- →
AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
SAP-C02 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related SAP-C02 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity.
Design for New Solutions practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Design for New Solutions.
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions.
Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization.
SAA-C03 VPC practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 VPC.
SAA-C03 S3 lifecycle policy questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 S3 lifecycle policy questions.
SAA-C03 RDS Multi-AZ questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 RDS Multi-AZ questions.
SAA-C03 IAM policy practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 IAM policy.
SAA-C03 Route 53 failover questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 Route 53 failover questions.
SAA-C03 CloudFront practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 CloudFront.
SAA-C03 NAT gateway questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 NAT gateway questions.
SAA-C03 VPC endpoint questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 VPC endpoint questions.
Practice this exam
Start a free SAP-C02 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
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: Enable cluster mode and distribute the cache across multiple shards. — Option D is correct because enabling cluster mode distributes data across multiple shards, reducing CPU load on individual nodes and improving the cache hit ratio by allowing more efficient use of memory and processing. Option A is incorrect because reducing TTL would cause more cache misses, further degrading the hit ratio. Option B is incorrect because read replicas offload read traffic but do not reduce CPU utilization caused by high write activity or data management. Option C is incorrect because scaling up to a larger node type provides more resources but does not address the architectural limitation of a single node; the increased CPU utilization is due to the single node being overwhelmed, not just resource capacity.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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 →
Keep practising
More SAP-C02 practice questions
- A company wants to automate the migration of on-premises servers to AWS. The migration plan includes discovery, assessme…
- A company is using AWS Organizations with hundreds of accounts. The central IT team needs to deploy a common set of AWS…
- A multinational company operates a multi-account AWS environment using AWS Organizations. The security team needs to enf…
- A company has a multi-account AWS environment with a centralized logging account. The security team needs to analyze VPC…
- A company has multiple AWS accounts and wants to centralize logging of all API calls. Which TWO services should be used…
- Match each AWS compute service to its use case.
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.