The answer is to upgrade the Redis cluster to a larger node type with more CPU and memory. This directly addresses the root cause of the performance drop: the cluster is hitting resource ceilings, causing evictions and cache misses that lower the cache hit ratio. By vertically scaling the node, you provide the additional compute and memory capacity needed to store more data and process requests faster, all without requiring any application code changes. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between vertical scaling (upgrading node type) and horizontal scaling (adding shards) or configuration tweaks like TTL adjustments, which do not solve capacity exhaustion. A common trap is to suggest enabling encryption or increasing TTL, but these add overhead or fail to address the immediate resource pressure. Memory tip: when CPU and memory are both near capacity, think “bigger box, not more boxes” — node type upgrade is the simplest fix for resource-bound ElastiCache performance.
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 high-traffic web application on EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group. The application uses a Redis cluster for caching. Recently, they have noticed that the cache hit ratio has dropped significantly, causing increased load on the database. The operations team observed that the Redis cluster's CPU utilization is high and memory usage is near capacity. They need to improve the cache performance with minimal changes to the application code. What should a solutions architect recommend?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Upgrade the Redis cluster to a larger node type with more CPU and memory.
Option D is correct because using a larger node type provides more CPU and memory, improving performance without code changes. Option A is wrong because increasing TTL may reduce churn but does not address capacity. Option B is wrong because ElastiCache is already in use. Option C is wrong because enabling encryption adds overhead and does not solve the capacity issue.
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.
✗
Migrate from ElastiCache to Amazon MemoryDB for Redis.
Why it's wrong here
MemoryDB is similar but adds persistence; not a performance fix for capacity.
✓
Upgrade the Redis cluster to a larger node type with more CPU and memory.
Why this is correct
More resources directly improve performance and cache hit ratio.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Increase the TTL values for cached objects in the application.
Why it's wrong here
Longer TTLs reduce churn but do not fix insufficient capacity.
✗
Enable encryption in transit for the Redis cluster.
Why it's wrong here
Encryption adds CPU overhead, worsening the problem.
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.
Trap categories for this question
Similar concept trap
MemoryDB is similar but adds persistence; not a performance fix for capacity.
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 — 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: Upgrade the Redis cluster to a larger node type with more CPU and memory. — Option D is correct because using a larger node type provides more CPU and memory, improving performance without code changes. Option A is wrong because increasing TTL may reduce churn but does not address capacity. Option B is wrong because ElastiCache is already in use. Option C is wrong because enabling encryption adds overhead and does not solve the capacity issue.
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.
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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.
Question Discussion
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