The correct answer is to create an Auto Scaling group with a minimum size of 2 and a maximum size of 6, spread across three AZs. This ensures high availability because if one Availability Zone fails, the remaining two AZs still host running instances, and the Auto Scaling group automatically launches new instances in the healthy AZs to maintain the desired capacity, preventing a permanent one-third loss. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how Auto Scaling groups provide automatic recovery and fault isolation across multiple AZs, a common trap being that simply launching three instances manually does not replace failed ones. The key insight is that an Auto Scaling group with a minimum size of 2 across three AZs guarantees at least two instances survive any single AZ failure, while the maximum of 6 allows scaling up to replace lost capacity. Memory tip: think “2 min across 3 AZs” to remember that the minimum instance count must be less than the number of AZs to survive a full zone loss.
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new 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.
Network Topology
Refer to the exhibit. A solutions architect is designing a new application that requires three EC2 instances running in different Availability Zones in us-east-1. The architect runs the AWS CLI command shown and sees three instances running in three AZs. However, the application is not highly available because if one AZ fails, the application loses one-third of its capacity. The architect needs to ensure that the application can survive the loss of an entire AZ without manual intervention. What should the architect do?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create an Auto Scaling group with a minimum size of 2 and a maximum size of 6, spread across three AZs.
Option C is correct. An Auto Scaling group across three AZs with minimum 2 instances ensures that if one AZ fails, the instances in the other two AZs continue running, and Auto Scaling will launch new instances in the remaining AZs to maintain the desired count. Option A is wrong because it does not automatically replace failed instances. Option B is wrong because a launch configuration is not enough; you need an Auto Scaling group. Option D is wrong because spreading across two AZs only protects against one AZ failure partially.
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.
✗
Create a launch configuration and manually associate it with the instances.
Why it's wrong here
Does not provide auto recovery.
✓
Create an Auto Scaling group with a minimum size of 2 and a maximum size of 6, spread across three AZs.
Why this is correct
Auto Scaling automatically replaces failed instances.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use EC2 Auto Recovery to automatically recover instances in case of failure.
Why it's wrong here
Auto Recovery only recovers the same instance, not across AZs.
✗
Manually launch additional instances in other AZs.
Why it's wrong here
Manual intervention is required, not automated.
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 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 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.
Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create an Auto Scaling group with a minimum size of 2 and a maximum size of 6, spread across three AZs. — Option C is correct. An Auto Scaling group across three AZs with minimum 2 instances ensures that if one AZ fails, the instances in the other two AZs continue running, and Auto Scaling will launch new instances in the remaining AZs to maintain the desired count. Option A is wrong because it does not automatically replace failed instances. Option B is wrong because a launch configuration is not enough; you need an Auto Scaling group. Option D is wrong because spreading across two AZs only protects against one AZ failure partially.
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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Question Discussion
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