The answer is Rehost, Replatform, and Refactor. These three 7 Rs migration strategies are appropriate for moving a large VMware VM to AWS because they each address different modernization levels while leveraging the existing virtualized environment. Rehost uses AWS VM Import/Export to convert VMware VMs directly into Amazon EC2 AMIs, enabling a pure lift-and-shift with no application changes. Replatform applies when you migrate the database layer to Amazon RDS, optimizing the stack without altering the core application code. Refactor involves re-architecting the application to use cloud-native services like AWS Lambda or containers, which is valid when the critical application requires fundamental changes for scalability or performance. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between the 7 Rs in a VMware context, with a common trap being the assumption that only Rehost applies to VMware workloads. Remember the mnemonic "3R for VMware: Rehost for speed, Replatform for the DB, Refactor for the future."
PAS-C01 Migration Practice Question
This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of migration. 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 is planning to migrate a critical application to AWS using the 7 Rs migration strategy. The application is currently running on a large VMware VM. Which THREE strategies are appropriate for this migration? (Choose three.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Rehost: Use AWS VM Import/Export to migrate the VM to EC2
Rehost (A) is appropriate because AWS VM Import/Export allows you to migrate VMware VMs directly to Amazon EC2 as AMIs, enabling a lift-and-shift migration with minimal changes. This is a core 7 Rs strategy for moving existing virtualized workloads to AWS.
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.
✓
Rehost: Use AWS VM Import/Export to migrate the VM to EC2
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Retire: Decommission the application as it is no longer needed
Why it's wrong here
The application is critical, so retirement is not appropriate.
✓
Refactor: Re-architect the application to use microservices
Why this is correct
Significant rework but may be beneficial for scalability.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Replatform: Migrate to Amazon RDS for the database layer
Why this is correct
Minor change to use managed database service.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Retain: Keep the application on-premises
Why it's wrong here
The company plans to migrate, so retain is not the goal.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse Retire with decommissioning an application that is still needed, or assume Retain is a valid migration strategy when the requirement is to move to AWS.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS VM Import/Export uses the VM Import service to convert VMware VMDK files into EC2 AMIs, supporting both Windows and Linux. The process involves uploading the VM disk image to Amazon S3, then importing it as an EBS-backed instance, preserving the OS, applications, and configuration for a true lift-and-shift.
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.
TExam Day Tips
→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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Migration — This question tests Migration — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Rehost: Use AWS VM Import/Export to migrate the VM to EC2 — Rehost (A) is appropriate because AWS VM Import/Export allows you to migrate VMware VMs directly to Amazon EC2 as AMIs, enabling a lift-and-shift migration with minimal changes. This is a core 7 Rs strategy for moving existing virtualized workloads to AWS.
What should I do if I get this PAS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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