Quick Answer
The correct answer is to increase the volume’s IOPS to 20,000. This works because gp3 EBS volumes allow you to independently scale IOPS and throughput without increasing storage size, making it ideal for improving SAP HANA performance when the current 16,000 IOPS is insufficient for peak database loads. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of gp3’s flexibility versus older gp2 volumes, which cannot scale IOPS independently and may throttle performance. A common trap is assuming you must switch to gp2 or change the instance type, but the key insight is that gp3 already provides provisioned SSD performance, and raising IOPS directly addresses the bottleneck. Remember the mnemonic “gp3: go pure performance” — you can pump up IOPS without touching size or throughput.
This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of technology. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.
An SAP HANA database is running on an EC2 instance with a gp3 EBS volume. The database workload requires high IOPS and throughput. The current configuration shows 16,000 IOPS and 1,000 MB/s throughput. Which change could improve performance?
Increase the EC2 instance size.
Why wrong: Instance size may not limit EBS performance if EBS-optimized.
Increase the volume size to 1,000 GB.
Why wrong: Size increase does not guarantee more IOPS for gp3 beyond baseline.
Change the volume type to gp2.
Why wrong: gp2 is older and may not offer better performance.
Increase the volume's IOPS to 20,000.
Higher IOPS improves database performance.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Increase the volume's IOPS to 20,000.
Option C is correct because gp3 volumes allow independent scaling of IOPS and throughput. For SAP HANA, higher IOPS can improve performance. The current 16,000 IOPS may be insufficient for peak loads. Option A is wrong because gp3 is already provisioned SSD; gp2 is older and may not provide consistent performance. Option B is wrong because instance type may not be the bottleneck. Option D is wrong because increasing volume size does not directly increase IOPS for gp3 beyond baseline.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Increase the EC2 instance size.
Why it's wrong here
Instance size may not limit EBS performance if EBS-optimized.
Increase the volume size to 1,000 GB.
Why it's wrong here
Size increase does not guarantee more IOPS for gp3 beyond baseline.
Change the volume type to gp2.
Why it's wrong here
gp2 is older and may not offer better performance.
Increase the volume's IOPS to 20,000.
Why this is correct
Higher IOPS improves database performance.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
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
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.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Identify which PAS-C01 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.
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FAQ
Technology — This question tests Technology — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Increase the volume's IOPS to 20,000. — Option C is correct because gp3 volumes allow independent scaling of IOPS and throughput. For SAP HANA, higher IOPS can improve performance. The current 16,000 IOPS may be insufficient for peak loads. Option A is wrong because gp3 is already provisioned SSD; gp2 is older and may not provide consistent performance. Option B is wrong because instance type may not be the bottleneck. Option D is wrong because increasing volume size does not directly increase IOPS for gp3 beyond baseline.
Identify which PAS-C01 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.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Same concept, more angles
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Variation 1. An SAP system running on AWS is experiencing high latency for database writes. The database is running on an RDS instance with General Purpose (gp2) storage. What change will PROVIDE the most immediate performance improvement?
mediumWhy A: Option A is correct because switching to Provisioned IOPS (io1/io2) provides consistent low latency for write-heavy workloads. Option B is wrong because adding read replicas helps read scaling, not write latency. Option C is wrong because increasing storage size may improve gp2 baseline performance but not as effectively as io1. Option D is wrong because Multi-AZ provides high availability, not performance.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
This PAS-C01 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 PAS-C01 exam.
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