Question 351 of 1,733
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PAS-C01 Technology Practice Question

This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of technology. 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 needs to automate the start and stop of SAP applications in non-production environments to reduce costs. The SAP systems run on multiple EC2 instances. Which AWS service can be used to schedule start and stop actions?

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

AWS Instance Scheduler

AWS Instance Scheduler is a purpose-built solution that automates the start and stop of EC2 instances based on a defined schedule, making it ideal for reducing costs in non-production SAP environments. It uses AWS CloudFormation to deploy a scheduler that triggers Lambda functions to stop and start instances at specified times, and it natively supports tagging to identify which instances to manage, without requiring custom code.

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.

  • AWS OpsWorks

    Why it's wrong here

    OpsWorks is for configuration management, not scheduling.

  • AWS Lambda with custom code

    Why it's wrong here

    Lambda can be used but requires custom development; Instance Scheduler is a turnkey solution.

  • AWS Instance Scheduler

    Why this is correct

    Instance Scheduler is a ready-made solution that uses Lambda and DynamoDB to start/stop instances.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

  • Amazon CloudWatch Events

    Why it's wrong here

    CloudWatch Events can trigger Lambda, but the Instance Scheduler is the recommended approach.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates often choose AWS Lambda with custom code (Option B) because they know Lambda can be scheduled with CloudWatch Events, but they overlook that AWS Instance Scheduler is a pre-built, managed solution that eliminates the need for custom development and maintenance, which is the most cost-effective and reliable approach for this specific use case.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

AWS Instance Scheduler is deployed via a CloudFormation template that creates a DynamoDB table to store schedule definitions, a Lambda function that runs periodically (e.g., every 5 minutes) to evaluate instance tags against those schedules, and the necessary IAM roles. The solution supports multiple time zones, custom periods (e.g., stop at 6 PM, start at 8 AM), and can handle instances in Auto Scaling groups or across multiple AWS accounts and Regions. A subtle behavior is that the scheduler uses the 'Schedule' tag key by default, and if an instance is manually started outside the schedule, the Lambda function will stop it again at the next evaluation cycle unless the instance is excluded via a 'do-not-stop' tag.

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

A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.

Quick reference

Cloud Service Model Comparison

ModelYou ManageProvider ManagesExamples
IaaSOS, runtime, apps, dataHardware, hypervisor, networkingEC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine
PaaSApps and dataOS, runtime, middleware, hardwareElastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service
SaaSData and settings onlyEverything elseMicrosoft 365, Salesforce, Workday
FaaS / ServerlessFunction code onlyInfra, scaling, runtimeLambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run
CaaSContainers and appsKubernetes, OS, hardwareEKS, AKS, GKE

What to study next

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this PAS-C01 question test?

Technology — This question tests Technology — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: AWS Instance Scheduler — AWS Instance Scheduler is a purpose-built solution that automates the start and stop of EC2 instances based on a defined schedule, making it ideal for reducing costs in non-production SAP environments. It uses AWS CloudFormation to deploy a scheduler that triggers Lambda functions to stop and start instances at specified times, and it natively supports tagging to identify which instances to manage, without requiring custom code.

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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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026

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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.