This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of networking and content delivery. 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 using Amazon Route 53 for DNS and wants to route traffic to multiple endpoints based on the geographic location of the user. Which routing policy should the SysOps Administrator use?
Geolocation routing
Geolocation routing allows you to route traffic based on the geographic location of the user.
Weighted routing
Why wrong: Weighted routing distributes traffic based on weights assigned to records.
Failover routing
Why wrong: Failover routing is used for active-passive failover.
Latency routing
Why wrong: Latency routing routes to the endpoint with the lowest latency, not based on user location.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Geolocation routing
Geolocation routing (Option A) is correct because it allows Route 53 to route traffic based on the geographic location of the DNS query's source IP address. This is ideal for scenarios where you need to direct users to specific endpoints based on their country, continent, or even US state, such as complying with data sovereignty laws or delivering localized content.
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.
Geolocation routing
Why this is correct
Geolocation routing allows you to route traffic based on the geographic location of the user.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Weighted routing
Why it's wrong here
Weighted routing distributes traffic based on weights assigned to records.
Failover routing
Why it's wrong here
Failover routing is used for active-passive failover.
Latency routing
Why it's wrong here
Latency routing routes to the endpoint with the lowest latency, not based on user location.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse geolocation routing with latency routing, assuming that lower latency correlates with geographic proximity, but latency routing uses actual network performance data, not geographic boundaries.
Detailed technical explanation
Geolocation routing works by mapping the source IP address of the DNS resolver (not the end user's IP directly) to a geographic location using a Route 53-managed IP-to-location database. A subtle behavior is that if a query originates from a location not covered by any geolocation record, Route 53 returns a 'No Answer' response by default, unless a default record is configured. In real-world scenarios, this is critical for global applications that must block traffic from certain regions or enforce regional licensing.
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
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FAQ
Networking and Content Delivery — This question tests Networking and Content Delivery — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Geolocation routing — Geolocation routing (Option A) is correct because it allows Route 53 to route traffic based on the geographic location of the DNS query's source IP address. This is ideal for scenarios where you need to direct users to specific endpoints based on their country, continent, or even US state, such as complying with data sovereignty laws or delivering localized content.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This SOA-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 SOA-C02 exam.
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