Question 1easymultiple choice
Full question →easymultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A company runs a CPU-intensive batch processing job daily on a single Amazon EC2 instance. The job requires high compute performance but uses minimal memory. The instance is typically idle for the rest of the day. The SysOps administrator needs to minimize costs while ensuring the job completes within a 1-hour window. Which purchasing option and instance family should the administrator use?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Distractor review
On-Demand Instance with a general-purpose (T-family) instance
T-family instances are burstable and suitable for variable workloads, but On-Demand pricing is higher than Spot. The job may burst beyond baseline and incur performance issues or higher costs.
B
Distractor review
Reserved Instance (1-year, all upfront) with a compute-optimized (C-family) instance
Reserved Instances provide significant discounts for steady-state usage, but this job runs only a few hours per day. Paying upfront for a full year would not be cost-effective given low utilization.
C
Best answer
Spot Instance with a compute-optimized (C-family) instance
Spot Instances offer large discounts and are suitable for fault-tolerant batch jobs. The C family provides high compute performance. If interrupted, the job can resume on a new Spot Instance.
D
Distractor review
On-Demand Instance with a memory-optimized (R-family) instance
R-family instances are designed for memory-intensive workloads, which is not needed. On-Demand pricing is higher than Spot, leading to unnecessary costs.
Common exam trap
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.
Technical deep dive
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.
Related practice questions
Related SOA-C02 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A company uses Amazon CloudFront to deliver content to a global audience. The origin is an Application Load Balancer in us-east-1. The SysOps administrator wants to reduce costs by minimizing the number of requests that reach the origin server. Which action should the administrator take?
Question 2
A company runs a batch processing application on Amazon EC2 that runs for 2 hours every night. The workload can tolerate interruptions. Which EC2 purchasing option provides the lowest cost for this use case?
Question 3
A SysOps administrator needs to monitor the CPU utilization of an Amazon RDS DB instance and receive an alarm when CPU utilization exceeds 80% for 5 consecutive minutes. Which AWS service should be used to create this alarm?
Question 4
A company runs a critical web application on Amazon EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group behind an Application Load Balancer (ALB). The application uses session stickiness (sticky sessions) to maintain user sessions. The SysOps administrator notices that when instances are replaced during a scale-in or failure event, users lose their session data. The administrator needs to preserve session data across instance failures without losing stickiness benefits. What should the administrator do?
Question 5
A company runs a production web application on a single Amazon EC2 instance. The application experiences a predictable and steady workload 24/7. The SysOps administrator wants to minimize compute costs for this instance while ensuring it remains available during the expected workload. Which EC2 purchasing option should the administrator use?
Question 6
A company has a VPC with public and private subnets. The private subnets host application servers that need to make outbound HTTPS connections to the internet. The SysOps administrator must implement a solution that provides outbound internet connectivity while preventing inbound connections from the internet. Additionally, the solution must allow the company to control which domains the application servers can access. Which solution should the administrator implement?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SOA-C02 question test?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Spot Instance with a compute-optimized (C-family) instance — A Spot Instance with a compute-optimized (C-family) instance is the most cost-effective choice. Spot Instances can provide up to 90% discount and are suitable for fault-tolerant jobs that can be interrupted. The C family is designed for compute-intensive workloads, offering high vCPU-to-memory ratio, ideal for this batch job. On-Demand or Reserved Instances would be more expensive for a short daily job. Memory-optimized (R-family) is unnecessary and more costly.
What should I do if I get this SOA-C02 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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