The correct answer is that the Auto Scaling group will scale out because CPU utilization exceeded 50% for several consecutive data points. This is due to the target tracking scaling policy behavior, which continuously monitors the specified metric—in this case, average CPU utilization—and adjusts capacity to maintain the target value. When the metric breaches the target for a sustained period, as seen with the CPU spike to 95.1% at 00:20, the policy triggers a scale-out event to bring utilization back down. On the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate SOA-C02 exam, this concept tests your understanding that target tracking policies react to sustained deviations, not momentary spikes or simple averages over an hour; a common trap is assuming the policy ignores a high peak if the hourly average is near the target. Remember the memory tip: "Target tracking tracks trends, not one-off tents"—it needs consecutive high data points to act.
SOA-C02 Cost and Performance Optimization Practice Question
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of cost and performance optimization. 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.
Network Topology
A SysOps administrator reviews the CloudWatch metrics for an EC2 instance as shown. The instance is part of an Auto Scaling group with a target tracking scaling policy based on average CPU utilization set to 50%. During the time period shown, what is the expected behavior?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The Auto Scaling group will scale out because CPU utilization exceeded 50% for several consecutive data points.
Option C is correct because CPU utilization peaks at 95.1% at 00:20, exceeding the 50% target, so the Auto Scaling group should scale out. Option A is wrong because it does exceed the target. Option B is wrong because the average over the hour is around 47%, but the policy reacts to sustained breaches; the peak would trigger scaling. Option D is wrong because scaling would occur.
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.
✗
The Auto Scaling group will not scale because the average CPU utilization over the hour is below 50%.
Why it's wrong here
Target tracking uses the metric over the evaluation period, not just hourly average.
✗
The Auto Scaling group will scale in because the CPU utilization dropped below 50% at the end.
Why it's wrong here
Scaling in occurs after sustained low utilization, not immediately after a drop.
✓
The Auto Scaling group will scale out because CPU utilization exceeded 50% for several consecutive data points.
Why this is correct
The policy will trigger scale-out when the metric breaches the target for enough consecutive periods.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The Auto Scaling group will not scale because the metric shows a decline after the peak.
Why it's wrong here
The policy responds to the breach, not the decline.
Common exam traps
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.
Detailed technical explanation
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.
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 SOA-C02 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.
Cost and Performance Optimization — This question tests Cost and Performance Optimization — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The Auto Scaling group will scale out because CPU utilization exceeded 50% for several consecutive data points. — Option C is correct because CPU utilization peaks at 95.1% at 00:20, exceeding the 50% target, so the Auto Scaling group should scale out. Option A is wrong because it does exceed the target. Option B is wrong because the average over the hour is around 47%, but the policy reacts to sustained breaches; the peak would trigger scaling. Option D is wrong because scaling would occur.
What should I do if I get this SOA-C02 question wrong?
Identify which SOA-C02 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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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.
Question Discussion
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