The correct answer is to change the scaling policy to a target tracking policy with a target CPU utilization of 70%. This improves performance because target tracking policies are designed to maintain a specified metric target by continuously adjusting capacity, making them more responsive to traffic spikes than step scaling policies, which react in discrete increments and can lag behind sudden demand. On the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate SOA-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of Auto Scaling dynamic scaling policies for performance, specifically how target tracking provides proactive scaling versus the reactive nature of step or simple scaling. A common trap is confusing cooldown periods with responsiveness—increasing cooldown actually slows scaling, while a higher CPU threshold like 70% allows the group to scale out faster before performance degrades. Remember the mnemonic: “Track the target, don’t step in the trap”—target tracking keeps you on pace with demand.
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.
A company has a web application that uses an Application Load Balancer (ALB) and an Auto Scaling group of EC2 instances. The Auto Scaling group uses a dynamic scaling policy based on average CPU utilization. The SysOps administrator notices that during traffic spikes, the scaling policy adds instances too slowly, causing performance degradation. Which action should the administrator take to improve performance without significantly increasing costs?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Change the scaling policy to a target tracking policy with a target CPU utilization of 70%.
Option A is correct because a target tracking policy with a higher CPU threshold (e.g., 70%) can be more responsive than a step scaling policy. Option B is wrong because increasing the cooldown period would slow scaling down further. Option C is wrong because using a simple scaling policy with a higher threshold may not be as responsive. Option D is wrong because a scheduled scaling policy is not suitable for unpredictable spikes.
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.
✗
Use a scheduled scaling policy to add instances during known peak hours.
Increase the cooldown period for the scaling policy to allow instances to warm up.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing cooldown would delay scaling further.
✗
Switch to a simple scaling policy that scales out when CPU exceeds 80%.
Why it's wrong here
Simple scaling is less responsive than target tracking.
✓
Change the scaling policy to a target tracking policy with a target CPU utilization of 70%.
Why this is correct
Target tracking maintains the desired CPU utilization and scales more proactively.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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
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.
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: Change the scaling policy to a target tracking policy with a target CPU utilization of 70%. — Option A is correct because a target tracking policy with a higher CPU threshold (e.g., 70%) can be more responsive than a step scaling policy. Option B is wrong because increasing the cooldown period would slow scaling down further. Option C is wrong because using a simple scaling policy with a higher threshold may not be as responsive. Option D is wrong because a scheduled scaling policy is not suitable for unpredictable spikes.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company runs a web application on EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer. The application experiences variable traffic patterns. What is the MOST cost-effective way to ensure the application scales based on demand?
easy
A.Provision a fixed number of EC2 instances that can handle peak load at all times.
B.Use EC2 Auto Scaling with a scheduled scaling policy that adds instances during business hours.
✓ C.Use EC2 Auto Scaling with a target tracking scaling policy based on average CPU utilization.
D.Use EC2 Auto Scaling with a manual scaling plan that requires an administrator to adjust the desired capacity.
Why C: Option C is correct because a target tracking scaling policy automatically adjusts capacity based on a CloudWatch metric, which is cost-effective compared to manual or scheduled scaling. Option A is wrong because manual scaling is not automated. Option B is wrong because scheduled scaling does not handle variable traffic well. Option D is wrong because it over-provisions instances.
Variation 2. A company runs a web application on EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer (ALB). The application experiences variable traffic with occasional spikes. The SysOps administrator wants to optimize costs while ensuring that the application can handle spikes without performance degradation. The current setup uses a fixed number of instances. Which action should the administrator take?
medium
A.Purchase Reserved Instances for the current number of instances to reduce hourly cost.
✓ B.Implement an Auto Scaling group with a target tracking scaling policy based on ALB request count per target.
C.Replace on-demand instances with Spot Instances for all traffic.
D.Increase the instance size to a compute-optimized type to handle spikes.
Why B: Option C is correct because Auto Scaling with a target tracking policy on ALB request count allows the number of instances to adjust based on traffic, handling spikes and reducing instances during low traffic. Option A (increase instance size) may handle spikes but is expensive for low traffic. Option B (Reserved Instances) locks in a fixed capacity. Option D (Spot Instances) are cheaper but can be interrupted, risking performance degradation during spikes.
Variation 3. A company runs a web application on EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer. The application experiences variable traffic patterns. The operations team notices that during low traffic periods, there are still a large number of running instances, leading to higher costs. What should the team do to reduce costs while maintaining performance?
medium
A.Replace the existing instances with larger instance types to handle peak load.
✓ B.Implement a target tracking scaling policy based on average CPU utilization.
C.Manually scale down the number of instances during off-peak hours.
D.Purchase Reserved Instances for the baseline capacity.
Why B: Using a target tracking scaling policy based on average CPU utilization allows the Auto Scaling group to automatically adjust the number of instances based on demand, reducing costs during low traffic. Option A is wrong because manual scaling does not automate cost optimization. Option B is wrong because Reserved Instances do not address variable traffic. Option D is wrong because increasing instance size may not reduce the number of instances during low traffic.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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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.
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