- A
Create a CloudWatch Logs metric filter and a Lambda function that sends email via SES
Why wrong: This is overly complex. CPUUtilization is a metric, not a log, so a metric filter is not applicable. Lambda would add unnecessary overhead.
- B
Create a CloudWatch metric alarm that sends a notification to an Amazon SNS topic subscribed with email endpoints
This directly meets the requirement. The alarm monitors the metric and triggers SNS to send emails.
- C
Create a CloudWatch Events rule that matches EC2 instance state changes and sends to SQS with a Lambda consumer
Why wrong: CloudWatch Events is for state changes (e.g., instance start/stop), not for metric threshold breaches. SQS and Lambda add complexity.
- D
Configure a CloudWatch dashboard that displays CPU utilization and share it with the team
Why wrong: A dashboard only visualizes data; it does not send alerts or notifications.
Quick Answer
The answer is to create a CloudWatch metric alarm that sends a notification to an Amazon SNS topic subscribed with email endpoints. This is correct because CloudWatch metric alarms natively evaluate the CPUUtilization metric over the specified 5-minute period and, when the 90% threshold is breached, directly publish to an SNS topic—eliminating the need for any custom code, Lambda functions, or intermediary services. On the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate SOA-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the simplest monitoring architecture: a direct alarm-to-SNS pipeline, which minimizes operational overhead. A common trap is overcomplicating the solution by adding Lambda or EC2 Auto Scaling actions when the requirement is purely notification-based. Remember the memory tip: "Alarm to SNS, no code in between"—if the goal is just an email alert, keep it to those two services.
SOA-C02 Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation Practice Question
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of monitoring, logging, and remediation. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 uses Amazon CloudWatch to monitor its Amazon EC2 instances. The SysOps administrator wants to receive an email notification when any EC2 instance's CPUUtilization metric exceeds 90% for 5 consecutive minutes. Which combination of services should be used to meet this requirement with the least operational overhead?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"least"Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
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
Create a CloudWatch metric alarm that sends a notification to an Amazon SNS topic subscribed with email endpoints
Option B is correct because it directly uses a CloudWatch metric alarm configured to trigger when CPUUtilization exceeds 90% for 5 consecutive minutes, which then publishes to an Amazon SNS topic with email endpoints. This combination requires no custom code, no Lambda functions, and no additional services, minimizing operational overhead while meeting the requirement precisely.
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.
- ✗
Create a CloudWatch Logs metric filter and a Lambda function that sends email via SES
Why it's wrong here
This is overly complex. CPUUtilization is a metric, not a log, so a metric filter is not applicable. Lambda would add unnecessary overhead.
- ✓
Create a CloudWatch metric alarm that sends a notification to an Amazon SNS topic subscribed with email endpoints
Why this is correct
This directly meets the requirement. The alarm monitors the metric and triggers SNS to send emails.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Create a CloudWatch Events rule that matches EC2 instance state changes and sends to SQS with a Lambda consumer
Why it's wrong here
CloudWatch Events is for state changes (e.g., instance start/stop), not for metric threshold breaches. SQS and Lambda add complexity.
- ✗
Configure a CloudWatch dashboard that displays CPU utilization and share it with the team
Why it's wrong here
A dashboard only visualizes data; it does not send alerts or notifications.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may overcomplicate the solution by introducing Lambda, SQS, or SES, when a native CloudWatch alarm with SNS is the simplest and most operationally efficient approach for metric-based threshold notifications.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
A CloudWatch metric alarm evaluates a single metric over a specified number of consecutive periods (e.g., 5 periods of 1 minute each) using a statistical function like Average or Maximum. When the alarm state transitions to ALARM, it can directly invoke an SNS topic action, which sends an email to all subscribed endpoints via the SNS email delivery protocol (JSON or text format). This avoids the need for any compute resources or custom integrations, keeping the solution serverless and low-maintenance.
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 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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SOA-C02 question test?
Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation — This question tests Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a CloudWatch metric alarm that sends a notification to an Amazon SNS topic subscribed with email endpoints — Option B is correct because it directly uses a CloudWatch metric alarm configured to trigger when CPUUtilization exceeds 90% for 5 consecutive minutes, which then publishes to an Amazon SNS topic with email endpoints. This combination requires no custom code, no Lambda functions, and no additional services, minimizing operational overhead while meeting the requirement precisely.
What should I do if I get this SOA-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "least". You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 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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