- A
EC2 Instance Savings Plans
Why wrong: EC2 Instance Savings Plans apply only to EC2 instances, not RDS or Lambda, so they do not cover the full workload mix.
- B
Compute Savings Plans
Why wrong: Compute Savings Plans cover EC2, Lambda, and Fargate, but they do not cover Amazon RDS databases, which are part of the workload.
- C
Standard Reserved Instances
Standard Reserved Instances can be purchased separately for EC2 and RDS, offering high discounts for steady-state workloads. While they limit flexibility, Convertible RIs allow changes to instance families and regions.
- D
Spot Instances
Why wrong: Spot Instances are interruptible and not suitable for steady-state, predictable workloads.
Question 963 of 1,546
SOA-C02 Standard Reserved Instances 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. A key principle to apply: standard Reserved Instances. 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 runs a mix of Amazon EC2 instances, Amazon RDS databases, and AWS Lambda functions for production workloads. The workloads are steady-state and predictable. The SysOps administrator wants to reduce costs while maintaining flexibility to change instance families and regions. Which pricing model should be recommended?
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
✓
Standard Reserved Instances
Standard Reserved Instances provide significant discounts for steady-state, predictable workloads on both EC2 and RDS. Although they lock you into a specific instance family and region, you can choose Convertible Reserved Instances to retain some flexibility. Compute Savings Plans do not cover RDS databases, which are explicitly part of the workload mix, making them unsuitable. Spot Instances are not designed for steady-state workloads, and EC2 Instance Savings Plans only cover EC2 instances.
Key principle: Standard Reserved Instances
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
EC2 Instance Savings Plans
Why it's wrong here
EC2 Instance Savings Plans apply only to EC2 instances, not RDS or Lambda, so they do not cover the full workload mix.
- ✗
Compute Savings Plans
Why it's wrong here
Compute Savings Plans cover EC2, Lambda, and Fargate, but they do not cover Amazon RDS databases, which are part of the workload.
- ✓
Standard Reserved Instances
Why this is correct
Standard Reserved Instances can be purchased separately for EC2 and RDS, offering high discounts for steady-state workloads. While they limit flexibility, Convertible RIs allow changes to instance families and regions.
Related concept
Standard Reserved Instances
- ✗
Spot Instances
Why it's wrong here
Spot Instances are interruptible and not suitable for steady-state, predictable workloads.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Candidates may assume Compute Savings Plans cover all compute services, but they exclude RDS. Always consider the full workload mix when recommending a pricing model.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Compute Savings Plans apply to any compute usage that falls under the EC2, Lambda, or Fargate pricing dimensions, measured in dollars per hour of compute spend, not instance-specific attributes. Under the hood, AWS calculates the discount by comparing your committed hourly spend against the On-Demand rates of the resources you use, automatically applying the highest discount to the most flexible usage first. In a real-world scenario, if you commit to $100/hour with Compute Savings Plans, you can run a mix of EC2 instances in us-east-1 and Lambda functions in eu-west-1, and the discount applies across all of them as long as total compute spend exceeds the commitment.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Standard Reserved Instances
- Convertible Reserved Instances
- Steady-state workloads
- Savings Plans
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
Standard Reserved Instances
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.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review standard Reserved Instances, then practise related SOA-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
- →
Cost and Performance Optimization — study guide chapter
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Cost and Performance Optimization practice questions
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SOA-C02 question test?
Cost and Performance Optimization — This question tests Cost and Performance Optimization — Standard Reserved Instances.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Standard Reserved Instances — Standard Reserved Instances provide significant discounts for steady-state, predictable workloads on both EC2 and RDS. Although they lock you into a specific instance family and region, you can choose Convertible Reserved Instances to retain some flexibility. Compute Savings Plans do not cover RDS databases, which are explicitly part of the workload mix, making them unsuitable. Spot Instances are not designed for steady-state workloads, and EC2 Instance Savings Plans only cover EC2 instances.
What should I do if I get this SOA-C02 question wrong?
Review standard Reserved Instances, then practise related SOA-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Standard Reserved Instances
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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