Quick Answer
The answer is gp3. This is the correct choice because gp3 volumes decouple baseline IOPS and throughput from volume size, providing a guaranteed baseline of 3,000 IOPS and 125 MB/s regardless of storage capacity, while allowing you to provision additional IOPS only as needed. For write-intensive workloads, this means you avoid paying for the high provisioned IOPS costs inherent to gp2, where performance scales with volume size and often leads to over-provisioning. On the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate SOA-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of EBS volume types and cost optimization strategies—a common trap is choosing io2 for its high durability, but that is significantly more expensive for write-heavy databases. Remember the memory tip: “gp3 gives you the baseline for less, so you don’t pay for excess.”
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of cost and performance optimization. Compare every option against the stated constraints before choosing — the best answer satisfies all requirements, not just the most obvious one. 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 is using Amazon EBS volumes for a high-performance database. The volumes are gp2 type. The database workload is write-intensive, and the company is experiencing high costs due to provisioned IOPS. The database team wants to maintain performance while reducing costs. Which EBS volume type should the company use?
sc1 (Cold HDD)
Why wrong: Lowest cost but too slow for databases.
st1 (Throughput Optimized HDD)
Why wrong: Not designed for IOPS-intensive database workloads.
io2 Block Express
Why wrong: Higher performance but higher cost.
gp3
Provides baseline IOPS and throughput; pay only for additional IOPS.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
gp3
gp3 volumes provide baseline performance independent of volume size, and customers pay only for provisioned IOPS above baseline, offering cost savings for write-intensive workloads. Option A is wrong because io2 volumes are more expensive. Option B is wrong because st1 is not suitable for database workloads. Option D is wrong because sc1 is lowest cost but poor performance.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
sc1 (Cold HDD)
Why it's wrong here
Lowest cost but too slow for databases.
st1 (Throughput Optimized HDD)
Why it's wrong here
Not designed for IOPS-intensive database workloads.
io2 Block Express
Why it's wrong here
Higher performance but higher cost.
gp3
Why this is correct
Provides baseline IOPS and throughput; pay only for additional IOPS.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
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
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.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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 — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Cost and Performance Optimization — This question tests Cost and Performance Optimization — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: gp3 — gp3 volumes provide baseline performance independent of volume size, and customers pay only for provisioned IOPS above baseline, offering cost savings for write-intensive workloads. Option A is wrong because io2 volumes are more expensive. Option B is wrong because st1 is not suitable for database workloads. Option D is wrong because sc1 is lowest cost but poor performance.
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.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 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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