- A
On-Demand Instance with a general-purpose (T-family) instance
Why wrong: T-family instances are burstable and suitable for variable workloads, but On-Demand pricing is higher than Spot. The job may burst beyond baseline and incur performance issues or higher costs.
- B
Reserved Instance (1-year, all upfront) with a compute-optimized (C-family) instance
Why wrong: Reserved Instances provide significant discounts for steady-state usage, but this job runs only a few hours per day. Paying upfront for a full year would not be cost-effective given low utilization.
- C
Spot Instance with a compute-optimized (C-family) instance
Spot Instances offer large discounts and are suitable for fault-tolerant batch jobs. The C family provides high compute performance. If interrupted, the job can resume on a new Spot Instance.
- D
On-Demand Instance with a memory-optimized (R-family) instance
Why wrong: R-family instances are designed for memory-intensive workloads, which is not needed. On-Demand pricing is higher than Spot, leading to unnecessary costs.
Quick Answer
The answer is a Spot Instance with a compute-optimized (C-family) instance. This is correct because the batch job is fault-tolerant and can handle interruptions, and Spot Instances provide up to 90% cost savings over On-Demand, ideal for short, flexible workloads that run for only one hour daily. The C-family offers the highest compute-to-memory ratio, perfectly matching the CPU-intensive, minimal-memory profile of the job. On the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate SOA-C02 exam, this question tests your ability to match purchasing options to workload characteristics, specifically recognizing that fault-tolerant batch jobs are prime candidates for Spot Instances. A common trap is choosing Reserved Instances for cost savings, but those lock you into a 1- or 3-year term for a job that runs only one hour per day. Memory tip: think “Spot for stop-and-go batch, C for CPU crunch.”
SOA-C02 Cost and Performance Optimization Practice Question
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of cost and performance optimization. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 runs a CPU-intensive batch processing job daily on a single Amazon EC2 instance. The job requires high compute performance but uses minimal memory. The instance is typically idle for the rest of the day. The SysOps administrator needs to minimize costs while ensuring the job completes within a 1-hour window. Which purchasing option and instance family should the administrator use?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"minimum / minimize"Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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
Spot Instance with a compute-optimized (C-family) instance
A Spot Instance with a compute-optimized (C-family) instance is the correct choice because the batch job is fault-tolerant (can be interrupted and resumed), runs for only 1 hour daily, and requires high CPU performance with minimal memory. Spot Instances offer significant cost savings (up to 90% off On-Demand) and are ideal for flexible, stateless workloads. The C-family provides the highest compute-to-memory ratio, matching the job's CPU-intensive profile.
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.
- ✗
On-Demand Instance with a general-purpose (T-family) instance
Why it's wrong here
T-family instances are burstable and suitable for variable workloads, but On-Demand pricing is higher than Spot. The job may burst beyond baseline and incur performance issues or higher costs.
- ✗
Reserved Instance (1-year, all upfront) with a compute-optimized (C-family) instance
Why it's wrong here
Reserved Instances provide significant discounts for steady-state usage, but this job runs only a few hours per day. Paying upfront for a full year would not be cost-effective given low utilization.
- ✓
Spot Instance with a compute-optimized (C-family) instance
Why this is correct
Spot Instances offer large discounts and are suitable for fault-tolerant batch jobs. The C family provides high compute performance. If interrupted, the job can resume on a new Spot Instance.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
On-Demand Instance with a memory-optimized (R-family) instance
Why it's wrong here
R-family instances are designed for memory-intensive workloads, which is not needed. On-Demand pricing is higher than Spot, leading to unnecessary costs.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume Reserved Instances are always the cheapest option for predictable workloads, but they overlook that the job's extremely low utilization (1 hour/day) makes Spot Instances more cost-effective despite the lack of commitment.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Spot Instances use spare EC2 capacity and can be reclaimed by AWS with a 2-minute interruption notice, making them suitable only for stateless or checkpointable workloads. The C-family instances (e.g., c5, c6g) feature high-frequency Intel Xeon or AWS Graviton processors and a high ratio of vCPUs to memory, ideal for batch processing, video encoding, and scientific modeling. In practice, administrators should implement checkpointing (e.g., saving intermediate results to S3) and use a Spot Instance interruption handler (e.g., AWS Instance Scheduler or custom scripts) to gracefully stop and resume the job if capacity is reclaimed.
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 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 exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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 — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Spot Instance with a compute-optimized (C-family) instance — A Spot Instance with a compute-optimized (C-family) instance is the correct choice because the batch job is fault-tolerant (can be interrupted and resumed), runs for only 1 hour daily, and requires high CPU performance with minimal memory. Spot Instances offer significant cost savings (up to 90% off On-Demand) and are ideal for flexible, stateless workloads. The C-family provides the highest compute-to-memory ratio, matching the job's CPU-intensive profile.
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: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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 →
Same concept, more angles
3 more ways this is tested on SOA-C02
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 batch processing job every night on Amazon EC2 instances. The job takes exactly 2 hours to complete and can be interrupted and resumed later. The SysOps administrator wants to minimize compute costs. Which purchasing option should be used?
medium- ✓ A.Spot Instances
- B.Reserved Instances
- C.On-Demand Instances
- D.Dedicated Instances
Why A: Spot Instances are the correct choice because the batch job is fault-tolerant (can be interrupted and resumed) and runs for a fixed 2-hour window nightly. Spot Instances offer up to 90% cost savings compared to On-Demand, and with the ability to handle interruptions via checkpointing, they minimize compute costs without requiring a long-term commitment.
Variation 2. A company runs a batch processing job on Amazon EC2 that runs for 2 hours every night. The job can tolerate interruptions and can resume from the last checkpoint. The SysOps administrator needs to minimize compute costs. Which EC2 purchasing option should be used?
medium- A.On-Demand Instances
- ✓ B.Spot Instances
- C.Reserved Instances
- D.Compute Savings Plans
Why B: Spot Instances are ideal for fault-tolerant, interruptible workloads like this batch processing job because they offer significant cost savings (up to 90% off On-Demand prices) in exchange for being reclaimable by AWS with a 2-minute warning. Since the job can resume from the last checkpoint, interruptions do not cause data loss or restart from scratch, making Spot Instances the most cost-effective choice.
Variation 3. A company runs a batch processing job on Amazon EC2 instances that runs for 3 hours each night. The job can be interrupted and can resume from the last checkpoint without data loss. The SysOps administrator wants to minimize compute costs for this workload. Which Amazon EC2 purchasing option should be used?
easy- A.On-Demand Instances
- B.Reserved Instances
- ✓ C.Spot Instances
- D.Dedicated Hosts
Why C: Spot Instances are correct because the batch job is fault-tolerant (can be interrupted and resume from checkpoints) and runs for a fixed 3-hour window nightly. Spot Instances offer significant cost savings (up to 90% off On-Demand) by using spare EC2 capacity, which can be reclaimed by AWS with a 2-minute interruption notice. Since the workload can handle interruptions gracefully, Spot Instances minimize compute costs while meeting the job's requirements.
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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