- A
Use larger EC2 instance types instead of smaller ones.
Why wrong: Vertical scaling is less flexible than horizontal scaling.
- B
Reduce the Auto Scaling group's cooldown period to scale out faster.
Why wrong: May cause scaling thrashing.
- C
Change the scaling metric from CPU utilization to memory utilization.
Why wrong: Memory utilization is not the best metric for a stateless web app.
- D
Increase the maximum instance count in the Auto Scaling group.
Allows scaling out to handle more traffic.
Question 898 of 1,546
SOA-C02 Reliability and Business Continuity Practice Question
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of reliability and business continuity. 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 stateless web application on EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group across multiple Availability Zones. The application experiences increased latency during peak hours. The SysOps administrator needs to improve the application's performance and reliability. Which action should be taken?
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
✓
Increase the maximum instance count in the Auto Scaling group.
Increasing the maximum instance count allows the Auto Scaling group to launch more EC2 instances during peak hours, distributing the load across more resources and reducing latency. This directly improves both performance (by handling more requests) and reliability (by maintaining capacity under increased demand).
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 larger EC2 instance types instead of smaller ones.
Why it's wrong here
Vertical scaling is less flexible than horizontal scaling.
- ✗
Reduce the Auto Scaling group's cooldown period to scale out faster.
Why it's wrong here
May cause scaling thrashing.
- ✗
Change the scaling metric from CPU utilization to memory utilization.
Why it's wrong here
Memory utilization is not the best metric for a stateless web app.
- ✓
Increase the maximum instance count in the Auto Scaling group.
Why this is correct
Allows scaling out to handle more traffic.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse scaling metrics or instance sizing with the fundamental need to increase the maximum capacity limit when the group is already hitting its cap during peak load.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Auto Scaling groups use metrics like CPU utilization to trigger scale-out events based on CloudWatch alarms. Increasing the maximum instance count ensures the group can launch additional instances beyond the previous cap, which is critical when the current max is reached but demand continues to grow. In practice, combining this with a target tracking scaling policy (e.g., targeting 50% CPU) provides smoother, proactive scaling.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
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.
- →
Reliability and Business Continuity — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SOA-C02 question test?
Reliability and Business Continuity — This question tests Reliability and Business Continuity — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Increase the maximum instance count in the Auto Scaling group. — Increasing the maximum instance count allows the Auto Scaling group to launch more EC2 instances during peak hours, distributing the load across more resources and reducing latency. This directly improves both performance (by handling more requests) and reliability (by maintaining capacity under increased demand).
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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