The answer is to add more EC2 instances to the target group. This reduces latency by distributing the incoming traffic across a larger pool of compute resources, which prevents any single instance from becoming overloaded during peak hours and causing queuing delays. On the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate SOA-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of horizontal scaling as the primary method for handling increased demand on an Application Load Balancer, rather than relying on configuration tweaks like idle timeouts or health check intervals. A common trap is to focus on connection settings, but the core concept is that latency under load is almost always a capacity issue, not a protocol one. Remember the memory tip: “More targets, less waiting” — when traffic spikes, scale out, not just tune.
SOA-C02 Networking and Content Delivery Practice Question
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of networking and content delivery. 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 has deployed a web application across multiple Availability Zones using an Application Load Balancer. The application experiences increased latency during peak hours. Which action would be MOST effective in reducing latency?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Add more EC2 instances to the target group.
Option C is correct because enabling connection idle timeout can help free up resources by closing idle connections, but the most effective for latency is to add more targets. Option A is wrong because enabling cross-zone load balancing is already default and helps distribute traffic evenly. Option B is wrong because increasing the deregistration delay does not reduce latency. Option D is wrong because updating health checks does not directly reduce latency.
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.
✓
Add more EC2 instances to the target group.
Why this is correct
Adding more instances increases capacity, reducing load per instance and thus reducing latency.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Update the health check to use a more frequent interval.
Why it's wrong here
Frequent health checks do not reduce latency; they only help quickly identify unhealthy instances.
✗
Enable cross-zone load balancing on the ALB.
Why it's wrong here
Cross-zone load balancing is enabled by default for ALB and helps distribute traffic, but it does not directly reduce latency.
✗
Increase the deregistration delay for the target group.
Why it's wrong here
This allows in-flight requests to complete but does not reduce latency.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
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
How to think about this question
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.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 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.
Networking and Content Delivery — This question tests Networking and Content Delivery — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Add more EC2 instances to the target group. — Option C is correct because enabling connection idle timeout can help free up resources by closing idle connections, but the most effective for latency is to add more targets. Option A is wrong because enabling cross-zone load balancing is already default and helps distribute traffic evenly. Option B is wrong because increasing the deregistration delay does not reduce latency. Option D is wrong because updating health checks does not directly reduce latency.
What should I do if I get this SOA-C02 question wrong?
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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