CV0-004 Cloud Architecture and Design Practice Question
A cloud architect is choosing a compute pricing model for a batch processing job that runs for 2 hours every night. The job can be interrupted. Which option is most cost-effective?
⚠ Common exam trap
The CV0-004 exam often tests the misconception that Reserved instances are always cheaper for any recurring workload, but the trap here is that the short, interruptible nature of the job makes spot instances far more cost-effective than committing to a long-term reservation.
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 instances
Spot instances are the most cost-effective option because the batch processing job is fault-tolerant (can be interrupted) and runs for a fixed, short duration (2 hours nightly). Spot instances offer significant discounts (often 60-90% off on-demand pricing) by leveraging unused cloud capacity, which can be reclaimed with a 2-minute warning. This aligns perfectly with the workload's tolerance for interruption and its predictable but non-critical schedule.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Reserved instances for 1 year
Why it's wrong here
Reserved instances bill continuously for the full one- or three-year term regardless of use, so a two-hour nightly job wastes roughly twenty-two hours of committed capacity daily. It tempts because reservations discount steady-state workloads, and would be correct for an always-on instance running predictably for the whole term.
- ✓
Spot instances
Why this is correct
Spot instances price capacity at steep discounts because workloads are evictable, matching the job's interruptibility. Reserved or on-demand pricing would charge for guaranteed availability the batch job does not require, so spot satisfies the nightly two-hour, interruption-tolerant constraint most cheaply.
- ✗
On-demand instances
Why it's wrong here
On-demand instances bill the full per-second rate for the two hours used, with no discount for the job's interruptibility. It tempts because on-demand needs no commitment and suits unpredictable or short-lived workloads, but spot capacity would cut the cost substantially for this fault-tolerant job.
- ✗
Dedicated hosts
Why it's wrong here
Dedicated hosts charge for the entire physical server per hour, so a two-hour interruptible batch pays for capacity it never uses. It tempts because dedicated hosts suit licensing-bound or compliance-restricted workloads needing hardware isolation, not short, fault-tolerant nightly processing.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every CV0-004 question from scratch — 834 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CV0-004 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA 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 CV0-004 exam.