SK0-005 troubleshooting Practice Question
A virtualization administrator notices that a critical VM on an ESXi host has high CPU Ready time (%RDY) according to performance charts. The VM has 8 vCPUs assigned, and the host has two physical CPUs with 8 cores each. Other VMs on the host are performing normally. Which of the following actions would MOST likely resolve the high CPU Ready time for this VM?
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
✓
Migrate the VM to another host with more available CPU capacity.
Option D is correct because high CPU Ready time indicates the VM is waiting for physical CPU resources. Migrating to a less contended host allows the VM to receive adequate CPU scheduling without waiting. Option A is wrong because adding physical cores is a hardware change that may not be immediately feasible and does not address the root cause; the current host may have sufficient capacity if the VM's vCPU count is appropriate. Option B is wrong because while CPU pinning can reduce overhead, it may not resolve contention if the host is oversubscribed; also, pinning can lead to other issues. Option C is wrong because reducing vCPUs might help if the VM is not using all vCPUs efficiently, but it could also hurt performance if the workload genuinely needs 8 vCPUs; migration is a less intrusive first step and often the recommended action in such scenarios.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Increase the number of physical cores in the host by adding another CPU.
Why it's wrong here
Adding physical cores is a hardware change that may not be immediately feasible and does not address the root cause; the host may have sufficient capacity if the VM's vCPU count is appropriate.
- ✗
Enable CPU affinity to pin the VM to specific physical cores.
Why it's wrong here
CPU pinning can reduce overhead but may not resolve contention if the host is oversubscribed; it can also lead to other issues.
- ✗
Reduce the number of vCPUs assigned to the VM to 4.
Why it's wrong here
Reducing vCPUs might help if the VM is not using all vCPUs efficiently, but it could hurt performance if the workload needs 8 vCPUs; migration is a less intrusive first step.
- ✓
Migrate the VM to another host with more available CPU capacity.
Why this is correct
High CPU Ready time indicates the VM is waiting for physical CPU resources. Migrating to a less contended host resolves the issue without changing the VM's configuration.
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Same concept, more angles
2 more ways this is tested on SK0-005
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 server in a virtualized environment is experiencing VM performance degradation. The host server has adequate resources. The hypervisor logs show excessive 'ready' time for the CPU. Which of the following is the BEST action to resolve this issue?
hard- A.Disable hyper-threading on the host
- B.Increase the number of vCPUs for the VM
- ✓ C.Reduce the number of VMs on the host
- D.Migrate the VM to a different host
Why C: Reducing the number of VMs on the host reduces contention for CPU resources, decreasing ready time.
Variation 2. A virtualized server running multiple VMs experiences a sudden performance degradation during peak hours. Storage latency spikes and CPU ready time increases significantly. The hypervisor shows high memory overcommitment but no swapping. Which action would most likely resolve the issue without adding hardware?
hard- A.Reduce the number of vCPUs assigned to each VM
- B.Increase memory reservation for all VMs
- ✓ C.Migrate one or more VMs to another host
- D.Enable transparent page sharing
Why C: Option B is correct because migrating VMs reduces resource contention on the host, lowering CPU ready time and potentially alleviating storage I/O pressure. Option A would only address memory pressure, not CPU ready. Option C is already enabled by default and would not resolve high ready time. Option D might help CPU contention but could degrade application performance and does not address storage latency directly.
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed July 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
This SK0-005 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 SK0-005 exam.