Question 1hardmultiple choice
Full question →hardmultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A company runs a high-performance computing (HPC) workload on Azure that requires extremely low latency (under 10 microseconds) between multiple VMs for MPI communication. The VMs are part of a single job and must be placed together to minimize network latency. Which VM deployment option should they use?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Best answer
Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets with a Proximity Placement Group
Proximity Placement Groups (PPG) co-locate VMs in the same datacenter region, providing ultra-low latency required for MPI workloads. VMSS allows scaling out while staying in the PPG.
B
Distractor review
Azure Availability Sets
Availability Sets spread VMs across multiple fault domains and update domains, compromising co-location and increasing latency beyond the requirement.
C
Distractor review
Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets across Availability Zones
Availability Zones place VMs in separate physical locations, which adds network latency that exceeds the sub-10 microsecond requirement.
D
Distractor review
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
AKS adds orchestration overhead and does not guarantee the low-latency placement needed for tightly coupled HPC workloads.
Common exam trap
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.
Technical deep dive
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.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A company is designing hub-and-spoke networking. Spoke VNets must use a central Azure Firewall for outbound internet traffic. Which two configurations are required?
Question 2
A company is designing private access to a PaaS database from workloads in a VNet. The database should not be reachable over its public endpoint. What should be recommended?
Question 3
A data platform must support analytical queries over petabytes of files in a data lake, while preserving hierarchical namespaces and fine-grained ACLs. Which storage service should you design around?
Question 4
A database workload has an RPO of 15 minutes and an RTO of 4 hours. Cost is more important than near-zero data loss. Which design is usually more appropriate than synchronous multi-region replication?
Question 5
A hub-and-spoke Azure network must centralize outbound inspection and still allow spokes to resolve private endpoint DNS names. Which two components are commonly required? (Choose 2.)
Question 6
A multinational company uses Microsoft Entra ID and several Azure subscriptions. Security administrators need to review privileged role assignments every month and require justification for continued access. Which design should be recommended?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-305 question test?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets with a Proximity Placement Group — Proximity Placement Groups (PPGs) are used to ensure VMs are placed as close as possible within an Azure datacenter, reducing network latency for HPC workloads. By deploying VMs in a single PPG (e.g., using VMSS with PPG), inter-VM latency can be minimized to meet sub-10 microsecond requirements. Availability Sets ensure high availability by spreading VMs across fault domains, which does not guarantee low latency. Availability Zones place VMs in different physical locations, increasing latency. AKS adds orchestration overhead.
What should I do if I get this AZ-305 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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