Question 519 of 1,031

Describe Azure architecture and services →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

AZ-900 Describe Azure architecture and services Practice Question

This AZ-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe azure architecture and services. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 plans to run a large-scale batch processing job on Azure that runs for 10 hours every night. The job is fault-tolerant and can be interrupted. They want to minimize cost as much as possible. Which Azure virtual machine pricing option should they use?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.

Question 1hardmultiple choice

Full question →

A
Reserved Instances
Why wrong: Reserved Instances provide a discount for committing to a 1 or 3 year term. However, they are not cost-effective for a nightly 10-hour job because the reservation covers the VM 24/7, even when not used.
B
Spot VMs
Spot VMs offer the lowest cost because they use surplus Azure capacity. The job is fault-tolerant and can be interrupted, which is a key requirement for using Spot VMs. This maximizes cost savings.
C
Pay-as-you-go
Why wrong: Pay-as-you-go is the default pricing, but it is more expensive than Spot VMs. Since the job can tolerate interruptions, Spot VMs are a better cost optimization.
D
Dedicated Hosts
Why wrong: Dedicated hosts provide physical servers dedicated to a single customer, which is the most expensive option. They are not used for cost savings, but for licensing or compliance requirements.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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 VMs

Spot VMs allow you to use unused Azure compute capacity at a significant discount (up to 90% compared to pay-as-you-go). Because the batch job is fault-tolerant and can be interrupted, it is an ideal workload for Spot VMs, which can be evicted when Azure needs the capacity back. This minimizes cost while meeting the job's requirements.

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.

✗
Reserved Instances
Why it's wrong here
Reserved Instances provide a discount for committing to a 1 or 3 year term. However, they are not cost-effective for a nightly 10-hour job because the reservation covers the VM 24/7, even when not used.
✓
Spot VMs
Why this is correct
Spot VMs offer the lowest cost because they use surplus Azure capacity. The job is fault-tolerant and can be interrupted, which is a key requirement for using Spot VMs. This maximizes cost savings.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Pay-as-you-go
Why it's wrong here
Pay-as-you-go is the default pricing, but it is more expensive than Spot VMs. Since the job can tolerate interruptions, Spot VMs are a better cost optimization.
✗
Dedicated Hosts
Why it's wrong here
Dedicated hosts provide physical servers dedicated to a single customer, which is the most expensive option. They are not used for cost savings, but for licensing or compliance requirements.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates often choose Reserved Instances thinking they always save the most money, but they fail to recognize that Spot VMs offer even greater savings for interruptible workloads without any upfront commitment.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Spot VMs leverage Azure's excess capacity and are subject to eviction with a 30-second notification (via the Azure Metadata Service or Scheduled Events). The pricing is dynamic and varies by region and SKU, but the discount is applied at the VM level. For fault-tolerant workloads like batch processing, you can use Spot VMs in combination with Azure Batch or VM scale sets to automatically handle evictions and retry failed tasks.

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

A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.

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.

Related AZ-900 practice-question pages

Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.

Describe cloud concepts practice questions

Practise AZ-900 questions linked to Describe cloud concepts.

Describe Azure architecture and services practice questions

Practise AZ-900 questions linked to Describe Azure architecture and services.

Describe Azure management and governance practice questions

Practise AZ-900 questions linked to Describe Azure management and governance.

AZ-900 Azure services practice questions

Practise AZ-900 questions linked to AZ-900 Azure services.

AZ-900 pricing and support practice questions

Practise AZ-900 questions linked to AZ-900 pricing and support.

AZ-900 security and compliance practice questions

Practise AZ-900 questions linked to AZ-900 security and compliance.

AZ-900 governance practice questions

Practise AZ-900 questions linked to AZ-900 governance.

Practice this exam

Start a free AZ-900 practice session

Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.

10 questions 20 questions 30 questions 50 questions Timed 30

AZ-900 practice-test guide →Study guide →Browse all practice tests

FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this AZ-900 question test?

Describe Azure architecture and services — This question tests Describe Azure architecture and services — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Spot VMs — Spot VMs allow you to use unused Azure compute capacity at a significant discount (up to 90% compared to pay-as-you-go). Because the batch job is fault-tolerant and can be interrupted, it is an ideal workload for Spot VMs, which can be evicted when Azure needs the capacity back. This minimizes cost while meeting the job's requirements.

What should I do if I get this AZ-900 question wrong?

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

About these practice questions

Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →

How Courseiva writes practice questions · Editorial policy

Keep practising

Question Discussion

Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.

Loading comments…

This AZ-900 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft 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 AZ-900 exam.