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6.1.4. Identifying Distractors and Best Practices for Multiple Choice/Response

Skillfully discerning and eliminating incorrect or suboptimal options by applying a deep understanding of service capabilities and architectural principles is a key test of nuanced comprehension.

Scenario: You are faced with a multi-choice question on the ANS-C01 exam asking for the most cost-effective way to connect a new branch office with moderate bandwidth needs to an existing Transit Gateway. The options include a new Direct Connect connection, a Site-to-Site VPN, and VPC Peering.

Mastering the AWS ANS-C01 exam requires identifying the subtle differences between correct and incorrect (or less correct) answers.

  • Common Distractor Types:
    • Plausible but Incorrect: Sounds good, but violates a core AWS design principle, service limit, or a subtle requirement (e.g., recommending a single-AZ database for "high availability").
    • Partially Correct: The option contains some true statements or relevant services, but it doesn't fully address all aspects of the scenario, or it includes an unnecessary/suboptimal component.
    • Out of Scope/Irrelevant: Mentions services or concepts that are completely unrelated to the question's context or are overly complex for the problem.
    • Absolute Statements: Beware of words like "always," "never," "all," "none." AWS is highly flexible, so such absolutes are often incorrect.
    • Cost vs. Performance vs. Security Mismatch: An option might be highly performant but excessively expensive, or very secure but not highly available, when the scenario demands a balance.
  • Best Practices for Multi-Select Questions:
    • Treat each choice independently as a true/false statement.
    • Ensure all selected options are correct and necessary to solve the problem as stated. Don't select extra correct options if they're not required by the scenario.
  • Leverage First Principles: If stuck, return to the Well-Architected Framework. Which option best aligns with Security, Reliability, Performance Efficiency, Cost Optimization, Operational Excellence, or Sustainability, given the scenario's priorities?

⚠️ Common Pitfall: Selecting an option because it contains a familiar or powerful service, even if that service is overkill or inappropriate for the specific problem described.

Key Trade-Offs:
  • Technically Possible vs. Architecturally Sound: Many things are possible on AWS. The exam tests for the most sound and appropriate solution based on best practices.

Reflection Question: How does meticulously dissecting each option for completeness, adherence to constraints, and alignment with AWS best practices help you differentiate between plausible distractors and the best answer in complex multi-choice scenarios?