This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of deployment. 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 is deploying a new microservice on AWS Lambda that processes high-resolution images and stores results in Amazon S3. The Lambda function currently uses 1024 MB of memory and has a timeout of 2 minutes. During peak load, many invocations are timing out. The function is CPU-bound during image processing. Which change is MOST likely to reduce timeouts without increasing costs unnecessarily?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Increase the function memory to 2048 MB.
Option C is correct because increasing memory from 1024 MB to 2048 MB proportionally increases CPU allocation in AWS Lambda (up to 1.7 GHz per vCPU at 1769 MB). Since the function is CPU-bound, this directly reduces processing time, mitigating timeouts without the cost spike of 3008 MB. The cost increase is linear with memory, so doubling memory doubles cost per invocation, but the reduced duration often offsets this, keeping total cost similar or lower.
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.
✗
Increase the function memory to 3008 MB.
Why it's wrong here
This may further reduce time but at higher cost; 2048 MB is likely sufficient and more cost-effective.
✗
Enable provisioned concurrency to reduce cold starts.
Why it's wrong here
Provisioned concurrency reduces cold start latency, not execution time of the function.
✓
Increase the function memory to 2048 MB.
Why this is correct
Lambda allocates CPU proportionally to memory; more memory speeds up CPU-bound tasks, reducing execution time.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Increase the function timeout to 5 minutes.
Why it's wrong here
This masks the issue but does not address the CPU bottleneck; may still timeout if processing is too slow.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume increasing timeout (Option D) is the simplest fix for timeouts, ignoring that CPU-bound functions need more CPU, not just more time, and that provisioned concurrency (Option B) is mistakenly thought to improve execution speed rather than just reducing cold start latency.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Lambda allocates CPU proportionally to memory, with a baseline of 1 vCPU at 1769 MB and 1.7 GHz at 3008 MB, but beyond 1769 MB, CPU gains are marginal. For CPU-bound tasks, the sweet spot is often 1769–2048 MB, where you get full vCPU without overpaying for memory you don't need. In practice, monitoring Lambda Insights or using AWS Compute Optimizer can confirm the optimal memory setting by analyzing duration vs. memory trade-offs.
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.
Deployment — This question tests Deployment — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Increase the function memory to 2048 MB. — Option C is correct because increasing memory from 1024 MB to 2048 MB proportionally increases CPU allocation in AWS Lambda (up to 1.7 GHz per vCPU at 1769 MB). Since the function is CPU-bound, this directly reduces processing time, mitigating timeouts without the cost spike of 3008 MB. The cost increase is linear with memory, so doubling memory doubles cost per invocation, but the reduced duration often offsets this, keeping total cost similar or lower.
What should I do if I get this DVA-C02 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: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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