- A
Set the API Gateway throttling limits to a high value.
Why wrong: Throttling rejects requests, not scales.
- B
Use an Amazon SQS queue to buffer requests before processing.
Why wrong: SQS buffers but doesn't prevent cold starts.
- C
Configure the Lambda function with reserved concurrency and provisioned concurrency.
Reserved concurrency ensures capacity, provisioned concurrency reduces cold starts.
- D
Increase the Lambda function timeout to the maximum value.
Why wrong: Timeout doesn't affect scaling.
Question 1,103 of 1,616
Lambda Scaling for CPU-Intensive Spikes: Reserved and Provisioned Concurrency
This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of development with aws 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 developer is designing a serverless application that uses Amazon API Gateway and AWS Lambda. The application needs to handle a sudden spike in traffic. The Lambda function performs CPU-intensive operations. What should the developer do to ensure the application scales without errors?
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
✓
Configure the Lambda function with reserved concurrency and provisioned concurrency.
Option C is correct because reserved concurrency guarantees that the Lambda function has a dedicated pool of concurrency available to handle traffic spikes without being throttled by other functions in the account, while provisioned concurrency pre-warms execution environments to eliminate cold starts for CPU-intensive operations. This combination ensures that the application scales smoothly under sudden load without encountering Lambda throttling errors (HTTP 429) or latency spikes from cold starts.
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.
- ✗
Set the API Gateway throttling limits to a high value.
Why it's wrong here
Throttling rejects requests, not scales.
- ✗
Use an Amazon SQS queue to buffer requests before processing.
Why it's wrong here
SQS buffers but doesn't prevent cold starts.
- ✓
Configure the Lambda function with reserved concurrency and provisioned concurrency.
Why this is correct
Reserved concurrency ensures capacity, provisioned concurrency reduces cold starts.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Increase the Lambda function timeout to the maximum value.
Why it's wrong here
Timeout doesn't affect scaling.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse API Gateway throttling (which controls request rate at the API level) with Lambda concurrency management, leading them to pick Option A, when the real bottleneck is Lambda's concurrency limits and cold starts for CPU-intensive functions.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Lambda's concurrency model is per-function and per-Region; reserved concurrency sets a hard limit on the number of concurrent executions for a function, preventing it from consuming all available concurrency in the account, while provisioned concurrency keeps a specified number of execution environments initialized and ready to handle requests instantly. In a real-world scenario, a CPU-intensive Lambda function processing image transformations during a flash sale would benefit from provisioned concurrency to avoid cold start delays (which can exceed 10 seconds for CPU-heavy workloads) and reserved concurrency to ensure it always has capacity even if other functions in the account spike simultaneously.
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.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DVA-C02 question test?
Development with AWS Services — This question tests Development with AWS Services — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure the Lambda function with reserved concurrency and provisioned concurrency. — Option C is correct because reserved concurrency guarantees that the Lambda function has a dedicated pool of concurrency available to handle traffic spikes without being throttled by other functions in the account, while provisioned concurrency pre-warms execution environments to eliminate cold starts for CPU-intensive operations. This combination ensures that the application scales smoothly under sudden load without encountering Lambda throttling errors (HTTP 429) or latency spikes from cold starts.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This DVA-C02 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services 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 DVA-C02 exam.
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