Question 1,320 of 1,616
Development with AWS ServicesmediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

SQS ReceiveMessage Max Messages

This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of development with aws services. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 using Amazon SQS to decouple microservices. The consumer service processes messages from the queue. To reduce processing time, the developer wants to receive multiple messages in a single API call. What is the maximum number of messages that can be received at once?

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

10

Amazon SQS allows a consumer to retrieve up to 10 messages in a single ReceiveMessage API call. This is the hard limit enforced by the SQS service, regardless of the queue type (standard or FIFO). Using this maximum batch size can reduce the number of API calls and improve throughput, but each message must still be processed individually and deleted after processing.

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.

  • 5

    Why it's wrong here

    5 is the default number, but the maximum is 10.

  • 100

    Why it's wrong here

    Exceeds the maximum of 10.

  • 20

    Why it's wrong here

    Exceeds the maximum of 10.

  • 10

    Why this is correct

    The maximum number of messages per ReceiveMessage call is 10.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is confusing the SQS ReceiveMessage batch limit (10) with the SQS SendMessageBatch limit (10) or the Lambda event source mapping batch size (up to 10,000), leading candidates to pick 5, 20, or 100.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

The ReceiveMessage API uses a long-polling mechanism (by setting WaitTimeSeconds) to reduce empty responses and costs, but the MaxNumberOfMessages parameter is capped at 10. Under the hood, SQS distributes messages across multiple servers, and the 10-message limit ensures consistent latency and prevents overwhelming a single consumer. In real-world scenarios, developers often combine this with multiple concurrent consumers (e.g., using an Auto Scaling group) to achieve higher throughput while staying within the API limit.

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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.

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.

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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: 10 — Amazon SQS allows a consumer to retrieve up to 10 messages in a single ReceiveMessage API call. This is the hard limit enforced by the SQS service, regardless of the queue type (standard or FIFO). Using this maximum batch size can reduce the number of API calls and improve throughput, but each message must still be processed individually and deleted after processing.

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

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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.