Quick Answer
The answer is NumberOfMessagesPublished. This is the correct CloudWatch metric because Amazon SNS automatically emits it to track every successful API call that publishes a message to a topic, regardless of the delivery protocol. For the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between SNS metrics that measure input (publications) versus output (deliveries). A common trap is confusing NumberOfMessagesPublished with NumberOfNotificationsDelivered, which counts only successful deliveries to subscribers—not the raw publish count. The exam often presents scenarios where you need to monitor publisher activity rather than subscriber success, making this distinction critical. Remember: think of the SNS topic as a mailbox—NumberOfMessagesPublished counts letters dropped in the slot, while NumberOfNotificationsDelivered counts letters actually picked up by recipients. A simple memory tip: "Publish goes in, Deliver goes out."
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of monitoring and logging. 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 company wants to monitor the number of messages that are published to an Amazon SNS topic. Which CloudWatch metric should be used?
SMSMonthToDateSpentUSD
Why wrong: Incorrect. This metric tracks SMS spending.
PublishSize
Why wrong: Incorrect. This metric tracks message size.
NumberOfNotificationsDelivered
Why wrong: Incorrect. This metric tracks deliveries, not publications.
NumberOfMessagesPublished
Correct. This metric tracks the number of messages published to an SNS topic.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
NumberOfMessagesPublished
Option A is correct because SNS publishes the NumberOfMessagesPublished metric. Option B (NumberOfNotificationsDelivered) is for deliveries. Option C (PublishSize) is for message size. Option D (SMSMonthToDateSpentUSD) is for SMS costs.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
SMSMonthToDateSpentUSD
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. This metric tracks SMS spending.
PublishSize
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. This metric tracks message size.
NumberOfNotificationsDelivered
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. This metric tracks deliveries, not publications.
NumberOfMessagesPublished
Why this is correct
Correct. This metric tracks the number of messages published to an SNS topic.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
Identify which DOP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Monitoring and Logging — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Monitoring and Logging — This question tests Monitoring and Logging — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: NumberOfMessagesPublished — Option A is correct because SNS publishes the NumberOfMessagesPublished metric. Option B (NumberOfNotificationsDelivered) is for deliveries. Option C (PublishSize) is for message size. Option D (SMSMonthToDateSpentUSD) is for SMS costs.
Identify which DOP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
This DOP-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 DOP-C02 exam.
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