DOP-C02 Monitoring and Logging Practice Question
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit. CloudWatch Logs Insights query: fields @timestamp, @message | filter @message like /ERROR/ | stats count() by bin(5m) | sort @timestamp desc | limit 20
A DevOps engineer executes the above CloudWatch Logs Insights query. What will the output contain?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is misreading the bin() interval or confusing 'limit 20' (which limits result rows/buckets) with limiting raw log entries — candidates often assume limit applies to individual log lines rather than aggregated output.
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
✓
The count of ERROR messages per 5-minute interval for the most recent 20 intervals
The CloudWatch Logs Insights query uses 'stats count(*) by bin(5m)' which aggregates log events into 5-minute buckets, and 'limit 20' restricts the output to the 20 most recent buckets. Therefore the output is a count of ERROR messages per 5-minute interval for the most recent 20 intervals. The bin() function defines the time bucket size, and the limit applies to the number of result rows returned.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The count of ERROR messages per 1-minute interval for the most recent 20 intervals
Why it's wrong here
This answer misinterprets the time-bucketing function: the query uses bin(5m), which groups log events into 5-minute windows, not 1-minute intervals. Each returned row in the stats count(*) result corresponds to a 5-minute bucket, so the count represents ERROR messages per 5-minute interval, and the ORDER BY DESC LIMIT 20 selects the most recent 20 of those 5-minute buckets, not 20 one-minute intervals.
- ✓
The count of ERROR messages per 5-minute interval for the most recent 20 intervals
Why this is correct
The query filters for events containing 'ERROR' and then performs stats count(*) by bin(5m), which aggregates the matching events into consecutive 5-minute time buckets. The results are ordered by bucket timestamp in descending order and limited to 20 rows, so the output is exactly the count of ERROR messages for each of the 20 most recent 5-minute intervals. The bin(5m) function and the LIMIT clause together determine the time span and number of rows returned.
- ✗
The total count of ERROR messages in the log group
Why it's wrong here
This answer implies a single global aggregation across the entire log group, but the query includes a GROUP BY clause with bin(5m), which produces multiple time-bucketed rows rather than one overall total. Additionally, the LIMIT 20 clause restricts the output to only the most recent 20 buckets, so the query cannot compute an all-time count of ERROR messages. Without bin(), stats count(*) alone would give a single total, but with the bucketing and limit, it returns a limited time series, not a grand total.
- ✗
A list of the 20 most recent log entries that contain the word 'ERROR'
Why it's wrong here
This answer confuses an aggregated statistical result with raw log data. The query uses stats count(*), which returns numeric counts per bucket, not the actual log entries themselves. To list individual ERROR log messages, the query would need to use a non-aggregating form, such as fields @timestamp, @message without stats, and then sort by timestamp. Because the query groups and counts, the output is a time series of counts, not a list of log entries.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Amazon Web Services exam blueprint
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