Question 1mediummulti select
Full question →mediummulti selectObjective-mapped
A Lambda function behind API Gateway has predictable traffic spikes every hour. The function does not need access to resources in a VPC, and p95 latency spikes are caused by cold starts during scale-out. Which two actions are most effective? Select two.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Best answer
Enable provisioned concurrency for the function.
Provisioned concurrency keeps a pool of initialized execution environments ready to handle requests. That removes most cold-start delay and is the most direct way to stabilize p95 latency during predictable bursts.
B
Best answer
Remove the function from a VPC because it has no VPC dependencies.
If the function does not need private network access, keeping it out of a VPC avoids the extra networking setup associated with VPC-enabled Lambdas. That reduces startup overhead and helps new execution environments become available faster.
C
Distractor review
Set reserved concurrency to a low fixed number.
Reserved concurrency limits the maximum number of simultaneous executions, but it does not pre-initialize environments or reduce the time needed to start them. In this scenario, it could even make bursts worse by capping throughput too aggressively.
D
Distractor review
Increase the Lambda timeout to 15 minutes.
Timeout only controls how long a function is allowed to run before it is terminated. It does not affect initialization time, cold starts, or how quickly the function scales out.
E
Distractor review
Add an SQS dead-letter queue to reduce startup latency.
A dead-letter queue helps capture failed messages for later inspection or replay. It is useful for reliability, but it has no effect on Lambda initialization performance or cold-start latency.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
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.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
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.
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.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- 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.
Related practice questions
Related SAA-C03 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
SAA-C03 VPC practice questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 VPC.
SAA-C03 S3 lifecycle policy questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 S3 lifecycle policy questions.
SAA-C03 RDS Multi-AZ questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 RDS Multi-AZ questions.
SAA-C03 IAM policy practice questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 IAM policy.
SAA-C03 Route 53 failover questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 Route 53 failover questions.
SAA-C03 CloudFront practice questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 CloudFront.
SAA-C03 NAT gateway questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 NAT gateway questions.
SAA-C03 VPC endpoint questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 VPC endpoint questions.
SAA-C03 Auto Scaling practice questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 Auto Scaling.
SAA-C03 disaster recovery questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 disaster recovery questions.
SAA-C03 high availability questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 high availability questions.
SAA-C03 cost optimization questions
Practise SAA-C03 questions linked to SAA-C03 cost optimization questions.
More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A team needs to distribute TCP traffic (not HTTP) across multiple services. The services must see the original client source IP for auditing. Which AWS load balancer is the best fit?
Question 2
A team wants to run containerized services with AWS-managed orchestration and autoscaling. They do NOT require Kubernetes compatibility. Which AWS service choice is most appropriate to meet these goals?
Question 3
A solutions architect is designing an S3 bucket for a IoT ingestion API. The objects must never be publicly accessible, even if a developer later adds an overly broad bucket policy. What should the architect configure? The design must avoid adding custom operational scripts.
Question 4
A solutions architect is designing an S3 bucket for a claims portal. The objects must never be publicly accessible, even if a developer later adds an overly broad bucket policy. What should the architect configure?
Question 5
A team wants to delegate IAM management to developers, but must ensure developers can never grant themselves permissions beyond a specific limit. Which AWS mechanism best matches this requirement?
Question 6
A solutions architect is designing an S3 bucket for a healthcare document service. The objects must never be publicly accessible, even if a developer later adds an overly broad bucket policy. What should the architect configure?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable provisioned concurrency for the function. — Provisioned concurrency is the strongest control for cold-start reduction because it keeps Lambda execution environments initialized and ready before requests arrive. Since the function has no VPC dependency, removing it from a VPC also avoids extra network attachment work during startup. Together, those changes reduce both the initialization overhead and the visible latency spikes during predictable scale-out. Why others are wrong: Reserved concurrency manages throughput limits, not startup latency. Increasing timeout does not improve function startup speed. A dead-letter queue improves failure handling, but it does not change how quickly Lambda can begin processing requests.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
Discussion
Loading comments…
Sign in to join the discussion.