- A
Set Lambda reserved concurrency to a value that covers peak load and enable DynamoDB auto scaling with a target utilization of 70%.
Reserved concurrency guarantees Lambda capacity; DynamoDB auto scaling adjusts capacity automatically.
- B
Use Amazon SQS to buffer requests to Lambda and configure a DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) cluster for caching.
Why wrong: SQS adds latency and may not meet real-time requirements; DAX caches reads, not writes.
- C
Increase the DynamoDB write capacity units to the maximum expected peak and configure Lambda provisioned concurrency.
Why wrong: Manually setting high capacity is not cost-effective; provisioned concurrency adds cost and is not needed for throttling.
- D
Replace AWS Lambda with Amazon ECS on Fargate and use an Application Auto Scaling target tracking policy.
Why wrong: Moving to containers adds operational overhead and latency, and does not directly address DynamoDB throttling.
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 is designing a new cloud-native application that uses Amazon API Gateway, AWS Lambda, and Amazon DynamoDB. The application handles user authentication using Amazon Cognito User Pools. During a stress test, the team notices that some requests are failing with HTTP 503 (Service Unavailable) errors. The CloudWatch logs show that Lambda functions are being throttled, and the DynamoDB table is experiencing high write throttling. The team needs to resolve these issues while maintaining low latency. Which solution is the MOST effective?
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
Set Lambda reserved concurrency to a value that covers peak load and enable DynamoDB auto scaling with a target utilization of 70%.
Option A is correct because setting Lambda reserved concurrency ensures that the function always has capacity available to handle peak load without being throttled by the account-level concurrency limit, while DynamoDB auto scaling with a target utilization of 70% dynamically adjusts write capacity to match traffic patterns, preventing write throttling. This combination directly addresses both throttling issues without introducing additional latency from buffering or caching layers.
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 Lambda reserved concurrency to a value that covers peak load and enable DynamoDB auto scaling with a target utilization of 70%.
Why this is correct
Reserved concurrency guarantees Lambda capacity; DynamoDB auto scaling adjusts capacity automatically.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use Amazon SQS to buffer requests to Lambda and configure a DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) cluster for caching.
Why it's wrong here
SQS adds latency and may not meet real-time requirements; DAX caches reads, not writes.
- ✗
Increase the DynamoDB write capacity units to the maximum expected peak and configure Lambda provisioned concurrency.
Why it's wrong here
Manually setting high capacity is not cost-effective; provisioned concurrency adds cost and is not needed for throttling.
- ✗
Replace AWS Lambda with Amazon ECS on Fargate and use an Application Auto Scaling target tracking policy.
Why it's wrong here
Moving to containers adds operational overhead and latency, and does not directly address DynamoDB throttling.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume buffering with SQS or caching with DAX will solve throttling, but these add latency or only address reads, not writes, while the correct solution directly manages concurrency and write capacity scaling.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Lambda reserved concurrency guarantees a set number of concurrent executions for a function, preventing it from being throttled by the account-level burst concurrency limit (which is 500–3000 per region). DynamoDB auto scaling uses the AWS Application Auto Scaling service to adjust provisioned throughput based on consumed capacity, with a target utilization of 70% balancing cost and performance; however, it reacts to sustained traffic patterns and may not handle sudden spikes without initial throttling, so pre-warming or on-demand capacity might be considered for extreme bursts.
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.
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 SAP-C02 question test?
Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Set Lambda reserved concurrency to a value that covers peak load and enable DynamoDB auto scaling with a target utilization of 70%. — Option A is correct because setting Lambda reserved concurrency ensures that the function always has capacity available to handle peak load without being throttled by the account-level concurrency limit, while DynamoDB auto scaling with a target utilization of 70% dynamically adjusts write capacity to match traffic patterns, preventing write throttling. This combination directly addresses both throttling issues without introducing additional latency from buffering or caching layers.
What should I do if I get this SAP-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.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This SAP-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 SAP-C02 exam.
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