- A
Configure the SQS queue as a Lambda event source with a reserved concurrency of 1000 for the Lambda function.
Reserved concurrency ensures the function can scale, and SQS event source mapping provides at-least-once processing.
- B
Configure the SQS queue to invoke the Lambda function asynchronously and set the Lambda function timeout to 5 minutes.
Why wrong: Lambda cannot be invoked asynchronously by SQS; it polls the queue synchronously.
- C
Set the SQS queue visibility timeout to 30 seconds and the Lambda batch size to 100. Configure a dead-letter queue for failed messages.
Why wrong: A batch size of 100 may cause Lambda timeouts, and this configuration does not address scaling.
- D
Use an SQS FIFO queue with a Lambda function that has a reserved concurrency of 1.
Why wrong: FIFO queues are for exactly-once processing, but throughput is limited, and a concurrency of 1 may cause backlogs.
Quick Answer
The correct configuration is to set the SQS queue as a Lambda event source with a reserved concurrency of 1000 for the function. This works because reserved concurrency guarantees that Lambda has dedicated capacity to scale up to 1000 concurrent executions, preventing throttling during sudden message bursts, while the SQS event source uses synchronous invocation and long polling to process messages in batches, automatically deleting them only after successful processing to ensure at-least-once delivery. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how Lambda’s scaling behavior interacts with SQS’s visibility timeout and deletion mechanics—a common trap is assuming that simply increasing the batch window or using provisioned concurrency is sufficient, but reserved concurrency is the key to guaranteeing capacity without losing messages. Remember the memory tip: “Reserve for burst, SQS for trust”—reserved concurrency handles the scaling burst, while SQS’s built-in retry and deletion logic ensures no message is lost.
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 serverless application using AWS Lambda functions. The application processes events from an Amazon SQS queue. The company wants to ensure that the Lambda function can scale to handle a sudden increase in messages without losing any messages. The Lambda function must process each message at least once. Which configuration should the company use?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"least"Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
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
Configure the SQS queue as a Lambda event source with a reserved concurrency of 1000 for the Lambda function.
Option A is correct because configuring the SQS queue as a Lambda event source with a reserved concurrency of 1000 ensures that Lambda can scale up to 1000 concurrent executions to handle a sudden burst of messages. The SQS event source uses long polling and synchronously invokes Lambda, which processes messages in batches and automatically deletes them from the queue only upon successful completion, guaranteeing at-least-once processing. Reserved concurrency prevents throttling and ensures that the function has sufficient capacity to scale without losing messages.
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.
- ✓
Configure the SQS queue as a Lambda event source with a reserved concurrency of 1000 for the Lambda function.
Why this is correct
Reserved concurrency ensures the function can scale, and SQS event source mapping provides at-least-once processing.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Configure the SQS queue to invoke the Lambda function asynchronously and set the Lambda function timeout to 5 minutes.
Why it's wrong here
Lambda cannot be invoked asynchronously by SQS; it polls the queue synchronously.
- ✗
Set the SQS queue visibility timeout to 30 seconds and the Lambda batch size to 100. Configure a dead-letter queue for failed messages.
Why it's wrong here
A batch size of 100 may cause Lambda timeouts, and this configuration does not address scaling.
- ✗
Use an SQS FIFO queue with a Lambda function that has a reserved concurrency of 1.
Why it's wrong here
FIFO queues are for exactly-once processing, but throughput is limited, and a concurrency of 1 may cause backlogs.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume increasing the batch size or using a dead-letter queue alone prevents message loss, but they overlook the critical need for reserved concurrency to guarantee scaling capacity during sudden spikes.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the SQS event source mapping uses long polling (ReceiveMessage with WaitTimeSeconds up to 20) to reduce empty responses, and Lambda processes messages in batches (up to 10,000 per function instance). The visibility timeout must be at least 6 times the function timeout to allow retries, and reserved concurrency ensures that the function can scale to the maximum number of concurrent executions needed to handle the queue depth, preventing throttling errors that could cause messages to remain unprocessed.
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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Design for New Solutions — study guide chapter
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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: Configure the SQS queue as a Lambda event source with a reserved concurrency of 1000 for the Lambda function. — Option A is correct because configuring the SQS queue as a Lambda event source with a reserved concurrency of 1000 ensures that Lambda can scale up to 1000 concurrent executions to handle a sudden burst of messages. The SQS event source uses long polling and synchronously invokes Lambda, which processes messages in batches and automatically deletes them from the queue only upon successful completion, guaranteeing at-least-once processing. Reserved concurrency prevents throttling and ensures that the function has sufficient capacity to scale without losing messages.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "least". You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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