- A
Increase the 'timeoutSeconds' value in the Step Functions state machine definition to 1800 (30 minutes) or more.
Increasing the state machine execution timeout allows the long-running Lambda to complete without timing out.
- B
Increase the Lambda function timeout to 30 minutes in the Lambda configuration.
Why wrong: Lambda has a maximum timeout of 15 minutes; even if increased, the state machine timeout would still fail the execution before Lambda completes.
- C
Increase the Lambda function timeout to 15 minutes and increase the state machine execution timeout to 30 minutes.
Why wrong: While both increases help, the Lambda function timeout is already at its maximum 15 minutes, and the current issue is the state machine timeout, not Lambda timeout.
- D
Replace the Lambda function with an Amazon SQS queue and have the Step Functions wait for a callback.
Why wrong: This is a valid pattern but would require significant changes; the simplest fix is to increase the state machine timeout.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is to increase the timeoutSeconds value in the Step Functions state machine definition to 1800 seconds or more. This directly resolves the "State machine execution timed out" error because the default execution timeout of 5 minutes is being exceeded by the first Lambda function, which can take up to 25 minutes for large video files. The key technical concept here is that Step Functions has its own execution timeout that is independent of individual Lambda function timeouts; even if you increase the Lambda timeout to its 15-minute maximum, the state machine will still terminate the entire workflow once its own timeout is reached. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of the separation between service-level timeouts and orchestration-level timeouts—a common trap is confusing Lambda’s 15-minute limit with the state machine’s configurable timeout. Remember the mnemonic: "State machine timeout is the ceiling; Lambda timeout is the floor."
SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of continuous improvement for existing 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 media company runs a video processing pipeline on AWS. The pipeline uses AWS Step Functions to orchestrate multiple AWS Lambda functions. The first Lambda function downloads a video file from an S3 bucket, the second transcodes it using AWS Elemental MediaConvert, and the third uploads the transcoded files to a different S3 bucket. Recently, the pipeline has been failing intermittently with 'State machine execution timed out' errors. The Step Functions execution history shows that the first Lambda function takes up to 25 minutes to complete for large video files. The Step Functions state machine has a default execution timeout of 5 minutes. The company wants to fix the timeout issue without redesigning the entire pipeline. Which solution should the solutions architect recommend?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"first"Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
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
Increase the 'timeoutSeconds' value in the Step Functions state machine definition to 1800 (30 minutes) or more.
Option A is correct because the issue is that the first Lambda function exceeds the state machine execution timeout. By increasing the timeout in the state machine definition, the execution can run longer. The Lambda function itself has a maximum timeout of 15 minutes, but the state machine timeout must be higher than the total expected duration. Option B is wrong because the Lambda function timeout is separate; even if increased, the state machine timeout would still cause failure. Option C is wrong because using SQS would require significant changes to the pipeline and does not directly address the long-running Lambda. Option D is wrong because increasing Lambda timeout alone does not fix the state machine timeout.
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.
- ✓
Increase the 'timeoutSeconds' value in the Step Functions state machine definition to 1800 (30 minutes) or more.
Why this is correct
Increasing the state machine execution timeout allows the long-running Lambda to complete without timing out.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Increase the Lambda function timeout to 30 minutes in the Lambda configuration.
Why it's wrong here
Lambda has a maximum timeout of 15 minutes; even if increased, the state machine timeout would still fail the execution before Lambda completes.
- ✗
Increase the Lambda function timeout to 15 minutes and increase the state machine execution timeout to 30 minutes.
Why it's wrong here
While both increases help, the Lambda function timeout is already at its maximum 15 minutes, and the current issue is the state machine timeout, not Lambda timeout.
- ✗
Replace the Lambda function with an Amazon SQS queue and have the Step Functions wait for a callback.
Why it's wrong here
This is a valid pattern but would require significant changes; the simplest fix is to increase the state machine timeout.
Common exam traps
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.
Detailed technical explanation
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.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which SAP-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.
- →
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All SAP-C02 questions
1,746 questions across all exam domains
- →
AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
SAP-C02 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related SAP-C02 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity.
Design for New Solutions practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Design for New Solutions.
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions.
Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization.
SAA-C03 VPC practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 VPC.
SAA-C03 S3 lifecycle policy questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 S3 lifecycle policy questions.
SAA-C03 RDS Multi-AZ questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 RDS Multi-AZ questions.
SAA-C03 IAM policy practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 IAM policy.
SAA-C03 Route 53 failover questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 Route 53 failover questions.
SAA-C03 CloudFront practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 CloudFront.
SAA-C03 NAT gateway questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 NAT gateway questions.
SAA-C03 VPC endpoint questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 VPC endpoint questions.
Practice this exam
Start a free SAP-C02 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAP-C02 question test?
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — This question tests Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Increase the 'timeoutSeconds' value in the Step Functions state machine definition to 1800 (30 minutes) or more. — Option A is correct because the issue is that the first Lambda function exceeds the state machine execution timeout. By increasing the timeout in the state machine definition, the execution can run longer. The Lambda function itself has a maximum timeout of 15 minutes, but the state machine timeout must be higher than the total expected duration. Option B is wrong because the Lambda function timeout is separate; even if increased, the state machine timeout would still cause failure. Option C is wrong because using SQS would require significant changes to the pipeline and does not directly address the long-running Lambda. Option D is wrong because increasing Lambda timeout alone does not fix the state machine timeout.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which SAP-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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on SAP-C02
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A media company runs a video processing pipeline on AWS. Videos are uploaded to an S3 bucket (input-bucket), which triggers an AWS Lambda function that starts an AWS Glue job. The Glue job processes the video metadata and stores results in a DynamoDB table. Then, a second Lambda function triggers an Amazon ECS Fargate task to transcode the video into multiple formats. The transcoded videos are stored in another S3 bucket (output-bucket). Recently, the company started receiving complaints about delays in video availability. The operations team notices that CloudWatch Logs show no errors, but the ECS tasks often take longer than expected. They also see that the DynamoDB table has a high number of throttled write events. The video upload rate has increased by 50% in the last month. The team needs to improve the pipeline's performance and reduce delays. What should they do?
hard- ✓ A.Enable DynamoDB auto scaling on the table with a target utilization of 70%.
- B.Increase the Lambda function timeout for both functions to 15 minutes.
- C.Introduce an Amazon SQS queue between the second Lambda and ECS to buffer requests.
- D.Set reserved concurrency on the first Lambda function to 10 to control throttling.
Why A: Option D is correct. The primary bottleneck is DynamoDB throttling due to increased write load. Enabling DynamoDB auto scaling will adjust capacity dynamically to handle the increased traffic. Option A: Increasing Lambda timeout does not address DynamoDB throttling. Option B: Using SQS between Lambda and ECS helps decouple but the immediate issue is DynamoDB throttling. Option C: Using reserved concurrency limits Lambda concurrency, which may worsen the problem.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.