The answer is to use an SQS FIFO queue with a Lambda function configured with a reserved concurrency of 1000. This works because SQS FIFO queues guarantee strict message ordering and exactly-once processing, while Lambda’s reserved concurrency ensures the function can scale to handle bursts of up to 10,000 messages per minute without throttling, even with a batch size of 1 to preserve order. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how FIFO ordering interacts with Lambda’s scaling behavior—a common trap is assuming Kinesis Data Streams or SQS Standard can maintain order under load, but Kinesis only orders within a shard and Standard queues offer no ordering guarantee. Remember that for ordered processing, you must pair FIFO with reserved concurrency to avoid throttling, not just any queue type. Memory tip: FIFO + Reserved Concurrency = Ordered and Scalable.
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 data processing pipeline using AWS Lambda functions. The pipeline processes messages from an Amazon SQS queue. Each message takes approximately 30 seconds to process, and the pipeline must handle bursts of up to 10,000 messages per minute. The messages must be processed in the order they are received. Which solution meets these requirements?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use an SQS FIFO queue with a Lambda function configured with a reserved concurrency of 1000.
SQS FIFO queues guarantee exactly-once processing and preserve message order. Lambda can poll the FIFO queue with a batch size of 1 to maintain order. Option A is correct. Option B is wrong because Kinesis Data Streams does not guarantee order across shards. Option C is wrong because SQS Standard does not guarantee order. Option D is wrong because Lambda concurrency limits can cause throttling.
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.
✗
Use an SQS FIFO queue with a Lambda function that sets the Concurrency limit to 100.
Why it's wrong here
Reserved concurrency is needed to handle burst of 10,000/min; 100 may be insufficient.
✓
Use an SQS FIFO queue with a Lambda function configured with a reserved concurrency of 1000.
Why this is correct
FIFO queues preserve order; Lambda with reserved concurrency avoids throttling.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use an SQS Standard queue with a Lambda function that processes messages in batches.
Why it's wrong here
Standard queues do not guarantee order.
✗
Use an Amazon Kinesis Data Stream with a Lambda function that processes multiple records per invocation.
Why it's wrong here
Kinesis does not guarantee order across shards.
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 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 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.
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: Use an SQS FIFO queue with a Lambda function configured with a reserved concurrency of 1000. — SQS FIFO queues guarantee exactly-once processing and preserve message order. Lambda can poll the FIFO queue with a batch size of 1 to maintain order. Option A is correct. Option B is wrong because Kinesis Data Streams does not guarantee order across shards. Option C is wrong because SQS Standard does not guarantee order. Option D is wrong because Lambda concurrency limits can cause throttling.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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