- A
Deploy an Amazon ECS service with Fargate that polls the SQS queue. Use an SQS queue with long polling and auto scaling based on queue depth.
ECS can scale to thousands of tasks, each handling one message for 5 minutes, cost-effective and scalable.
- B
Use an SQS queue and a Lambda function that processes messages in batches. Set the Lambda function timeout to 15 minutes and use reserved concurrency.
Why wrong: Even with reserved concurrency, default account limits may not support 300k concurrent executions; also cost is high.
- C
Use an Amazon MQ broker with ActiveMQ and configure a Lambda function to consume messages from a queue.
Why wrong: Amazon MQ is not serverless, requires provisioning, and is less scalable than SQS for this volume.
- D
Configure an SQS queue with a Lambda trigger. Set the Lambda function timeout to 5 minutes and the batch size to 1.
Why wrong: Lambda concurrency limits will throttle at high volume, causing delays and potential loss of messages.
Quick Answer
The answer is to deploy an Amazon ECS service with Fargate that polls the SQS queue, using long polling and auto scaling based on queue depth. This is the most scalable and cost-effective design because while Lambda can handle 5-minute processing within its 15-minute timeout, the required concurrency of 300,000 simultaneous executions to sustain 1,000 messages per second far exceeds Lambda’s default account-level concurrency limit of 1,000. ECS Fargate, by contrast, can scale horizontally without such hard limits, making it ideal for long-running, high-throughput workloads. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of Lambda’s concurrency ceiling versus container-based compute for sustained, long-processing tasks—a common trap is assuming Lambda’s 15-minute timeout alone makes it viable. Memory tip: “Lambda for bursts, Fargate for long hauls”—if each message takes minutes and throughput is high, think containers, not functions.
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 serverless data processing pipeline that uses AWS Lambda to process messages from Amazon SQS. Each message requires 5 minutes of processing time. The company expects a steady state of 1,000 messages per second. What is the MOST scalable and cost-effective design?
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
Deploy an Amazon ECS service with Fargate that polls the SQS queue. Use an SQS queue with long polling and auto scaling based on queue depth.
Option B is correct because Lambda has a 15-minute timeout and can scale concurrency, but to handle 1,000 msg/s with 5 min processing, you need enough concurrency. However, Lambda concurrency per account has limits; the better approach is to use a Lambda function that reads from SQS in batches and processes each message, but the function timeout must be at least 5 min per invocation. Option A is wrong because Lambda can't run for 5 minutes (timeout is 15 min, so it's possible, but the question implies 5 min per message, so batch size of 1 is fine). Actually, Lambda max execution is 15 min, so 5 min is fine. The main issue is that Lambda concurrency default is 1,000, and with 1,000 msg/s, each message takes 5 min, you'd need 300,000 concurrent executions, which exceeds default limits. So the best design is to use an Amazon ECS service with auto scaling. Option B is correct.
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.
- ✓
Deploy an Amazon ECS service with Fargate that polls the SQS queue. Use an SQS queue with long polling and auto scaling based on queue depth.
Why this is correct
ECS can scale to thousands of tasks, each handling one message for 5 minutes, cost-effective and scalable.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use an SQS queue and a Lambda function that processes messages in batches. Set the Lambda function timeout to 15 minutes and use reserved concurrency.
Why it's wrong here
Even with reserved concurrency, default account limits may not support 300k concurrent executions; also cost is high.
- ✗
Use an Amazon MQ broker with ActiveMQ and configure a Lambda function to consume messages from a queue.
Why it's wrong here
Amazon MQ is not serverless, requires provisioning, and is less scalable than SQS for this volume.
- ✗
Configure an SQS queue with a Lambda trigger. Set the Lambda function timeout to 5 minutes and the batch size to 1.
Why it's wrong here
Lambda concurrency limits will throttle at high volume, causing delays and potential loss of messages.
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.
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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: Deploy an Amazon ECS service with Fargate that polls the SQS queue. Use an SQS queue with long polling and auto scaling based on queue depth. — Option B is correct because Lambda has a 15-minute timeout and can scale concurrency, but to handle 1,000 msg/s with 5 min processing, you need enough concurrency. However, Lambda concurrency per account has limits; the better approach is to use a Lambda function that reads from SQS in batches and processes each message, but the function timeout must be at least 5 min per invocation. Option A is wrong because Lambda can't run for 5 minutes (timeout is 15 min, so it's possible, but the question implies 5 min per message, so batch size of 1 is fine). Actually, Lambda max execution is 15 min, so 5 min is fine. The main issue is that Lambda concurrency default is 1,000, and with 1,000 msg/s, each message takes 5 min, you'd need 300,000 concurrent executions, which exceeds default limits. So the best design is to use an Amazon ECS service with auto scaling. Option B is correct.
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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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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