- A
Set the Lambda function's reserved concurrency to 1 and enable 'maximumRetryAttempts' to 2.
Why wrong: Incorrect. Reserved concurrency controls the number of concurrent executions, not retry behavior. 'maximumRetryAttempts' is a setting for asynchronous invocations, not for SQS event sources.
- B
Create an SQS queue with a visibility timeout that allows three retries before sending to a DLQ.
Why wrong: Incorrect. The visibility timeout determines how long a message is invisible after being received. It does not directly control the number of retries or DLQ routing.
- C
Configure the SQS queue as an event source for Lambda with a DLQ specified in the Lambda function's dead-letter configuration.
Why wrong: Incorrect. When SQS is configured as an event source for Lambda, the dead-letter configuration on the Lambda function does not apply. The DLQ must be specified on the SQS queue using a redrive policy.
- D
Configure the SQS queue with a redrive policy that allows three maximum receives before sending to a DLQ.
Correct. The SQS redrive policy with maxReceiveCount set to 3 ensures messages are retried up to three times before being sent to the DLQ.
SOA-C02 SQS Redrive Policy Practice Question
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of monitoring, logging, and remediation. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. A key principle to apply: sQS Redrive Policy. 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 using AWS Lambda functions to process incoming messages from Amazon SQS. The Lambda function sometimes fails due to a transient error, and the message is not processed. The team wants to automatically retry failed messages and send them to a dead-letter queue (DLQ) after three failed attempts. Which configuration meets these requirements?
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 with a redrive policy that allows three maximum receives before sending to a DLQ.
Option D is correct because when SQS is configured as an event source for Lambda, retries are controlled by the SQS queue's redrive policy. The redrive policy with maxReceiveCount determines how many times a message can be received before it is moved to the DLQ. Setting maxReceiveCount to 3 means after three receive attempts (i.e., three failed processing attempts), the message is sent to the DLQ. Option C is incorrect because Lambda's dead-letter configuration is used for asynchronous invocations, not for SQS event source mappings. For SQS-triggered functions, the DLQ must be configured on the SQS queue itself using a redrive policy, not on the Lambda function.
Key principle: SQS Redrive Policy
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 the Lambda function's reserved concurrency to 1 and enable 'maximumRetryAttempts' to 2.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Reserved concurrency controls the number of concurrent executions, not retry behavior. 'maximumRetryAttempts' is a setting for asynchronous invocations, not for SQS event sources.
- ✗
Create an SQS queue with a visibility timeout that allows three retries before sending to a DLQ.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The visibility timeout determines how long a message is invisible after being received. It does not directly control the number of retries or DLQ routing.
- ✗
Configure the SQS queue as an event source for Lambda with a DLQ specified in the Lambda function's dead-letter configuration.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. When SQS is configured as an event source for Lambda, the dead-letter configuration on the Lambda function does not apply. The DLQ must be specified on the SQS queue using a redrive policy.
- ✓
Configure the SQS queue with a redrive policy that allows three maximum receives before sending to a DLQ.
Why this is correct
Correct. The SQS redrive policy with maxReceiveCount set to 3 ensures messages are retried up to three times before being sent to the DLQ.
Related concept
SQS Redrive Policy
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap is that candidates often assume the Lambda dead-letter configuration applies to SQS event source mappings. However, for SQS triggers, retries and DLQ routing are managed by the SQS queue's redrive policy, not by Lambda's DLQ settings.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, when Lambda polls SQS as an event source, it uses long polling and deletes messages only after successful processing. If the Lambda function throws an error, the message remains in the queue and becomes visible again after the visibility timeout expires, allowing Lambda to retry. The Lambda dead-letter configuration (DLQ) is separate from the SQS redrive policy; it catches messages that have exhausted the Lambda event source mapping's 'maximumRetryAttempts' (default 2) and 'maximumRecordAgeInSeconds' settings, sending them to a specified SQS or SNS DLQ. This is critical in scenarios where you want Lambda-specific retry behavior (e.g., exponential backoff) rather than relying on SQS's receive count, which might cause premature DLQ routing if the visibility timeout is too short.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- SQS Redrive Policy
- Lambda Event Source Mapping
- maxReceiveCount
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
SQS Redrive Policy
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.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SOA-C02 question test?
Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation — This question tests Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation — SQS Redrive Policy.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure the SQS queue with a redrive policy that allows three maximum receives before sending to a DLQ. — Option D is correct because when SQS is configured as an event source for Lambda, retries are controlled by the SQS queue's redrive policy. The redrive policy with maxReceiveCount determines how many times a message can be received before it is moved to the DLQ. Setting maxReceiveCount to 3 means after three receive attempts (i.e., three failed processing attempts), the message is sent to the DLQ. Option C is incorrect because Lambda's dead-letter configuration is used for asynchronous invocations, not for SQS event source mappings. For SQS-triggered functions, the DLQ must be configured on the SQS queue itself using a redrive policy, not on the Lambda function.
What should I do if I get this SOA-C02 question wrong?
Review sQS Redrive Policy, then practise related SOA-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
SQS Redrive Policy
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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