- A
SCPs are not inherited by member accounts from the root.
Why wrong: SCPs are inherited by all accounts under the OU unless explicitly blocked. They do apply to member accounts.
- B
The SCP is not attached to the member account's root organizational unit.
Why wrong: Even if not attached to the root OU, if it's attached to the account directly or to an OU that contains the account, it would apply. The question states it's attached to all accounts.
- C
The engineer's IAM policy allows iam:CreateRole and overrides the SCP.
Why wrong: SCPs are evaluated before IAM policies and cannot be overridden by IAM permissions. If the SCP denies an action, it cannot be allowed by an IAM policy.
- D
The SCP only denies iam:CreateUser, but the engineer is creating a role (iam:CreateRole).
If the SCP statement only specifies iam:CreateUser, it would not prevent creating IAM roles. The engineer could create a role with admin privileges.
SCP Denying IAM CreateUser Does Not Block IAM Role Creation
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security and compliance. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. A key principle to apply: service Control Policy (SCP). 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 has a multi-account AWS environment using AWS Organizations. The security team has implemented a service control policy (SCP) that denies the creation of IAM users and roles with full admin access. The SCP is attached to all accounts. However, a DevOps engineer in a member account reports that they are able to create an IAM role with an administrator access policy attached. The engineer uses the AWS Management Console to create the role. The SCP is confirmed to be in place. What is the most likely reason the SCP is not preventing the role creation?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"most likely"Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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
The SCP only denies iam:CreateUser, but the engineer is creating a role (iam:CreateRole).
The SCP in question denies only the iam:CreateUser action, but the engineer is creating an IAM role, which requires the iam:CreateRole action. SCPs provide an explicit deny for actions they list; they do not block actions they do not list. Since the SCP does not deny iam:CreateRole, the engineer's IAM policy (which allows iam:CreateRole) is effective. SCPs are inherited by member accounts and, when correctly attached, cannot be overridden by IAM policies; however, they only apply to the actions they explicitly specify.
Key principle: Service Control Policy (SCP)
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
SCPs are not inherited by member accounts from the root.
Why it's wrong here
SCPs are inherited by all accounts under the OU unless explicitly blocked. They do apply to member accounts.
- ✗
The SCP is not attached to the member account's root organizational unit.
Why it's wrong here
Even if not attached to the root OU, if it's attached to the account directly or to an OU that contains the account, it would apply. The question states it's attached to all accounts.
- ✗
The engineer's IAM policy allows iam:CreateRole and overrides the SCP.
Why it's wrong here
SCPs are evaluated before IAM policies and cannot be overridden by IAM permissions. If the SCP denies an action, it cannot be allowed by an IAM policy.
- ✓
The SCP only denies iam:CreateUser, but the engineer is creating a role (iam:CreateRole).
Why this is correct
If the SCP statement only specifies iam:CreateUser, it would not prevent creating IAM roles. The engineer could create a role with admin privileges.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Service Control Policy (SCP)
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Candidates often assume that an SCP denying creation of IAM users automatically covers roles, or that SCPs block all administrative actions. In this case, the SCP only prevents user creation, not role creation.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Treat this as a scenario question. Identify the problem, the constraint, and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Service Control Policy (SCP)
- Explicit Deny
- iam:CreateRole vs iam:CreateUser
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
Service Control Policy (SCP)
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review service Control Policy (SCP), then practise related DOP-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
- →
Security and Compliance — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DOP-C02 question test?
Security and Compliance — This question tests Security and Compliance — Service Control Policy (SCP).
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The SCP only denies iam:CreateUser, but the engineer is creating a role (iam:CreateRole). — The SCP in question denies only the iam:CreateUser action, but the engineer is creating an IAM role, which requires the iam:CreateRole action. SCPs provide an explicit deny for actions they list; they do not block actions they do not list. Since the SCP does not deny iam:CreateRole, the engineer's IAM policy (which allows iam:CreateRole) is effective. SCPs are inherited by member accounts and, when correctly attached, cannot be overridden by IAM policies; however, they only apply to the actions they explicitly specify.
What should I do if I get this DOP-C02 question wrong?
Review service Control Policy (SCP), then practise related DOP-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Service Control Policy (SCP)
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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