Question 278 of 1,672
MLS-C01 Modeling Practice Question
A data scientist is using SageMaker to train a model. The training data is stored in an S3 bucket in a different AWS account. What is required to allow SageMaker to access the data?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse network-level solutions (VPC peering) with IAM-based access control, or assume that running the job from the same account as the data automatically grants access, ignoring that the SageMaker execution role is the key security boundary.
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 SageMaker execution role with a policy that grants cross-account access to the S3 bucket.
SageMaker uses an IAM execution role to access resources. To allow cross-account access to an S3 bucket, the SageMaker execution role must have an IAM policy that grants s3:GetObject and s3:ListBucket permissions for the bucket, and the S3 bucket policy must also grant cross-account access to that role. This is the standard AWS mechanism for cross-account resource access.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Configure the SageMaker execution role with a policy that grants cross-account access to the S3 bucket.
Why this is correct
The IAM role used by SageMaker must have permissions to access the S3 bucket in the other account.
- ✗
Set up VPC peering between the two accounts.
Why it's wrong here
VPC peering is not needed for S3 access; IAM policies suffice.
- ✗
Create a SageMaker notebook instance in the same account as the S3 bucket.
Why it's wrong here
The notebook instance location does not resolve cross-account access.
- ✗
Launch the training job from a SageMaker notebook in the account containing the S3 bucket.
Why it's wrong here
The training job must be in the same account as the SageMaker resources, but the S3 bucket can be accessed via cross-account IAM roles.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This MLS-C01 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 MLS-C01 exam.
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