- A
Create an IAM user for administrators with AdministratorAccess and require MFA only at the IAM user login.
Why wrong: AdministratorAccess grants too much privilege and still relies on long-lived access keys. MFA at login does not prevent use of existing sessions without MFA constraints.
- B
Create an IAM role for administration and use a permissions policy that allows only the required read/write actions. Add a condition to deny all allowed actions unless aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent is true.
A role-based approach removes long-lived keys and supports temporary credentials. Using a permissions-policy condition to require MFA presence enforces that the session must have MFA to perform actions, aligning with the “actions only allowed with MFA present” requirement.
- C
Attach policies to an IAM user that allow read/write actions and enable MFA in the account, but do not use condition keys in IAM policies.
Why wrong: Enabling MFA at the account level is not the same as enforcing MFA presence for each API call. Without condition keys, sessions may still be used without MFA constraints.
- D
Use a role with the correct actions but enforce MFA only in the application by prompting users for an OTP before every API call.
Why wrong: Client-side enforcement is not reliable and can be bypassed. Security should be enforced at the IAM policy layer using condition keys to control authorization.
SAA-C03 Design Secure Architectures Practice Question
This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design secure architectures. 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.
An administrator needs the ability to read and update infrastructure for a specific AWS account, but only when using MFA. The security team wants to eliminate long-lived administrator access keys and ensure that even if someone obtains temporary session credentials, actions are only allowed with MFA present.
Which IAM design best meets these requirements?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"best"Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
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
Create an IAM role for administration and use a permissions policy that allows only the required read/write actions. Add a condition to deny all allowed actions unless aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent is true.
Option B is correct because it uses an IAM role with a condition key `aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent` set to `true` to enforce MFA for all API calls made with temporary credentials. This eliminates long-lived access keys and ensures that even if temporary session credentials are compromised, actions are denied unless MFA was used during the session. The policy explicitly denies all allowed actions when MFA is not present, meeting the security team's requirement for MFA on every administrative action.
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.
- ✗
Create an IAM user for administrators with AdministratorAccess and require MFA only at the IAM user login.
Why it's wrong here
AdministratorAccess grants too much privilege and still relies on long-lived access keys. MFA at login does not prevent use of existing sessions without MFA constraints.
- ✓
Create an IAM role for administration and use a permissions policy that allows only the required read/write actions. Add a condition to deny all allowed actions unless aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent is true.
Why this is correct
A role-based approach removes long-lived keys and supports temporary credentials. Using a permissions-policy condition to require MFA presence enforces that the session must have MFA to perform actions, aligning with the “actions only allowed with MFA present” requirement.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Attach policies to an IAM user that allow read/write actions and enable MFA in the account, but do not use condition keys in IAM policies.
Why it's wrong here
Enabling MFA at the account level is not the same as enforcing MFA presence for each API call. Without condition keys, sessions may still be used without MFA constraints.
- ✗
Use a role with the correct actions but enforce MFA only in the application by prompting users for an OTP before every API call.
Why it's wrong here
Client-side enforcement is not reliable and can be bypassed. Security should be enforced at the IAM policy layer using condition keys to control authorization.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse requiring MFA at login (console) with enforcing MFA for all API calls, failing to realize that without a condition key in the IAM policy, access keys or temporary credentials can be used without MFA after the initial login.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The `aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent` condition key is a global condition key that evaluates to `true` only when the caller authenticated with a multi-factor authentication device during the current session. For IAM roles, temporary credentials obtained via AWS STS (e.g., `AssumeRole`) include this context only if the role session was created with MFA. This design aligns with the principle of 'least privilege' and 'defense in depth' by ensuring that every API call, not just login, requires MFA, effectively eliminating the risk of long-lived access keys being stolen and reused.
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.
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
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 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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Design Secure Architectures — This question tests Design Secure Architectures — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create an IAM role for administration and use a permissions policy that allows only the required read/write actions. Add a condition to deny all allowed actions unless aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent is true. — Option B is correct because it uses an IAM role with a condition key `aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent` set to `true` to enforce MFA for all API calls made with temporary credentials. This eliminates long-lived access keys and ensures that even if temporary session credentials are compromised, actions are denied unless MFA was used during the session. The policy explicitly denies all allowed actions when MFA is not present, meeting the security team's requirement for MFA on every administrative action.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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