- A
Configure an S3 Lifecycle policy to transition objects to a colder storage class after 30 days and expire (delete) them after 18 months.
Lifecycle transitions lower the storage cost for older objects, and the expiration at 18 months enforces the compliance retention requirement.
- B
Enable S3 Versioning and rely on deleting old versions after 30 days to reduce storage costs while keeping the latest data.
Why wrong: Versioning changes how objects are stored but does not inherently implement a deterministic “keep for 18 months” retention rule for all log data. You could still violate compliance if deletes/version retention are not aligned with the required retention window.
- C
Move the bucket to a different AWS region farther from the users to reduce the likelihood of accidental reads and thereby lower storage costs.
Why wrong: S3 storage cost is not reduced by changing the distance to users, and changing regions can affect latency and operational complexity without providing a direct storage-cost reduction for the stated access pattern.
- D
Switch all objects to S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval immediately, regardless of object age, to minimize storage charges.
Why wrong: Applying the coldest tier to newly created (recent) logs increases cost if those objects are not actually infrequently accessed for the first 30 days. The scenario indicates the access pattern changes after 30 days.
SAA-C03 Design Cost-Optimized Architectures Practice Question
This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design cost-optimized 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 S3 bucket stores application logs. After 30 days, the team rarely accesses the logs, but compliance requires keeping them for 18 months. Which setup most directly reduces storage cost while maintaining compliance?
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 an S3 Lifecycle policy to transition objects to a colder storage class after 30 days and expire (delete) them after 18 months.
Option A is correct because S3 Lifecycle policies allow you to automatically transition objects to cheaper storage classes (e.g., S3 Standard-IA or S3 Glacier Deep Archive) after 30 days, reducing storage costs for rarely accessed logs. The policy also sets an expiration action to delete objects after 18 months, meeting the compliance requirement without manual intervention.
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.
- ✓
Configure an S3 Lifecycle policy to transition objects to a colder storage class after 30 days and expire (delete) them after 18 months.
Why this is correct
Lifecycle transitions lower the storage cost for older objects, and the expiration at 18 months enforces the compliance retention requirement.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Enable S3 Versioning and rely on deleting old versions after 30 days to reduce storage costs while keeping the latest data.
Why it's wrong here
Versioning changes how objects are stored but does not inherently implement a deterministic “keep for 18 months” retention rule for all log data. You could still violate compliance if deletes/version retention are not aligned with the required retention window.
- ✗
Move the bucket to a different AWS region farther from the users to reduce the likelihood of accidental reads and thereby lower storage costs.
Why it's wrong here
S3 storage cost is not reduced by changing the distance to users, and changing regions can affect latency and operational complexity without providing a direct storage-cost reduction for the stated access pattern.
- ✗
Switch all objects to S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval immediately, regardless of object age, to minimize storage charges.
Why it's wrong here
Applying the coldest tier to newly created (recent) logs increases cost if those objects are not actually infrequently accessed for the first 30 days. The scenario indicates the access pattern changes after 30 days.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may think moving to a different region or using versioning reduces costs, but the core concept is that S3 Lifecycle policies directly automate cost optimization by transitioning to colder storage classes and expiring data, which is the most direct and compliant approach.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
Applying the coldest tier to newly created (recent) logs increases cost if those objects are not actually infrequently accessed for the first 30 days. The scenario indicates the access pattern changes after 30 days.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
S3 Lifecycle policies use transitions to move objects between storage classes based on age, such as from S3 Standard to S3 Standard-IA after 30 days, then to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 90 days, and finally expire after 18 months. The minimum storage duration for S3 Standard-IA is 30 days, and for Glacier Deep Archive it is 180 days, so the policy must respect these minimums to avoid prorated charges. In real-world scenarios, teams often combine transition and expiration actions to balance cost and compliance, ensuring logs are deleted only after the retention period ends.
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 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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Design Cost-Optimized Architectures — This question tests Design Cost-Optimized Architectures — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure an S3 Lifecycle policy to transition objects to a colder storage class after 30 days and expire (delete) them after 18 months. — Option A is correct because S3 Lifecycle policies allow you to automatically transition objects to cheaper storage classes (e.g., S3 Standard-IA or S3 Glacier Deep Archive) after 30 days, reducing storage costs for rarely accessed logs. The policy also sets an expiration action to delete objects after 18 months, meeting the compliance requirement without manual intervention.
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.
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
This SAA-C03 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 SAA-C03 exam.
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