- A
Use AWS Transit Gateway to route traffic between accounts and rely on route tables to control access.
Why wrong: Transit Gateway does not provide subnet-level sharing; it only routes traffic.
- B
Use AWS Resource Access Manager to share subnets with specific accounts and require that the consuming account uses a service-linked role.
RAM provides fine-grained sharing and the service-linked role ensures secure creation of resources.
- C
Create VPC Peering connections between the network account and each consuming account, and use security groups to restrict access.
Why wrong: VPC Peering does not allow subnet sharing; it connects VPCs at the network layer.
- D
Create an SCP that denies ec2:RunInstances unless the subnet is in the network account.
Why wrong: SCPs cannot condition on subnet ownership across accounts; they apply to the entire account.
Quick Answer
The answer is to use AWS Resource Access Manager (RAM) to share subnets with specific accounts and require a service-linked role. This is correct because RAM enables the networking account to share VPC subnets across accounts securely by granting granular, cross-account access to only the specified consuming accounts, while the service-linked role enforces that any EC2 instance launched in the shared subnet must assume that role, preventing unauthorized accounts from creating resources. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of cross-account networking with least privilege, often appearing as a trap where candidates mistakenly choose VPC peering or Transit Gateway, which do not control subnet-level resource creation. The key distinction is that RAM handles the sharing, and the service-linked role acts as a gatekeeper for actions. Memory tip: think “RAM locks the door, the role checks the ID.”
SAP-C02 Practice Question: Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design solutions for organizational complexity. 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.
A company uses AWS Organizations with 50 accounts. The networking team wants to deploy a shared VPC in the network account and share subnets with other accounts. The shared subnets will host EC2 instances from the consuming accounts. What is the MOST secure way to ensure that only authorized accounts can create resources in the shared subnets?
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
Use AWS Resource Access Manager to share subnets with specific accounts and require that the consuming account uses a service-linked role.
Option B is correct because AWS Resource Access Manager (RAM) allows the network account to share subnets with specific consuming accounts, and requiring a service-linked role ensures that only authorized accounts can launch resources in those subnets. This approach provides granular, cross-account subnet sharing without exposing the VPC to unauthorized actions, aligning with the principle of least privilege.
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.
- ✗
Use AWS Transit Gateway to route traffic between accounts and rely on route tables to control access.
Why it's wrong here
Transit Gateway does not provide subnet-level sharing; it only routes traffic.
- ✓
Use AWS Resource Access Manager to share subnets with specific accounts and require that the consuming account uses a service-linked role.
Why this is correct
RAM provides fine-grained sharing and the service-linked role ensures secure creation of resources.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Create VPC Peering connections between the network account and each consuming account, and use security groups to restrict access.
Why it's wrong here
VPC Peering does not allow subnet sharing; it connects VPCs at the network layer.
- ✗
Create an SCP that denies ec2:RunInstances unless the subnet is in the network account.
Why it's wrong here
SCPs cannot condition on subnet ownership across accounts; they apply to the entire account.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse network connectivity solutions (like Transit Gateway or VPC Peering) with resource sharing and authorization mechanisms, leading them to select options that enable traffic flow but do not control which accounts can create resources in shared subnets.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Resource Access Manager uses resource-based policies to share subnets with specific AWS accounts or organizational units, and the service-linked role (AWSServiceRoleForRAM) is automatically created in the consuming account to grant the necessary permissions for launching resources in the shared subnet. A common subtlety is that the consuming account must accept the resource share invitation, and the shared subnet's network ACLs and security groups are managed by the network account, ensuring centralized control. In real-world scenarios, this pattern is used to enforce a hub-and-spoke network architecture where the network team retains administrative control over the VPC while allowing consuming accounts to deploy workloads securely.
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.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All SAP-C02 questions
1,746 questions across all exam domains
- →
AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
SAP-C02 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related SAP-C02 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity.
Design for New Solutions practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Design for New Solutions.
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions.
Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization.
SAA-C03 VPC practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 VPC.
SAA-C03 S3 lifecycle policy questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 S3 lifecycle policy questions.
SAA-C03 RDS Multi-AZ questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 RDS Multi-AZ questions.
SAA-C03 IAM policy practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 IAM policy.
SAA-C03 Route 53 failover questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 Route 53 failover questions.
SAA-C03 CloudFront practice questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 CloudFront.
SAA-C03 NAT gateway questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 NAT gateway questions.
SAA-C03 VPC endpoint questions
Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 VPC endpoint questions.
Practice this exam
Start a free SAP-C02 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAP-C02 question test?
Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — This question tests Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use AWS Resource Access Manager to share subnets with specific accounts and require that the consuming account uses a service-linked role. — Option B is correct because AWS Resource Access Manager (RAM) allows the network account to share subnets with specific consuming accounts, and requiring a service-linked role ensures that only authorized accounts can launch resources in those subnets. This approach provides granular, cross-account subnet sharing without exposing the VPC to unauthorized actions, aligning with the principle of least privilege.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Keep practising
More SAP-C02 practice questions
- Match each AWS compute service to its use case.
- A company is designing a new microservices architecture on AWS. They need a solution for service discovery that allows s…
- A company has a centralized logging account and multiple application accounts. All VPC Flow Logs are sent to a central S…
- A company is implementing AWS Control Tower to manage a multi-account environment. The security team needs to ensure tha…
- A company is designing a cross-account network architecture. The security team requires that all traffic between VPCs in…
- A company is using AWS Organizations with multiple accounts. The central IT team wants to deploy a set of common VPCs in…
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This SAP-C02 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 SAP-C02 exam.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.