The answer is to enable an AWS Config aggregator and use advanced queries to search for trust policies across all accounts. This approach is the most efficient and scalable because AWS Config aggregates resource configuration data from multiple accounts and regions into a single query endpoint, allowing you to run structured SQL-like queries against IAM role trust policy documents to identify any that grant access to external principals. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of centralized governance at scale, often appearing as a trap where candidates choose IAM Access Analyzer—which only identifies external access findings, not a full audit of every trust policy—or Trusted Advisor, which lacks custom policy inspection. A key memory tip is to think of Config as your “policy search engine” for multi-account audits, while Access Analyzer is your “external access alarm.”
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 large enterprise has 200 AWS accounts organized under AWS Organizations. The central security team needs to audit all IAM role trust policies across accounts to ensure no cross-account roles allow external principals. Which approach is most efficient and scalable?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable AWS Config aggregator and use advanced queries to search for trust policies.
Option D is correct because using AWS Config advanced queries across accounts with aggregation is scalable. Option A is wrong because manual review is not scalable. Option B is wrong because Trusted Advisor does not cover custom policies. Option C is wrong because IAM Access Analyzer identifies external access but does not provide a full audit of trust policies.
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.
✓
Enable AWS Config aggregator and use advanced queries to search for trust policies.
Why this is correct
Config aggregator allows querying across all accounts.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use AWS Trusted Advisor to check for overly permissive roles.
Why it's wrong here
Trusted Advisor checks only limited best practices.
✗
Write a script using AWS SDK to list roles in each account and analyze trust policies.
Why it's wrong here
Script requires cross-account access and is complex to manage.
✗
Use IAM Access Analyzer to generate findings for each account.
Why it's wrong here
Access Analyzer provides findings but not a comprehensive audit of all trust policies.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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: Enable AWS Config aggregator and use advanced queries to search for trust policies. — Option D is correct because using AWS Config advanced queries across accounts with aggregation is scalable. Option A is wrong because manual review is not scalable. Option B is wrong because Trusted Advisor does not cover custom policies. Option C is wrong because IAM Access Analyzer identifies external access but does not provide a full audit of trust policies.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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