- A
Create an IAM policy that allows access to specific buckets based on tags, and assign the policy to an IAM role that developers can assume.
ABAC with tags enables fine-grained, scalable access control.
- B
Create separate IAM groups for each team and attach policies granting access to the appropriate buckets.
Why wrong: This approach works but is less flexible than ABAC for dynamic attributes.
- C
Use resource-based policies on the buckets to allow access from the IAM Identity Center users.
Why wrong: Resource-based policies cannot directly reference IAM Identity Center users.
- D
Use S3 bucket policies that grant access to specific IAM users based on their usernames.
Why wrong: This requires updating bucket policies for each user change.
Question 1,540 of 1,746
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. 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 wants to give its developers access to specific Amazon S3 buckets based on their team membership. The company uses AWS IAM Identity Center (successor to AWS SSO) for user management. Which approach should the company use to grant fine-grained access?
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 policy that allows access to specific buckets based on tags, and assign the policy to an IAM role that developers can assume.
Option A is correct because it uses IAM roles with tag-based policies, which integrate with AWS IAM Identity Center via attribute-based access control (ABAC). Developers assume the role after authenticating through Identity Center, and the policy dynamically grants access to S3 buckets matching their team tags, enabling fine-grained, scalable permissions without managing individual users or groups.
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 policy that allows access to specific buckets based on tags, and assign the policy to an IAM role that developers can assume.
Why this is correct
ABAC with tags enables fine-grained, scalable access control.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Create separate IAM groups for each team and attach policies granting access to the appropriate buckets.
Why it's wrong here
This approach works but is less flexible than ABAC for dynamic attributes.
- ✗
Use resource-based policies on the buckets to allow access from the IAM Identity Center users.
Why it's wrong here
Resource-based policies cannot directly reference IAM Identity Center users.
- ✗
Use S3 bucket policies that grant access to specific IAM users based on their usernames.
Why it's wrong here
This requires updating bucket policies for each user change.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume IAM groups (Option B) are the natural way to organize users from Identity Center, but Identity Center uses its own group structure and permission sets, not IAM groups, making Option B incompatible.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, IAM Identity Center issues temporary credentials via AWS STS when a user assumes a role, and the role's trust policy allows the Identity Center principal to assume it. Tag-based policies use the `s3:ResourceTag` condition key to match bucket tags, enabling ABAC where permissions are derived from the user's attributes (e.g., team tag) rather than static lists. This approach scales to thousands of users and buckets without policy updates, as the role's trust policy can include a condition like `aws:PrincipalTag/Team` to restrict assumption to users with a matching team tag.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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 |
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.
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Design for New Solutions — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAP-C02 question test?
Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create an IAM policy that allows access to specific buckets based on tags, and assign the policy to an IAM role that developers can assume. — Option A is correct because it uses IAM roles with tag-based policies, which integrate with AWS IAM Identity Center via attribute-based access control (ABAC). Developers assume the role after authenticating through Identity Center, and the policy dynamically grants access to S3 buckets matching their team tags, enabling fine-grained, scalable permissions without managing individual users or groups.
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.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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