The root cause is that the IAM policy grants ec2:CreateSnapshot only on the snapshot resource ARN, but the API call also requires explicit permission on the source volume resource. When an automation script attempts to create an EBS snapshot, the authorization check evaluates both the action on the snapshot and the action on the volume; without a matching Allow on arn:aws:ec2:*:*:volume/*, the request fails with an authorization error, even though the snapshot-level permission is present. This scenario is a classic trap on the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, testing your understanding that resource-level permissions in IAM policies must cover all resources involved in the API operation—not just the primary resource being created. The exam often hides this nuance in policies that look complete but omit the volume resource, so always check that ec2:CreateSnapshot is allowed on both the volume and the snapshot. Remember the mnemonic: “Snap the volume first, then the snapshot—permissions need both.”
SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of continuous improvement for existing solutions. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
Refer to the exhibit. A company uses this IAM policy to allow an automation script to manage Amazon EBS snapshots. The script runs on an EC2 instance with this attached IAM role. The script is failing when trying to create a snapshot from a volume and tag it. The error message indicates an authorization failure. What is the root cause?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The policy does not grant permission to call ec2:CreateSnapshot on the volume resource.
The error occurs because the IAM policy grants `ec2:CreateSnapshot` only on the `arn:aws:ec2:*::snapshot/*` resource, but the API call to create a snapshot also requires permission on the source volume resource (`arn:aws:ec2:*:*:volume/*`). Without that volume-level permission, the request fails with an authorization error, even though the snapshot-level permission is present.
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.
✗
The policy does not grant permission to call ec2:DescribeSnapshots, which is required before creating a snapshot.
Why it's wrong here
DescribeSnapshots is not a prerequisite for CreateSnapshot.
✗
The policy lacks a condition key to restrict the snapshot creation to specific volumes.
Why it's wrong here
Condition keys are optional; the issue is missing resource permissions for the volume.
✓
The policy does not grant permission to call ec2:CreateSnapshot on the volume resource.
Why this is correct
CreateSnapshot requires permission on the volume (e.g., arn:aws:ec2:region:account:volume/*) and optionally on the snapshot.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The policy does not include ec2:CreateTags for the volume, only for snapshots.
Why it's wrong here
The script tags the snapshot, not the volume; the policy allows CreateTags on snapshots.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume only the target snapshot resource needs permission, but AWS requires explicit authorization on the source volume resource for the `ec2:CreateSnapshot` action.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
When calling `ec2:CreateSnapshot`, the IAM policy must authorize the action on both the source volume and the resulting snapshot as separate resource ARNs. The volume ARN format is `arn:aws:ec2:region:account-id:volume/vol-xxx`, and the snapshot ARN is `arn:aws:ec2:region:account-id:snapshot/snap-xxx`. In resource-based policies, you must explicitly list both resources or use a wildcard; omitting the volume resource causes an implicit deny. This is a common misconfiguration when automating snapshot workflows.
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.
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — This question tests Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The policy does not grant permission to call ec2:CreateSnapshot on the volume resource. — The error occurs because the IAM policy grants `ec2:CreateSnapshot` only on the `arn:aws:ec2:*::snapshot/*` resource, but the API call to create a snapshot also requires permission on the source volume resource (`arn:aws:ec2:*:*:volume/*`). Without that volume-level permission, the request fails with an authorization error, even though the snapshot-level permission is present.
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 →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. An IAM policy attached to a user allows s3:GetObject and s3:PutObject on my-bucket, but denies all actions on the confidential/ prefix. The user reports that they can still upload objects to the confidential/ folder. Why?
hard
A.The Allow statement appears before the Deny statement in the policy.
B.The Deny statement is not explicit enough to override the Allow.
✓ C.The Deny statement is in a separate policy that is not attached to the user.
D.The Deny statement's resource ARN does not match the confidential folder objects.
Why C: IAM policy evaluation logic: an explicit Deny overrides any Allow. However, the Deny statement uses a specific resource ARN for the confidential folder, but the Allow statement uses my-bucket/* which includes the confidential folder. Since the Deny is explicit, it should block. But the user can still upload, likely because the policy is not applied correctly or there is another policy allowing the action. Wait: Actually, an explicit Deny always overrides Allow. The most likely reason is that the user has another policy that allows s3:PutObject on the bucket, and the Deny is not effective because the resource pattern in the Deny might not match the specific object ARN? In IAM, resource ARNs must match. The Deny uses arn:aws:s3:::my-bucket/confidential/* which should match any object under that prefix. So the Deny should work. The correct answer is that the policy order is irrelevant, but perhaps the Deny is not being evaluated because of missing condition? Actually, the most common issue is that the user has a separate policy that explicitly allows the action, and the Deny is not applied? No, explicit Deny always wins. The issue could be that the policy is not attached to the user. Option D is correct: the Deny statement might be in a different policy that is not attached. Option A is incorrect because order does not matter. Option B is incorrect because explicit Deny overrides Allow. Option C is incorrect because the resource matches.
Variation 2. An IAM policy condition allows launching EC2 instances only if the instance type is t2.micro or t2.small. A developer tries to launch a t2.medium instance. What happens?
medium
A.The launch is denied only if the user does not have a separate policy allowing t2.medium.
B.The launch succeeds because the condition only allows, not denies.
C.The launch succeeds if the user has an additional Allow for t2.medium.
✓ D.The launch is denied because t2.medium is not in the allowed list.
Why D: Option C is correct because the condition restricts allowed instance types, so t2.medium is not allowed. Option A is incorrect because the condition is explicit. Option B is incorrect because the condition applies. Option D is incorrect because the policy is evaluated at launch time.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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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.
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