The answer is that the upload fails because the IAM policy condition requires the SSE-S3 encryption header for S3 PutObject, and the request did not include it. Specifically, the policy enforces the `s3:x-amz-server-side-encryption` header to be set to `AES256`, so when the user omits the encryption header, the condition evaluates to false and the request is denied, even though the user has the `s3:PutObject` action allowed. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how IAM policy conditions can enforce encryption at the request level, a common trap where candidates assume the bucket policy is the culprit or that the user lacks permissions entirely. The key insight is that a condition key like `s3:x-amz-server-side-encryption` acts as a gate: the action is permitted only if the header matches the required value. A useful memory tip is "no header, no entry"—if the encryption header is missing, the condition fails, blocking the upload.
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new 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. An IAM policy is attached to a user. When the user tries to upload an object to the S3 bucket 'my-bucket' using the AWS CLI without specifying server-side encryption, the upload fails. What is the MOST likely reason?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The policy requires server-side encryption with AES256, but the request did not include the encryption header.
Option B is correct. The policy requires the `s3:x-amz-server-side-encryption` header to be set to 'AES256'. If the user does not specify encryption, the condition fails and the request is denied. Option A is wrong because the policy allows PutObject. Option C is wrong because the user has permissions, but the condition is not met. Option D is wrong because the bucket policy is not shown, but the user's policy is the issue.
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 bucket policy denies all uploads without encryption.
Why it's wrong here
The exhibit shows user policy, not bucket policy.
✓
The policy requires server-side encryption with AES256, but the request did not include the encryption header.
Why this is correct
The condition enforces encryption.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The user is not the bucket owner.
Why it's wrong here
Not relevant to the policy.
✗
The user does not have permission to call s3:PutObject.
Why it's wrong here
The policy allows s3:PutObject.
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.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
The exhibit shows user policy, not bucket policy.
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 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.
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 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: The policy requires server-side encryption with AES256, but the request did not include the encryption header. — Option B is correct. The policy requires the `s3:x-amz-server-side-encryption` header to be set to 'AES256'. If the user does not specify encryption, the condition fails and the request is denied. Option A is wrong because the policy allows PutObject. Option C is wrong because the user has permissions, but the condition is not met. Option D is wrong because the bucket policy is not shown, but the user's policy is the issue.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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. A company has an IAM policy attached to a user. The user is trying to download an object from the S3 bucket 'my-bucket' that was uploaded with SSE-S3 encryption. What will happen?
medium
A.The user will be allowed only if the object was uploaded with SSE-KMS.
B.The user will be denied access because the condition is not met.
✓ C.The user will be allowed to download the object.
D.The user will be denied because SSE-S3 is not AES256.
Why C: Option A is correct because the condition requires s3:x-amz-server-side-encryption to be AES256, which matches SSE-S3. Option B is wrong because the condition is satisfied. Option C is wrong because SSE-S3 uses AES256. Option D is wrong because the condition is for get requests, not put.
Variation 2. A company has an S3 bucket with server-side encryption using S3-Managed Keys (SSE-S3). The IAM policy shown in the exhibit is attached to a user. When the user attempts to download an object using the AWS CLI with no encryption headers, the request fails. What is the MOST likely reason?
medium
A.The object is encrypted with SSE-KMS, not SSE-S3.
B.The user does not have the s3:GetObject permission.
C.The bucket has a bucket policy that denies all requests.
✓ D.The policy condition requires the encryption header in the request.
Why D: The policy requires that the request include the encryption header 'x-amz-server-side-encryption: AES256'. SSE-S3 uses AES256, but the condition requires the header to be present in the request. Without the header, the request does not satisfy the condition. Option B is correct. Option A is wrong because the user has GetObject permission. Option C is wrong because the bucket policy does not need to match. Option D is wrong because SSE-S3 is enabled by default.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
Question Discussion
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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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