- A
A policy that denies all IAM and organization actions except for viewing.
Why wrong: This prevents administrators from managing IAM roles and policies.
- B
A policy that allows all IAM actions and denies organizations:CreateAccount and organizations:UpdateOrganizationalUnit.
Why wrong: This still allows full IAM access, which includes the ability to modify OU structure indirectly? Actually, IAM actions don't affect OU structure, but it allows too much.
- C
A policy that allows organizations:* and IAM:* except for DeleteOrganization and RemoveAccountFromOrganization.
Why wrong: This allows creating accounts and modifying OU structure.
- D
A policy that allows iam:* and denies organizations:CreateAccount, organizations:CreateOrganizationalUnit, organizations:UpdateOrganizationalUnit, and organizations:DeleteOrganizationalUnit.
This allows IAM management while denying organization structure changes.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is a policy that allows iam:* and explicitly denies organizations:CreateAccount, organizations:CreateOrganizationalUnit, organizations:UpdateOrganizationalUnit, and organizations:DeleteOrganizationalUnit. This works because AWS Organizations uses a deny-by-default model for sensitive management actions, so you must explicitly block the specific API calls that could alter the OU hierarchy or create new accounts while still permitting all IAM operations. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the least privilege principle combined with service-specific deny statements, often appearing as a trap where candidates mistakenly allow full organization access or block all IAM actions. A common memory tip is to think of the OU structure as a “tree” that only the root admin should prune—deny the four “OU-shaping” actions (Create, Update, Delete OU, plus CreateAccount) and let IAM flourish freely. Remember: allow the leaves, deny the branches.
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 has a central IT team that manages AWS resources for multiple business units using AWS Organizations. Each business unit has its own OU. The central team needs to allow each OU's administrators to manage their own IAM roles and policies, but prevent them from modifying the OU structure or creating new accounts. Which IAM policy should be attached to the administrators in the management account?
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
A policy that allows iam:* and denies organizations:CreateAccount, organizations:CreateOrganizationalUnit, organizations:UpdateOrganizationalUnit, and organizations:DeleteOrganizationalUnit.
Option D is correct because it explicitly denies the organizational-level actions that could modify the OU structure or create accounts, while allowing other IAM actions. Option A allows full administration, violating the restriction. Option B denies all IAM actions, preventing any management. Option C allows full organization management, which is too permissive.
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.
- ✗
A policy that denies all IAM and organization actions except for viewing.
Why it's wrong here
This prevents administrators from managing IAM roles and policies.
- ✗
A policy that allows all IAM actions and denies organizations:CreateAccount and organizations:UpdateOrganizationalUnit.
Why it's wrong here
This still allows full IAM access, which includes the ability to modify OU structure indirectly? Actually, IAM actions don't affect OU structure, but it allows too much.
- ✗
A policy that allows organizations:* and IAM:* except for DeleteOrganization and RemoveAccountFromOrganization.
Why it's wrong here
This allows creating accounts and modifying OU structure.
- ✓
A policy that allows iam:* and denies organizations:CreateAccount, organizations:CreateOrganizationalUnit, organizations:UpdateOrganizationalUnit, and organizations:DeleteOrganizationalUnit.
Why this is correct
This allows IAM management while denying organization structure changes.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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.
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Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — study guide chapter
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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: A policy that allows iam:* and denies organizations:CreateAccount, organizations:CreateOrganizationalUnit, organizations:UpdateOrganizationalUnit, and organizations:DeleteOrganizationalUnit. — Option D is correct because it explicitly denies the organizational-level actions that could modify the OU structure or create accounts, while allowing other IAM actions. Option A allows full administration, violating the restriction. Option B denies all IAM actions, preventing any management. Option C allows full organization management, which is too permissive.
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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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 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.
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