The answer is that the instance launch is denied because the SCP explicitly denies all EC2 instance types except t2.micro and t2.small. This occurs because the SCP uses a Deny effect with a condition that restricts the ec2:InstanceType value, meaning any attempt to launch an instance type not listed—such as t2.medium—will be blocked regardless of any other permissions. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how SCPs act as a service control boundary that cannot be overridden by IAM policies, even if the developer has full administrative rights. A common trap is assuming that an IAM allow policy can bypass an SCP deny, but SCPs always take precedence as the ultimate guardrail. Memory tip: think of SCPs as the “bouncer” at the door—if your instance type isn’t on the guest list, you’re not getting in, no matter what your IAM badge says.
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.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The instance launch is denied because the SCP denies all instance types except t2.micro and t2.small.
The SCP denies RunInstances if the instance type is not t2.micro or t2.small. Since t2.medium is not in the allowed list, the action is denied. Option A is wrong because t2.medium is not allowed. Option C is wrong because SCP applies. Option D is wrong because IAM policy does not override SCP.
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 instance launches only if the developer's IAM policy explicitly allows t2.medium.
Why it's wrong here
Even if IAM allows, SCP denies.
✗
The instance launch is allowed because there is no explicit Allow statement in the SCP.
Why it's wrong here
SCPs are deny by default; the Deny statement applies.
✗
The instance launches successfully because the SCP does not affect IAM users.
Why it's wrong here
SCP applies to all principals in the account.
✓
The instance launch is denied because the SCP denies all instance types except t2.micro and t2.small.
Why this is correct
Correct interpretation of the Deny with condition.
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.
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: The instance launch is denied because the SCP denies all instance types except t2.micro and t2.small. — The SCP denies RunInstances if the instance type is not t2.micro or t2.small. Since t2.medium is not in the allowed list, the action is denied. Option A is wrong because t2.medium is not allowed. Option C is wrong because SCP applies. Option D is wrong because IAM policy does not override SCP.
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.
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 administrator attached the above IAM policy to a group of developers. A developer tries to launch a t3.medium EC2 instance and receives an 'AccessDenied' error. What is the MOST likely reason?
medium
✓ A.The policy denies all instance types except t3.micro and t3.small.
B.The policy has a syntax error that causes all actions to be denied.
C.The policy does not explicitly allow ec2:RunInstances.
D.The policy requires a specific Amazon Machine Image (AMI) that the developer is not using.
Why A: Option B is correct because the policy denies ec2:RunInstances for instance types that are not t3.micro or t3.small. Since t3.medium is not in the allowed list, the action is denied. Option A is wrong because the policy allows the action for allowed types. Option C is wrong because the condition is on instance type, not AMI. Option D is wrong because there is no explicit allow, but the default implicit deny is overridden by the explicit deny.
Variation 2. Refer to the exhibit. A company attached the above SCP to an OU in AWS Organizations. The SCP is intended to allow only t3.micro and t3.small EC2 instances. However, users in accounts within that OU are still able to launch other instance types. What is the most likely reason?
hard
A.The SCP syntax is invalid because it uses StringNotEquals
B.The SCP must also allow the allowed instance types in a separate statement
C.The SCP does not include an Allow statement for the allowed instance types
✓ D.The SCP is not attached to the correct OU or root
Why D: Option B is correct because the SCP denies RunInstances only when the instance type is not t3.micro or t3.small, but it applies only to the instance resource (arn:aws:ec2:*:*:instance/*). The RunInstances action also requires permissions on other resources like images, network interfaces, etc. If the SCP does not cover those resources, the condition may not be evaluated fully, or the SCP might not deny the action if other resources are not specified. Alternatively, the SCP might not be attached to the correct OU, or there might be an allow SCP overriding it. The most common issue is that the SCP is not attached to the correct path. Option A is wrong because SCPs do not need to allow actions explicitly; they are deny-only. Option C is wrong because the syntax is correct. Option D is wrong because SCPs do not require an Allow statement to work.
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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.
Question Discussion
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