- A
Make the bucket public with read-only access.
Why wrong: Public access is insecure.
- B
Generate presigned URLs for each account to access the bucket.
Why wrong: Not scalable; URLs expire.
- C
Create IAM roles in each account with permissions to assume a role in the central account.
Why wrong: Adds complexity of role switching.
- D
Use an S3 bucket policy that grants access to the organization using aws:PrincipalOrgID condition key.
Condition key ensures only accounts in the organization can access.
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 needs to share a central Amazon S3 bucket containing common data files with multiple accounts in AWS Organizations. Which approach is most secure and scalable?
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
Use an S3 bucket policy that grants access to the organization using aws:PrincipalOrgID condition key.
Option D is correct because using the `aws:PrincipalOrgID` condition key in an S3 bucket policy allows you to grant access to all principals (users, roles) within your AWS Organization without needing to list individual account IDs. This approach is both secure (no public access) and scalable (automatically includes new accounts added to the organization).
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.
- ✗
Make the bucket public with read-only access.
Why it's wrong here
Public access is insecure.
- ✗
Generate presigned URLs for each account to access the bucket.
Why it's wrong here
Not scalable; URLs expire.
- ✗
Create IAM roles in each account with permissions to assume a role in the central account.
Why it's wrong here
Adds complexity of role switching.
- ✓
Use an S3 bucket policy that grants access to the organization using aws:PrincipalOrgID condition key.
Why this is correct
Condition key ensures only accounts in the organization can access.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose Option C (cross-account IAM roles) because it is a familiar pattern, but they overlook the simpler and more scalable centralized policy approach using the Organization ID condition key, which AWS specifically tests for centralized resource sharing scenarios.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The `aws:PrincipalOrgID` condition key evaluates the organization ID from the `aws:PrincipalOrgID` context key, which is automatically included in all requests from principals within the organization. This works with both IAM users/roles and AWS services like S3, and it does not require the bucket policy to list individual account IDs, making it resilient to account additions or removals. A common subtlety is that this condition key only works if the requesting principal is a member of the organization; it does not apply to external accounts or service principals not in the organization.
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 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: Use an S3 bucket policy that grants access to the organization using aws:PrincipalOrgID condition key. — Option D is correct because using the `aws:PrincipalOrgID` condition key in an S3 bucket policy allows you to grant access to all principals (users, roles) within your AWS Organization without needing to list individual account IDs. This approach is both secure (no public access) and scalable (automatically includes new accounts added to the organization).
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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