- A
SSE-C
Why wrong: SSE-C requires the customer to manage and rotate keys, increasing operational overhead.
- B
SSE-S3
SSE-S3 automatically rotates keys every 90 days with no customer management.
- C
Client-side encryption with AWS KMS
Why wrong: Client-side encryption adds complexity and operational overhead for key management.
- D
SSE-KMS with automatic rotation
Why wrong: KMS can automatically rotate keys, but requires customer key management and may incur additional costs.
Question 212 of 1,746
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 is designing a new application that will store sensitive data in Amazon S3. The data must be encrypted at rest using a key that is rotated every 90 days. The company wants to use AWS managed services to minimize operational overhead. Which encryption solution should they choose?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"minimum / minimize"Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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
✓
SSE-S3
SSE-S3 (Amazon S3 managed keys) provides encryption at rest with automatic key rotation every 90 days, meeting the requirement without any operational overhead. The company wants AWS managed services to minimize operational overhead, and SSE-S3 handles key management and rotation entirely on the customer's behalf, with no configuration needed.
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.
- ✗
SSE-C
Why it's wrong here
SSE-C requires the customer to manage and rotate keys, increasing operational overhead.
- ✓
SSE-S3
Why this is correct
SSE-S3 automatically rotates keys every 90 days with no customer management.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Client-side encryption with AWS KMS
Why it's wrong here
Client-side encryption adds complexity and operational overhead for key management.
- ✗
SSE-KMS with automatic rotation
Why it's wrong here
KMS can automatically rotate keys, but requires customer key management and may incur additional costs.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume SSE-KMS with automatic rotation meets the 90-day requirement, but KMS automatic rotation is fixed at 365 days and cannot be changed, making SSE-S3 the only correct choice for a 90-day rotation policy with zero operational overhead.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
SSE-S3 uses AES-256 in Galois/Counter Mode (GCM) with a unique key per object, and the master key is rotated automatically every 90 days by AWS. This is the only S3 encryption option that guarantees a 90-day rotation cycle without any customer action, as KMS automatic rotation is fixed at 365 days and cannot be customized.
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 for New Solutions — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAP-C02 question test?
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: SSE-S3 — SSE-S3 (Amazon S3 managed keys) provides encryption at rest with automatic key rotation every 90 days, meeting the requirement without any operational overhead. The company wants AWS managed services to minimize operational overhead, and SSE-S3 handles key management and rotation entirely on the customer's behalf, with no configuration needed.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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
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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