- A
AWS Single Sign-On
SSO authenticates users with identity providers.
- B
Amazon Cognito
Cognito user pools authenticate users.
- C
AWS Secrets Manager
Why wrong: Secrets Manager stores secrets, not authenticates.
- D
AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)
IAM authenticates IAM users.
- E
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: CloudTrail is for auditing.
Question 1,173 of 1,748
SCS-C02 Identity and Access Management Practice Question
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of identity and access management. 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.
Which THREE AWS services can be used to authenticate users for accessing AWS resources?
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
✓
AWS Single Sign-On
AWS Single Sign-On (SSO) is a service that centrally manages access to multiple AWS accounts and business applications, authenticating users via an external identity provider (IdP) such as Microsoft Active Directory or Okta. It allows users to sign in once and gain federated access to assigned AWS resources, making it a valid authentication service for AWS resource access.
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.
- ✓
AWS Single Sign-On
Why this is correct
SSO authenticates users with identity providers.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Amazon Cognito
Why this is correct
Cognito user pools authenticate users.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS Secrets Manager
Why it's wrong here
Secrets Manager stores secrets, not authenticates.
- ✓
AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Why this is correct
IAM authenticates IAM users.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail is for auditing.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS Secrets Manager as an authentication service because it stores credentials, but it does not authenticate users—it only provides secure storage for secrets that other services use.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, AWS SSO uses SAML 2.0 or OIDC protocols to federate identities from an external IdP, issuing temporary AWS credentials via AWS STS after successful authentication. Amazon Cognito provides user pools for sign-up/sign-in and identity pools for federated access to AWS resources, supporting OAuth 2.0, SAML, and social identity providers. IAM authenticates users via long-term access keys or password-based login to the AWS Management Console, but it is limited to users within the AWS account and does not natively support external IdPs without federation.
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 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 exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Identity and Access Management — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SCS-C02 question test?
Identity and Access Management — This question tests Identity and Access Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AWS Single Sign-On — AWS Single Sign-On (SSO) is a service that centrally manages access to multiple AWS accounts and business applications, authenticating users via an external identity provider (IdP) such as Microsoft Active Directory or Okta. It allows users to sign in once and gain federated access to assigned AWS resources, making it a valid authentication service for AWS resource access.
What should I do if I get this SCS-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
This SCS-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 SCS-C02 exam.
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