How to Restrict EC2 Instance Types Using IAM Condition Keys
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of identity and access management. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
An IAM user has the policy shown in the exhibit. The user tries to launch an m5.large instance in us-east-1, but gets an 'AccessDenied' error. Why does this happen?
The policy restricts RunInstances to instance type t2.micro, but the user requested m5.large.
Correct. The policy only allows RunInstances for instance type t2.micro, so requesting m5.large results in AccessDenied.
B
The condition uses StringEquals, which is case-sensitive and the instance type is in the wrong case.
Why wrong: Incorrect. While StringEquals is case-sensitive, the issue is not case sensitivity but that the requested instance type is different from the allowed one.
C
The policy does not allow the RunInstances action at all.
Why wrong: Incorrect. The policy does allow RunInstances for the allowed instance type, but the user requested a different type.
D
The resource ARN in the policy is incorrect for launching instances.
Why wrong: Incorrect. The resource ARN is correct for EC2 instances; the issue is the condition on instance type.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The policy restricts RunInstances to instance type t2.micro, but the user requested m5.large.
The policy only allows RunInstances for instance type t2.micro, so requesting m5.large results in an AccessDenied error. Option A correctly identifies that the user requested an instance type that is not allowed. Option B is incorrect because the condition StringEquals is correctly applied and the issue is not case sensitivity but the value mismatch. Option C is incorrect because the policy does allow RunInstances for the allowed instance type. Option D is incorrect because the resource ARN is valid for EC2 instances.
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 policy restricts RunInstances to instance type t2.micro, but the user requested m5.large.
Why this is correct
Correct. The policy only allows RunInstances for instance type t2.micro, so requesting m5.large results in AccessDenied.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The condition uses StringEquals, which is case-sensitive and the instance type is in the wrong case.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. While StringEquals is case-sensitive, the issue is not case sensitivity but that the requested instance type is different from the allowed one.
✗
The policy does not allow the RunInstances action at all.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The policy does allow RunInstances for the allowed instance type, but the user requested a different type.
✗
The resource ARN in the policy is incorrect for launching instances.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The resource ARN is correct for EC2 instances; the issue is the condition on instance type.
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 SCS-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.
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: The policy restricts RunInstances to instance type t2.micro, but the user requested m5.large. — The policy only allows RunInstances for instance type t2.micro, so requesting m5.large results in an AccessDenied error. Option A correctly identifies that the user requested an instance type that is not allowed. Option B is incorrect because the condition StringEquals is correctly applied and the issue is not case sensitivity but the value mismatch. Option C is incorrect because the policy does allow RunInstances for the allowed instance type. Option D is incorrect because the resource ARN is valid for EC2 instances.
What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?
Identify which SCS-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
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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 IAM user reports that they are unable to launch an EC2 instance in us-east-1. The IAM policy attached to the user allows ec2:RunInstances but with a condition that the instance type must be t2.micro. What could be the reason for the failure?
easy
✓ A.The user is trying to launch an instance type other than t2.micro.
B.The user has not attached a security group to the instance.
C.The IAM policy does not include ec2:RunInstances for us-east-1.
D.The user's account has reached the EC2 instance limit.
Why A: Option A is correct because the condition likely specifies 'ec2:InstanceType' equals 't2.micro', so if the user tries to launch any other type, the action is denied. Option B is irrelevant because the policy allows the action. Option C is not a common condition. Option D is unrelated.
Variation 2. A security team notices that an IAM user has permissions to launch EC2 instances but should not have access to certain instance types. Which IAM policy condition key should be used to restrict this?
hard
A.ec2:ResourceTag
B.ec2:Tenancy
C.ec2:InstanceProfile
✓ D.ec2:InstanceType
Why D: The ec2:InstanceType condition key allows you to restrict IAM users to launching only specific EC2 instance types (e.g., t2.micro, m5.large) by evaluating the instance type value in the RunInstances API call. This is the correct key to enforce a policy that denies access to certain instance types while permitting others.
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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.
Question Discussion
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