- A
Remove the constraint from the organization level and apply it to all child projects except the legacy one.
Why wrong: This is not a recommended approach; better to use conditions.
- B
Use a deny policy to block key creation for all projects except the legacy one.
Why wrong: Deny policies cannot be used to allow exceptions.
- C
Create a custom role with iam.serviceAccountKeys.create permission and assign it to the project.
Why wrong: The org policy overrides IAM permissions; even with the permission, the policy blocks key creation.
- D
Set a folder-level policy to disable the constraint for the folder containing the project.
A folder policy can override the org policy if it is less restrictive.
- E
Add an exception in the organization policy for the specific project using conditions.
Organization policies can have conditions to exclude certain resources.
PCSE Practice Question: Configuring Access Within a Cloud Solution Environment
This PCSE practice question tests your understanding of configuring access within a cloud solution environment. 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 security team wants to restrict service account key creation in their organization to prevent key-based authentication. They have set the organization policy constraint constraints/iam.disableServiceAccountKeyCreation to True. However, they need to allow a specific project to continue creating keys for legacy applications. Which two steps are required? (Choose two.)
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
Set a folder-level policy to disable the constraint for the folder containing the project.
Option D is correct because setting a folder-level policy to disable the constraint for the folder containing the project allows the organization policy to remain enforced at the org level while creating an exception for the specific folder and its child projects. Option E is correct because the organization policy supports conditions, enabling you to add an exception for a specific project without removing the constraint from the organization level.
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.
- ✗
Remove the constraint from the organization level and apply it to all child projects except the legacy one.
Why it's wrong here
This is not a recommended approach; better to use conditions.
- ✗
Use a deny policy to block key creation for all projects except the legacy one.
Why it's wrong here
Deny policies cannot be used to allow exceptions.
- ✗
Create a custom role with iam.serviceAccountKeys.create permission and assign it to the project.
Why it's wrong here
The org policy overrides IAM permissions; even with the permission, the policy blocks key creation.
- ✓
Set a folder-level policy to disable the constraint for the folder containing the project.
Why this is correct
A folder policy can override the org policy if it is less restrictive.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Add an exception in the organization policy for the specific project using conditions.
Why this is correct
Organization policies can have conditions to exclude certain resources.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the misconception that you must remove the constraint from the organization level and reapply it to individual projects, when in fact you can use hierarchical overrides or conditions to create targeted exceptions without altering the organization-level policy.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Organization policy constraints are enforced hierarchically, and you can use conditions (e.g., resource.name.startsWith('projects/legacy-project-id')) to create exceptions at the same level where the constraint is set. Alternatively, you can set a less restrictive policy at a lower level (folder or project) to override the parent policy, but this requires the parent policy to allow overrides (i.e., not set to 'Replace'). Under the hood, the IAM service checks the effective policy by traversing the hierarchy, and if a lower-level policy is set to 'Allow' (or has a condition that matches), it can override a higher-level 'Deny'.
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCSE question test?
Configuring Access Within a Cloud Solution Environment — This question tests Configuring Access Within a Cloud Solution Environment — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Set a folder-level policy to disable the constraint for the folder containing the project. — Option D is correct because setting a folder-level policy to disable the constraint for the folder containing the project allows the organization policy to remain enforced at the org level while creating an exception for the specific folder and its child projects. Option E is correct because the organization policy supports conditions, enabling you to add an exception for a specific project without removing the constraint from the organization level.
What should I do if I get this PCSE 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 PCSE practice question is part of Courseiva's free Google Cloud 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 PCSE exam.
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