Okta Administrator Exam Study Guide
Introduction
Congratulations on beginning the process to prepare for your second Okta Certification.
This exam study guide is designed to help you prepare for the Okta Administrator certification exam. It contains a detailed list of the topics covered on this exam, as well as a detailed list of preparation resources.
Passing this exam is a requirement for becoming an Okta Certified Administrator. It is also a prerequisite for those seeking to become Okta Certified Administrators or Okta Certified Consultants.
How to use this study guide
At minimum, we highly recommend you thoroughly review each topic listed within the Exam Subject Areas section of this study guide. Make sure you understand and are familiar with each topic. Every single topic within that section relates to at least one question on the exam. If you are not familiar with a topic, research it by either using one of the corresponding preparation resources, or search the Okta Help Center or Okta Product Documentation library. Some topics are best learned through hands-on experience with the Okta service.
What does it mean to be an Okta Certified Administrator?
Okta Certified Administrators are technically proficient at managing the Okta service. They have extensive knowledge about how Okta enables advanced User Lifecycle Management scenarios involving mobile devices, security policy frameworks, supported SSO options, and advanced directory integration for cloud and on premise access. Administrators use the Okta Policy framework to control user access, understand how to map identity attributes and data transformations using Universal Directory, and troubleshoot issues.
Who should take the Okta Administrator Exam?
Candidates for the Okta Certified Administrator certification must have taken and passed the Okta Professional Exam. They should also meet the following requirements at minimum:
- Two years of experience in a technical role, working in security and/or identity management Three- to six-months of on-the-job experience working with the Okta service
- One year of on-the-job experience working with the Okta service
- Successful completion of Okta Essentials or equivalent training
Although roles within different organizations may vary, candidates for the Okta Certified Administrator certification are generally involved in administering IT strategy in support of an Okta solution. Candidates for this certification may be Okta Administrators, implementation consultants, identity leaders, system administrators, technical project managers, or technical project owners.
About the Okta Administrator Exam
Exam Format
Number and Types of Questions: 60 Discrete Option Multiple-Choice (DOMC) items
Time Allotted: 90 minutes
Exam Fee 250 USD (100 USD for each subsequent retake)
Prerequisites:
- Pass the Okta Professional Exam
- Take the recommended training or self-study using the preparatory resources in the table below
Understanding the DOMC Item Type
This exam consists entirely of DOMC items. DOMC is a powerful measurement tool that produces reliable test scores. It does so by removing several “contaminants” that affect test outcomes but are unrelated to the knowledge and skills being tested. The DOMC item type levels the playing field, more fairly measuring candidate skills by improving:
- Readability. Because test takers are required to read less, the exam tends to take less time and places fewer demands on the slow reader or the non-native English speaker.
- Fairness. When savvy test takers are unsure of an answer, they look for clues by comparing options or gleaning information from other items on an exam. DOMC removes this test taking advantage and serves as a powerful method to assess a test taker’s actual knowledge.
- Security. Instead of displaying all options at the same time, options are randomly presented one at a time. For each presented option, test takers must make a YES or NO decision to indicate whether they think the option is correct. Answer options are presented in random order, and in most instances, test takers are NOT presented with all the available options associated with a DOMC item. Item exposure is limited by presenting only a subset of the available options to any given test taker. Limiting item exposure makes it difficult for an exam to be compromised.
Scoring
Test takers can be assured that the DOMC item type is scored fairly and with precision.
- If a test taker is presented with a correct option and responds YES, then that response is scored as “correct". A DOMC item can be programmed to require one or more correct responses in order to be complete and to be considered answered correctly. Typically, however, only one correct response is required.
- If a test taker is presented with a correct option and responds NO, then that item is scored as “incorrect”.
- If a test taker is presented with an incorrect option and responds YES, then that item is scored as “incorrect”.
- If a test taker is presented with an incorrect option, and that test taker responds NO (technically, a correct response), scoring of the item is postponed and another option is presented.
Note: Even after a test taker responds correctly or incorrectly to an item, additional correct or incorrect options might be presented but the test taker’s responses to those options will not be scored at all. This is done to prevent test takers from guessing the correctness or incorrectness of a response.
The DOMC item format requires test takers to make some adjustments to the usual test-taking approaches. The reward of such effort is confidence that those test takers who are certified are truly competent in the areas tested on the exam and will represent excellence in the field.
To learn more about DOMC items, visit http://trydomc.com/home. In addition, the Okta Professional practice exam will help you become accustomed to the new test format. We highly recommend that test takers become familiar with the format of this item type before taking any Okta certification exams.
Exam Scheduling
Okta certification exams are administered and proctored by Examity®. Okta has partnered with Examity®, a secure online proctoring service, to protect the integrity of our certification exams in the market. Online proctoring means that exams can be taken from almost any location at a time that is convenient for you, without travel to a test center. Your Okta Professional Exam must be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance of the time you wish to sit for the test in order to avoid the additional fee associated with on-demand testing.
Preparing for the Okta Administrator Exam
A combination of instructor-led training courses, self-paced learning, self-study, and on-the-job experience will prepare a candidate to take this exam.
Training
Okta Education Services offers a range of classes and training materials to help candidates prepare for this certification exam. Although attending a training class alone does not guarantee success on an Okta certification exam, we strongly recommend that candidates for certification attend Okta Essentials (an instructor-led training course with labs) in preparation for this exam
You can access Okta Essentials here: https://www.okta.com/services/training/.
Okta Essentials covers the following topics:
- Module 1: Okta Overview
- Module 2: Define Your Users in Okta
- Module 3: Configure External Directories
- Module 4: Configure Groups
- Module 5: Configure SSO and Provisioning
- Module 6: Configure Custom App Integrations
- Module 7: Manage Access Request Workflows
- Module 8: Configure Universal Directory
- Module 9: Implement the Okta Policy Framework
- Module 10: Customize Okta
- Module 11: Monitor Your Okta Org
- Module 12: Practical
Visit https://www.okta.com/services/training/ for the complete course catalog.
Other Resources
- The Okta Help Center contains a knowledge library of articles and videos, some of which are pertinent to topics covered on this exam.
- The Okta Content Library offers searchable white papers with a rich body of information to explore before your exam.
- Join the Okta Community to review questions, discussions, ideas, and blogs for additional exam preparation.
Administrator Exam Subject Areas
The following table lists the topics that are covered on this exam. These topics are grouped into topics areas, and topic areas roll up into domains/exam sections. Use this list as an outline to guide your study and validate your readiness for the Okta Administrator certification exam.
Identity and Access Management |
25% |
Advanced Directory Integration |
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Demonstrate in depth understanding of the process to manage delegated authentication with AD and LDAP using Okta agents |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate in depth understanding of the process to manage Okta AD and LDAP agent architecture and best practices |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate in depth understanding of the process to manage Okta agent service account and permissions needed for agents and in directories for password reset |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate in depth understanding of the process to import and manage users coming from AD, LDAP or stored directly in Okta |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate in depth understanding of how the Okta password sync agent works |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate knowledge of why Okta/AD password policy should match or exceed the AD policy |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate knowledge of why multiple Okta/AD password policies might be needed |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate knowledge of user activation options when using AD as a master |
Preparation resources: |
Single Sign-On (SSO) Federation |
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Demonstrate knowledge of how to use the Application Integration Wizard |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate knowledge of how to configure Okta as a service provider |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate understanding of the SAML assertion |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate knowledge of how to set up a template application |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate in depth understanding of how to deploy the SWA plug-in and configure related options in Okta |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate understanding of how Okta supports non-OIN applications |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate knowledge of the security advantages and caveats in using SAML |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate knowledge of the configuration of OIN apps, including when to use templates for integrating applications |
Preparation resources:
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Desktop SSO deployment |
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Demonstrate knowledge of how to deploy on-premises Okta Desktop SSO/IWA, including the requirements for Desktop SSO/IWA |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate knowledge of user experiences when in zones with Desktop SSO/IWA |
Preparation resources: |
Hybrid SaaS strategies and challenges |
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Demonstrate knowledge of how Okta can provision users and groups to OIN apps |
Preparation resources: |
Architecture |
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Demonstrate awareness about high availability on advanced agents |
Preparation resources: |
User Lifecycle Management |
25% |
Profiles mastering and write-back concepts |
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Demonstrate knowledge of HR as a master including the benefits of groups and group rules when using an external master |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate knowledge of when profile mastering is used |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate knowledge of when attribute level mastering is used |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate knowledge of the value of writing data back to directories and apps from Okta |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate knowledge of working with multiple profile masters |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate knowledge of the requirements of Okta lifecycle management and the ability to write to applications |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate in depth knowledge of how to configure Okta user profiles, application profiles, and directory profiles |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate understanding of the process to create custom attributes in UD |
Preparation resources:
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Demonstrate in depth understanding of the process to create profile mappings |
Preparation resources: |
Managing Identities using Universal Directory |
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Demonstrate knowledge of the process to use the Okta Expression Language to transform data while mapping data with the Profile Editor |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate knowledge of the process to use the Okta Expression Language to create a custom username |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate knowledge of migrating from AD to cloud management of users |
Preparation resources: |
Provisioning |
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Demonstrate knowledge of the different ways that Okta can perform lifecycle management against apps |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate knowledge of the typical flow of user registration/onboarding, updates, and deprovisioning |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate knowledge of how Okta can push groups to various apps |
Preparation resources: |
Self-service |
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Demonstrate knowledge of the process to manage user's ability to reset self-service password with Active Directory mastered users or Okta mastered users |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate knowledge of application request workflows and entitlement options |
Preparation resources: |
Security |
25% |
Okta Security Policy and Enforcement Framework |
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Demonstrate knowledge of the process to manage application level MFA and rules |
Preparation resources:
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Demonstrate knowledge of the process to manage the Okta Sign-on policy including adaptive MFA policy |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate understanding of the process to configure password policies for Okta mastered users |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate understanding of the process to configure password policies for Active Directory mastered users |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate understanding of how Okta can support legacy MFA solutions |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate knowledge of the different security postures with MFA factors |
Preparation resources: |
Admin Access Control |
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Demonstrate knowledge of admin roles |
Preparation resources: |
Monitoring and Troubleshooting |
15% |
Logging and Reporting |
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Demonstrate understanding of Okta logging |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate ability to interpret Okta log files |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate knowledge of the logging options available for Okta agents |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate knowledge of the troubleshooting options for each Okta agent/plugin |
Preparation resources: |
API Functions |
10% |
Token Management |
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Demonstrate knowledge of how to create API tokens with the correct permissions |
Preparation resources: |
API Extended Functions |
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Demonstrate knowledge of the importance of API rate limiting |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate knowledge of the use cases for Okta Management APIs, API-AM, and API products |
Preparation resources: |
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Demonstrate understanding of the importance of service accounts when using Okta API |
Preparation resources: |
Sample Items
Know what to expect on the day of the exam. Take the Okta Administrator Practice Exam to familiarize yourself with the format of the DOMC item type. Click the button below to check it out now!
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