Okta Administrator Exam Study Guide

Introduction

Congratulations on beginning the process to prepare for your Okta Administrator 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 list of preparation resources. 

Passing this exam is a requirement for becoming an Okta Certified Administrator. It is also a prerequisite for anyone seeking to become an Okta Certified Consultant.

How to use this study guide

At minimum, we highly recommend that you thoroughly review each topic listed in the Administrator Exam subject areas section of this study guide. Make sure you understand each topic. Every 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 searching 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-premises access. Administrators use the Okta Policy framework to control user access, are able 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
  • One year of on-the-job experience working with the Okta service
  • Successful completion of the Okta Essentials course 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:

  • An active, unexpired Okta Professional Certification
  • Successful completion of the recommended training or self-study using the preparation resources listed in the Administrator Exam subject areas table at the end of this page

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, and more fairly measures your skills by improving:

  • Readability. Because you are required to read less text, the exam tends to take less time and places fewer demands on the slower 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 your actual knowledge.
  • Security. Instead of displaying all options at the same time, options are randomly presented one at a time. For each option presented, you must make a YES or NO decision to indicate whether you think the option is correct. Answer options are presented in random order, and in most instances, you 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 you. Limiting item exposure helps ensure the integrity of the exam.

Scoring

You can be assured that the DOMC item type is scored fairly and with precision.

  • If you are presented with a correct option and respond 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 you are presented with a correct option and respond NO, then that item is scored as “incorrect”.
  • If you are presented with an incorrect option and respond YES, then that item is scored as “incorrect”.
  • If you are presented with an incorrect option, and respond NO (technically, a correct response), the item is not scored until additional options are presented and responded to.

Note: Even after you respond correctly or incorrectly to an item, additional correct or incorrect options might be presented but your responses to those options will not be scored at all. This is done to prevent you from guessing the correctness or incorrectness of a response.

The DOMC item format might require that you make some adjustments to your usual test-taking approaches. The reward of such effort is confidence that those test takers who become 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 https://domc.caveon.com/home. In addition, the Okta Administrator Practice Exam will help you become accustomed to the new test format. We highly recommend that you 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®, a secure online proctoring service. Okta has partnered with Examity to protect the integrity of our certification exams. Online proctoring means that you can take the exam from almost any location at a time that is convenient for you, without requiring you to travel to a test center. Your Okta Administrator Exam must be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance of the time you plan 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 you to take this exam.

Training

Okta Education Services offers a range of classes and training materials to help you prepare for this certification exam. Although attending a training class does not guarantee success on an Okta certification exam, we strongly recommend that you 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
  

Demonstrate in-depth understanding of the process to manage delegated authentication with AD and LDAP using Okta agents

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate in-depth understanding of the process to manage Okta AD and LDAP agent architecture and best practices

Preparation resources:

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:

Demonstrate in-depth understanding of the process to import and manage users coming from AD, LDAP or stored directly in Okta

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate in-depth understanding of how the Okta password sync agent works

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate knowledge of why Okta/AD password policy should match or exceed the AD policy

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate knowledge of why multiple Okta/AD password policies might be needed

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate knowledge of user activation options when using AD as a source

Preparation resources:
Single Sign-On (SSO) Federation
  

Demonstrate knowledge of how to use the Application Integration Wizard

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate knowledge of how to configure Okta as a service provider

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate understanding of the SAML assertion

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate knowledge of how to set up a template application

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate in-depth understanding of how to deploy the SWA plug-in and configure related options in Okta

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate understanding of how Okta supports non-OIN applications

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate knowledge of the security advantages and caveats in using SAML

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate knowledge of the configuration of OIN apps, including when to use templates for integrating applications

Preparation resources:
Desktop SSO deployment
  

Demonstrate knowledge of how to deploy on-premises Okta Desktop SSO/IWA, including the requirements for Desktop SSO/IWA

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate knowledge of user experiences when in zones with Desktop SSO/IWA

Preparation resources:
Hybrid SaaS strategies and challenges
  

Demonstrate knowledge of how Okta can provision users and groups to OIN apps

Preparation resources:
Architecture
  

Demonstrate awareness about high availability on advanced agents

Preparation resources:

User Lifecycle Management

25%
Profile sourcing and write-back concepts
  

Demonstrate knowledge of HR as a source including the benefits of groups and group rules when using an external source

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate knowledge of when profile sourcing is used

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate knowledge of when attribute level sourcing is used

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate knowledge of the value of writing data back to directories and apps from Okta

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate knowledge of working with multiple profile sources

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate knowledge of the requirements of Okta lifecycle management and the ability to write to applications

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of how to configure Okta user profiles, application profiles, and directory profiles

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate understanding of the process to create custom attributes in UD

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate in-depth understanding of the process to create profile mappings

Preparation resources:
Managing Identities using Universal Directory
  

Demonstrate knowledge of the process to use the Okta Expression Language to transform data while mapping data with the Profile Editor

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate knowledge of the process to use the Okta Expression Language to create a custom username

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate knowledge of migrating from AD to cloud management of users

Preparation resources:
Provisioning
  

Demonstrate knowledge of the different ways that Okta can perform lifecycle management against apps

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate knowledge of the typical flow of user registration/onboarding, updates, and deprovisioning

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate knowledge of how Okta can push groups to various apps

Preparation resources:
Self-service
  

Demonstrate knowledge of the process to manage user's ability to reset self-service password with Active Directory-sourced users or Okta-sourced users

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate knowledge of application request workflows and entitlement options

Preparation resources:

Security

25%
Okta Security Policy and Enforcement Framework
  

Demonstrate knowledge of the process to manage application level MFA and rules

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate knowledge of the process to manage the Okta Sign-on policy including adaptive MFA policy

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate understanding of the process to configure password policies for Okta-sourced users

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate understanding of the process to configure password policies for Active Directory-sourced users

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate understanding of how Okta can support legacy MFA solutions

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate knowledge of the different security postures with MFA factors

Preparation resources:
Admin Access Control
  

Demonstrate knowledge of admin roles

Preparation resources:

Monitoring and Troubleshooting

15%
Logging and Reporting
  

Demonstrate understanding of Okta logging

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate ability to interpret Okta log files

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate knowledge of the logging options available for Okta agents

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate knowledge of the troubleshooting options for each Okta agent/plug-in

Preparation resources:

API Functions

10%
Token Management
  

Demonstrate knowledge of how to create API tokens with the correct permissions

Preparation resources:
API Extended Functions
  

Demonstrate knowledge of the importance of API rate limiting

Preparation resources:

Demonstrate knowledge of the use cases for Okta Management APIs, API-AM, and API products

Preparation resources:

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. 

Administrator Practice Exam

 

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