Okta Certified Administrator Performance Exam Study Guide

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Okta Certified Administrator Performance Exam Study Guide

To learn how to prepare for your Okta Certification Exam, watch our video here.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Okta Certification has migrated from Examity to ProctorU by Meazure Learning for exam proctoring services. Please review the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) ~ProctorU by Meazure Learning before scheduling an exam.

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 Certified Administrator Performance Exam. It contains a detailed list of the topics covered on this exam, as well as a list of preparation resources.

Passing this exam or the Okta Certified Administrator Hands-On Configuration exam is a requirement for becoming an Okta Certified Administrator. It is also a prerequisite for anyone seeking to become an Okta Certified Consultant. The Okta Administrator Hands-On Configuration exam is based on the Okta Identity Engine and includes both Discrete Option Multiple Choice (DOMC) questions and hands-on configuration tasks. The Okta Administrator Performance exam is based on the Okta Identity Engine and includes both standard Multiple-Choice questions and hands-on configuration tasks.

How to use this study guide

At minimum, we highly recommend that you thoroughly review each topic listed within the Exam Subject Area section of this study guide. Make sure you understand each topic. If you are not familiar with a topic, research it by using one of the corresponding preparation resources or search the Okta Help Center or Okta Product Documentation Library. Many 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 an active Okta Certified Professional certification. 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 Administration: Series I Learning Plan, 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 Performance Exam

Number and types of questions	This exam has two parts. Part I: 15 Multiple-Choice Questions Part II: Four Performance-Based, Hands-on Use Cases
Time allotted	Part I: 30 minutes Part II: 135 minutes Each part is timed separately. Any time left over from one Part cannot be applied to the other Part. Because this is a 165-minute exam, you should come fully prepared to sit through the entire exam. There is no scheduled break during this exam. You may request a brief break from your proctor, but the exam timer will not be stopped while you are away. When you return from your break, your proctor can request an additional scan of your room.
Exam Fee	USD 250 (USD 100 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
Part II Information	During the exam, you are allowed to access the Okta Help Center. One or more tasks in Part II will require you to use Okta Verify on your mobile phone. Be sure you have the most recent version of Okta Verify installed on your phone. You may only use your phone for tasks that require it.

Exam Scheduling

Okta certification exams are administered and proctored by ProctorU by Measure Learning, a secure online proctoring service. Okta has partnered with ProctorU to protect theof our certification exams. Online proctoring means that you can take Okta exams from almost any location at a time that is convenient for you, without requiring that you travel to a test center. Your Okta certification 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. Please test your equipment before your exam day. You can schedule your exam through the Okta Certification Credential Manager.

Understanding the types of items included on this exam

Part I of this exam includes Multiple-Choice questions. Part II contains performance-based, hands-on use cases.

Understanding the performance-based use cases on this exam

Part II of the exam contains information about Part II, the credentials needed to access the Okta orgs that are assigned at the beginning of the exam, and four use cases. The information, org credentials, and four use cases are accessible through tabs on the exam screen. Each use case consists of configuration tasks that test takers are asked to complete in their assigned Okta Identity Engine Preview Orgs. This exam allows test takers to demonstrate their skill with the Okta service in a natural way that mimics how administrators use Okta on the job.

We recommend that test takers complete the use cases and tasks in order because completing some tasks depend on the successful completion of previous tasks.

Scoring of Performance-Based Use Cases

Uses cases are graded upon the submission of the exam or immediately at the end of the 135-minute time clock allotted for this part of the exam. A scoring rubric is used to grade this exam. The grading process is automated using scripts to query the logs of the Okta tenants, as well as APIs to validate specific configurations. As it is a program policy, we provide a final Pass or Fail decision only. We do not provide grades, nor do we make public the minimum amount of points an exam taker needs to pass our exams.

Submitting the Exam

At the bottom of the page is a blue button labeled "Submit Exam". After you have completed all of the use cases and you are ready to submit your exam, click the Submit Exam button. When you do, you will be presented with a confirmation popup. Clicking the YES, SUBMIT NOW button will end your exam and submit it for grading.

After your exam is submitted and scored, a performance report will be displayed on the screen. The report includes a provisional exam result and information about your performance by exam section in Part I and Use Case in Part II.

All exams go through an audit process that can take up to 3 business days. The final exam result can be communicated before the 3 business day period, but in some cases, it may take the full 3 business days.

Preparing for the Okta Certified Administrator Performance Exam

A combination of Okta on-demand or instructor-led training courses, self-paced learning, self-study, and on-the-job experience will prepare you to take this exam. In addition to this study guide, each certification exam has an associated standard practice exam and premier practice exam (available at cost). These resources and Okta-authorized training courses are the only approved resources for Okta exam preparation.

Exam dumps and other resources are prohibited from our list of approved resources. Using these resources to prepare for your exam can lead to invalidation of your exam scores, revoking your certification, and testing bans from our program. If you are ever in doubt about approved materials for Okta exam preparation, you can reach out to our team at certification@asqula.com.

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 complete the Administration: Series I Learning Plan.

Visit https://learning.asqula.com/ 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

Part I subject areas

The following table lists the topics that are covered in Part I of this exam. These topics are grouped into topic 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 Part I of this exam.

Exam Section	Percentage of Exam Related to Section
Active Directory Integration	47%
Enable and manage delegated authentication with AD and LDAP using Okta agents	Preparation resources: Add and update users with Active Directory Just-In-Time provisioning Configure the Password authenticator Enable delegated authentication for Active Directory Enable delegated authentication for LDAP
Demonstrate understanding of Okta AD and LDAP agent architecture and best practices	Preparation resources: Install multiple Okta Active Directory agents Manage your Active Directory integration Configure DMZ server ports for Active Directory integrations
Manage Okta agent service account and permissions needed for agents and in directories for password reset	Preparation resources: About Okta service account permissions
Demonstrate knowledge of the requirements for Okta/AD password policies	Preparation resources: Configure the Password authenticator
Demonstrate knowledge of user activation options when using AD as a source	Preparation resources: Manage your Active Directory integration Configure Active Directory import and account settings
Demonstrate an understanding of the difference between AD groups and Okta groups	Preparation resources: Import groups from Active Directory Manage Active Directory users and groups
Profiles, Sourcing and Write-Back Concepts	53%
Demonstrate knowledge of HR as a source including the benefits of groups and group rules when using an external source	Preparation resources: Manage profiles Group rules Okta Expression Language overview
Demonstrate knowledge of when profile sourcing is used	Preparation resources: About attribute-level sourcing Profile Sourcing Profile Sourcing (video) Manage profile and attribute sourcing Attribute Level Sourcing (video)
Demonstrate knowledge of the value of writing data back to directories and apps from Okta	Preparation resources: Manage profile and attribute sourcing Manage Group Push
Demonstrate ability to work with multiple profile sources	Preparation resources: About profile sourcing About attribute-level sourcing
Demonstrate knowledge of the requirements of Okta lifecycle management and the ability to write to applications	Preparation resources: Provision applications Add and update users with Active Directory Just-In-Time provisioning
Demonstrate understanding of Okta Workflows for advanced lifecycle management use cases	Preparation resources: Okta Workflows for Lifecycle Management Okta Workflows First Look: Okta Workflows (video)

Part II subject areas

The following table lists the use cases and tasks that are assessed in this exam. Information about each task in the exam is provided in the Preparation Resources.

Use Case	Percentage of Exam Related to Use Case
Custom Application Integration	30%
Configuration tasks: Create a group and group rule Use Okta Expression Language Add a custom SAML 2.0 app integration Map Okta attributes to application attributes Create and map a custom attribute Assign a group to an application Verify attribute data from a user in the group is reflected in the application	Preparation resources: Groups Group rules Okta Expression Language Overview Modify attributes with expressions Creating a Custom SAML App (video) Add Custom Attributes to an Okta User Profile (video) Map Okta attributes to app attributes in the Profile Editor Attribute mappings Assign an app integration to a group
Behavior Detection	30%
Configuration tasks: Set up Okta Verify for a user on your mobile device Configure a behavior detection rule for users in a group Modify the Catch-All Rule for an authentication policy Test the authentication policy and behavior detection rule	Preparation resources: About Behavior Detection Behavior detection and evaluation Configure behavior detection Set Up an Authentication Policy (video) Enable Okta Verify Push Notifications (video) Behavior Detection System Log events
Device Assurance	20%
Configuration tasks: Create a Device Assurance policy for your mobile device platform Add a rule to the Okta Dashboard authentication policy that applies to a group Configure the rule to require Okta FastPass authentication for the security requirements of the Device Assurance policy Test the Device Assurance policy	Preparation resources: Device Assurance Add a device assurance policy Set up an Authentication Policy (video) Set up Okta FastPass Add an app-sign-in policy rule
Monitoring and Troubleshooting	20%
Configuration tasks: Filter the System log to display successful authentication attempts with specific factors Troubleshoot a login issue and correct it	Preparation resources: System Log Refine a System Log Search (video) Multifactor authentication Authenticator enrollment policies

Okta Certified Administrator Practice Exams

Know what to expect on the day of the exam. Take the free Okta Administrator Performance Practice Exam to familiarize yourself with the topics that are assessed on the Okta Certified Administrator Performance Exam. Click the button below to check it out.

Okta Administrator Performance Practice Exam

The Okta Administrator Performance Premier Practice Exam is being developed and will be available in Summer 2026. You will be able to evaluate your readiness for the Okta Certified Administrator Performance Exam with this Premier Practice Exam because it will measure many of the same use cases and configuration tasks that are measured in the Okta Certified Administrator Performance Exam. In the interim, you can take the Okta Administrator Hands-On Configuration Premier Practice Exam to practice hands-on use cases. Click the link below to check it out.

Okta Administrator Hands-On Configuration Premier Practice Exam

Subject matter experts for the Okta Certified Administrator Performance Exam

Okta certification exams are designed and built by subject matter experts who have extensive real-world experience implementing and administering the Okta service and products.

Here is the list of subject matter experts who made significant contributions in designing and building this exam: