The Okta certification ladder
If your goal is IAM/Okta mastery, Okta certifications can help you boost your knowledge and career prospects. Okta has several core certs which must be taken in sequence, along with a few more specialized ones.
The main certification path is:
- Okta Certified Professional. Your entry point into the world of Okta. Demonstrates foundational knowledge of Okta features and technology and the ability to perform key tasks. (I took this exam in January 2024 and will go into more detail in future posts.)
Okta Certified Professional Hands-On Configuration Exam Study Guide
Prerequisites: None - Okta Certified Administrator. An intermediate step in your Okta journey, getting deeper into operational topics such as lifecycle management, mobile devices, and different scenarios for SSO and directory integration. (Passed in April 2025.)
Okta Certified Administrator Hands-On Configuration Exam Study Guide
Prerequisite: Okta Certified Professional - Okta Certified Consultant. You must now prove your implementation chops. Covers topics such as advanced SSO integrations, directory configurations, inbound federation, custom admin roles, and APIs. (Haven't taken this one yet.)
Okta Certified Consultant Hands-On Configuration Exam Study Guide
Prerequisites: Okta Certified Professional & Administrator - Okta Certified Developer. This one is about building integrations and custom behaviors using APIs, hooks, and developer tools. It has no hard prerequisites, but Okta suggests you have at least four years' experience with software development. While not directly in the ladder with the first three, Developer is required for Technical Architect. (Passed in May 2025 and it was no joke!)
Okta Certified Developer - Workforce Identity Cloud Exam Study Guide
Prerequisites: None - Okta Certified Technical Architect. An elite certification which demonstrates the ability to gather and understand complex business needs, architect solutions, and communicate and document those solutions. Interestingly, the Study Guide for OCTA is far less detailed than any of the others, suggesting it's about synthesizing solutions based on deep knowledge and experience, rather than studying and memorization.
Okta Certified Technical Architect Exam Study Guide
Prerequisites: All of the above
Okta also offers certifications for Auth0, Okta Access Gateway, and Okta Workflows. While these aren't part of the "ladder" per se, they can be of real value depending on your interests in the IAM/Okta galaxy. I'll cover those separately.
What has been your experience with Okta certifications? Have they helped you with your career? Share in the comments below.