OCI Architect Associate Exam Guide

A 4-week study plan aligned to official 1Z0-1072-26 exam domains.

Exam Information

90 minutes

Duration

50 questions (approx.)

Questions

68%

Passing Score

Confirm with the vendor

Exam fee

Recommended Study Plan

Week 1

OCI Networking

35% of exam

10-12 hours

Focus: Public subnets need an internet gateway route; private subnets use a NAT gateway for egress
VCN, subnets, route tables, security lists, and NSGs
Internet, NAT, Service, DRG, and peering gateways
Load balancers, DNS, FastConnect, and VPN Connect
Hybrid connectivity and network segmentation

Recommended Resources:

Oracle official objectives

/certifications/oracle/oci-architect-associate/notes#oci-networking

/certifications/oracle/oci-architect-associate/practice

/certifications/oracle/oci-architect-associate/study-guide

Week 2

OCI Storage

25% of exam

10-12 hours

Focus: Block volume IOPS scales with volume size, so bigger volumes perform better
Object Storage tiers, lifecycle, and replication
Block Volume performance, backups, and cloning
File Storage and Archive Storage use cases
Backup policies and cross-region replication

Recommended Resources:

Oracle official objectives

/certifications/oracle/oci-architect-associate/notes#oci-storage

/certifications/oracle/oci-architect-associate/practice

/certifications/oracle/oci-architect-associate/study-guide

Week 3

OCI Compute

20% of exam

6-8 hours

Focus: On x86, 1 OCPU equals 2 vCPUs — convert carefully in sizing questions
VM and bare metal shapes, flexible shapes
Instance pools, autoscaling, and capacity planning
Multi-AD and fault-domain HA design
Cluster networking and placement

Recommended Resources:

Oracle official objectives

/certifications/oracle/oci-architect-associate/notes#oci-compute

/certifications/oracle/oci-architect-associate/practice

/certifications/oracle/oci-architect-associate/study-guide

Week 4

OCI Identity & Access Management

20% of exam

6-8 hours

Focus: Memorize verb scope: manage includes use, read, and inspect; use includes read and inspect
Compartments, groups, and dynamic groups
Policy syntax and least-privilege design
Federation, MFA, and identity domains
Resource tagging and access governance

Recommended Resources:

Oracle official objectives

/certifications/oracle/oci-architect-associate/notes#oci-iam

/certifications/oracle/oci-architect-associate/practice

/certifications/oracle/oci-architect-associate/study-guide

Week 5

Final Review & Practice Exams

All domains

8-10 hours

Complete all three full-length practice exams
Review incorrect answers and weak domains
Revisit flashcards for key terms
Timed review of highest-weight domains

Recommended Resources:

Practice exams

Flashcards

Study notes PDF

Exam Tips & Strategies

Domain Insight 1

Public subnets need an internet gateway route; private subnets use a NAT gateway for egress

Domain Insight 2

Use NSGs for per-instance security and security lists for subnet-wide baseline rules

Follow Domain Weights

Spend more study time on higher-weighted domains — they drive the majority of exam questions.

Practice Under Time Pressure

Use timed practice exams to build pacing before test day.

Key Topics to Master

VCN, subnets, route tables, security lists, and NSGs

Internet, NAT, Service, DRG, and peering gateways

Object Storage tiers, lifecycle, and replication

Block Volume performance, backups, and cloning

VM and bare metal shapes, flexible shapes

Instance pools, autoscaling, and capacity planning

Compartments, groups, and dynamic groups

Policy syntax and least-privilege design

The exam fee and booking rules change without notice. Confirm them on the vendor exam page before you pay. Domain checklist: 1Z0-1072-26 study guide. Corrections: methodology.

For the most up-to-date exam information, visit the official exam guide.

View Official Exam Guide

Recommended Study Plan

Week 1

OCI Networking

35% of exam

10-12 hours

Focus: Public subnets need an internet gateway route; private subnets use a NAT gateway for egress
VCN, subnets, route tables, security lists, and NSGs
Internet, NAT, Service, DRG, and peering gateways
Load balancers, DNS, FastConnect, and VPN Connect
Hybrid connectivity and network segmentation

Recommended Resources:

Oracle official objectives

/certifications/oracle/oci-architect-associate/notes#oci-networking

/certifications/oracle/oci-architect-associate/practice

/certifications/oracle/oci-architect-associate/study-guide

Week 2

OCI Storage

25% of exam

10-12 hours

Focus: Block volume IOPS scales with volume size, so bigger volumes perform better
Object Storage tiers, lifecycle, and replication
Block Volume performance, backups, and cloning
File Storage and Archive Storage use cases
Backup policies and cross-region replication

Recommended Resources:

Oracle official objectives

/certifications/oracle/oci-architect-associate/notes#oci-storage

/certifications/oracle/oci-architect-associate/practice

/certifications/oracle/oci-architect-associate/study-guide

Week 3

OCI Compute

20% of exam

6-8 hours

Focus: On x86, 1 OCPU equals 2 vCPUs — convert carefully in sizing questions
VM and bare metal shapes, flexible shapes
Instance pools, autoscaling, and capacity planning
Multi-AD and fault-domain HA design
Cluster networking and placement

Recommended Resources:

Oracle official objectives

/certifications/oracle/oci-architect-associate/notes#oci-compute

/certifications/oracle/oci-architect-associate/practice

/certifications/oracle/oci-architect-associate/study-guide

Week 4

OCI Identity & Access Management

20% of exam

6-8 hours

Focus: Memorize verb scope: manage includes use, read, and inspect; use includes read and inspect
Compartments, groups, and dynamic groups
Policy syntax and least-privilege design
Federation, MFA, and identity domains
Resource tagging and access governance

Recommended Resources:

Oracle official objectives

/certifications/oracle/oci-architect-associate/notes#oci-iam

/certifications/oracle/oci-architect-associate/practice

/certifications/oracle/oci-architect-associate/study-guide

Week 5

Final Review & Practice Exams

All domains

8-10 hours

Complete all three full-length practice exams
Review incorrect answers and weak domains
Revisit flashcards for key terms
Timed review of highest-weight domains

Recommended Resources:

Practice exams

Flashcards

Study notes PDF

Exam Tips & Strategies

Domain Insight 1

Public subnets need an internet gateway route; private subnets use a NAT gateway for egress

Domain Insight 2

Use NSGs for per-instance security and security lists for subnet-wide baseline rules

Follow Domain Weights

Spend more study time on higher-weighted domains — they drive the majority of exam questions.

Practice Under Time Pressure

Use timed practice exams to build pacing before test day.

Key Topics to Master

VCN, subnets, route tables, security lists, and NSGs

Internet, NAT, Service, DRG, and peering gateways

Object Storage tiers, lifecycle, and replication

Block Volume performance, backups, and cloning

VM and bare metal shapes, flexible shapes

Instance pools, autoscaling, and capacity planning

Compartments, groups, and dynamic groups

Policy syntax and least-privilege design