OCI-ARCHITECT-ASSOCIATE: Cloud Infrastructure 2026 Architect Associate
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Exam Resources
Official learning paths, exam details, skills measured, and community resources to supplement your study.
About the OCI-ARCHITECT-ASSOCIATE Exam
Master the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) 2026 Architect Associate exam (1Z0-1072-26) — Identity and Access Management with identity domains and policies, Networking with VCNs and connectivity, Compute shapes and scaling, Object/Block/File Storage, Oracle databases and Autonomous Database, and Observability and Management.
The complete practice exam for the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure 2026 Architect Associate certification (exam 1Z0-1072-26, current June 2026 version — replaces the retired 1Z0-1072-25). Covers Identity and Access Management (identity domains and types, users and groups, writing IAM policies, compartments and quotas, dynamic groups and resource principals, conditional and tag-based access), Networking (VCNs, subnets, gateways, security lists and NSGs, IP management, local and remote peering, DRG, Site-to-Site VPN and FastConnect, transit routing, Load Balancer and Network Load Balancer, DNS and Traffic Management, Network Command Center), Compute (platform and custom images, VM/bare-metal/dedicated/flexible shapes, preemptible and burstable capacity, instance pools and autoscaling, OS Management Hub, shielded instances and confidential computing), Storage (Object Storage tiers and lifecycle, replication, versioning and retention, pre-authenticated requests; Block Volume performance tiers, backups, clones and volume groups; File Storage mount targets, exports and snapshots), Database (Base Database Service, Exadata, Autonomous Database, MySQL HeatWave, Data Guard and RAC for HA/DR, backups, TDE and migration), and Observability and Management (Monitoring and alarms, Notifications, Logging and Audit, Events, Service Connector Hub, Resource Manager Terraform IaC, cost management and tagging) — every question a real-world architecture scenario with full explanations.
Who Should Take This Exam?
The OCI 2026 Architect Associate (1Z0-1072-26) is designed for cloud and solution architects, infrastructure engineers, and administrators who design, deploy, and operate workloads on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. It validates practical, associate-level skills across IAM and identity domains, VCN networking and connectivity, compute and storage, Oracle databases and Autonomous Database, and observability and management.
Prerequisites: None (OCI fundamentals and hands-on experience with IAM, Networking, Compute, and Storage recommended)
Typical study time: 6-12 months of hands-on OCI experience recommended; 4-8 weeks of focused exam prep
Exam Quick Facts
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Exam Code | OCI-ARCHITECT-ASSOCIATE |
| Title | Cloud Infrastructure 2026 Architect Associate |
| Duration | 90 minutes |
| Questions | 55 |
| Pass Score | 68% (verify at Oracle registration) |
| Cost | $245 USD |
| Provider | Oracle University / Pearson VUE (online proctored or test center) |
| Validity | Subject to Oracle Recertification policy |
| Prerequisites | None (OCI fundamentals and hands-on experience with IAM, Networking, Compute, and Storage recommended) |
| Question Types | Multiple choice, Multiple response |
| Official Page | View on Oracle → |
Exam Domains & Weights
The OCI-ARCHITECT-ASSOCIATE exam covers 6 domains. Focus your study time based on the weights below — higher-weighted domains have more exam questions.
| Domain | Weight | Practice Qs |
|---|---|---|
| Identity and Access Management | 18% | 45 |
| Networking | 24% | 60 |
| Compute | 14% | 35 |
| Storage | 20% | 50 |
| Database | 14% | 35 |
| Observability and Management | 10% | 25 |
| Total | 100% | 250 |
💡 Study tip: Networking (24%) and Storage (20%) are nearly half the exam — get fluent with VCNs and subnets, security lists vs NSGs, the gateways (internet, NAT, service), DRG peering and FastConnect, load balancers and DNS, plus the three storage services (Object Storage tiers and lifecycle, Block Volume performance tiers, and File Storage mount targets). Identity and Access Management (18%) rewards hands-on policy writing — groups, compartments, dynamic groups, and conditional/tag-based access. The lighter Database (14%) and Observability and Management (10%) domains still appear, so know Autonomous Database, Data Guard for HA/DR, Monitoring and Alarms, Logging and Audit, and Resource Manager.
Practice Exam — 250 Questions
Prepare for the OCI-ARCHITECT-ASSOCIATE with our 250-question practice exam covering all 6 exam domains. Every question includes detailed explanations and maps to official exam objectives.
What you get:
- ✅ Exam simulation mode with timer
- ✅ Spaced repetition for weak areas
- ✅ Detailed explanations for every question
- ✅ Progress tracking across domains
- ✅ 20 free questions — no account needed
Oracle Certification Path
Start with OCI Foundations, then Architect Associate, and advance to Architect Professional and specialty tracks (Developer, Security, Networking, Data Science, Generative AI).
Study Tips
- Start with the heaviest domain — focus your time where the exam focuses its questions
- Use our practice exam — try the 20 free questions first to gauge your readiness
- Review explanations — don’t just check if you got it right; read why each answer is correct
- Simulate exam conditions — use the timed exam mode to practice under pressure
- Check the official page — official exam details always have the latest objectives