3 Tips for Passing the Salesforce Certified Administrator Exam
Can you believe that Salesforce now offers 12 certifications? These certifications range all the way from Platform App Builder (previously known as Force.com Developer) to Technical Architect. Obtaining these certifications is much easier said than done, but with a little hard work, anything is possible!
Over the past few months, I’ve devoted a significant amount of time to study for the Salesforce Certified Administrator Exam. I took my exam last week, and was absolutely ecstatic when I found out that I had passed. It was such a relief, and it’s a great feeling to know that I am now part of a community of Salesforce experts.
I passed!
What to expect for the exam
You can opt to take this exam online or in a classroom setting, both proctored. The exam consists of 60 multiple choice questions, and you have 90 minutes to complete it. The passing score is 65%, and you cannot use any reference material during the exam.
Not sure where to begin when prepping for the exam? These three tips for passing the Salesforce Certified Administrator Exam can help you get started.
1. Find reliable study material!
If you Google “Salesforce Certified Administrator,” you will find a multitude of practice tests, flashcards, and so forth. However, it’s important to review study guides that provide accurate information and are not out of date. Of all the study guides I had used, nothing beat CertifiedOnDemand.com. This study tool provides videos, quizzes, and Salesforce feature overviews for all aspects relevant to being a successful Salesforce Administrator.
Areas I would focus more time studying include:
- User Interface Settings
- Report Chart Types
- Salesforce CRM Content
- Products and Pricebooks
2. Create a developer org and practice.
Simply reading information about Salesforce tools and features is not enough. Consider spinning up a new developer org to practice creating profiles, establishing record sharing rules, creating reports/dashboards, etc.
Salesforce Trailhead is a great practice instrument, as it offers various exercise challenges and multiple modules. The great thing about Trailhead is that if you don’t complete the exercise correctly, it provides you with hints as to what you missed. I’d strongly recommend completing the Admin Beginner, Admin Intermediate, and CRM trails before taking the certification exam.
3. Give yourself enough time to study.
The Salesforce certification exams are not exactly the type of tests you can cram for the night before. In fact, I set a goal for myself to pass the exam three months before I actually took it.
In general, I found it easier to study by picking a different topic to review for about an hour each day. For example, I would practice building reports/dashboards one day, and then focus on profiles/sharing the next. By doing this, I was able to prevent a study cycle of reviewing the same material over and over. If you can remember the answer before reading the question, it’s time to switch up the topic you’re working on.
Have you taken the Salesforce Certified Administrator exam? Are you preparing for the exam now? Share your tips in the comments!
