Top 5 Salesforce Certifications for Beginners
Jenna Trott
Jenna Trott5 min read | OCTOBER 26, 2022
Considering a career in Salesforce? You’re not the only one!
As of 2022, 73,541 people work in Salesforce globally and by 2026, Salesforce projects to create 9.3 million more jobs. Furthermore, in 2018, Salesforce became the third most in-demand technology skill employers look for and that statistic is estimated to only increase. Salesforce offers a variety of career paths within their ecosystem, so whether you prefer to click or code, there’s a path for you with certification courses available to help level up your career. Today, we’re going to be taking a look at the top five Salesforce Certifications for Beginners.
1. Salesforce Certified Associate Certification
The Certified Associate certification is one of Salesforce’s newest additions and is designed for those who are newcomers to the Salesforce ecosystem but have an interest in gaining a deeper understanding of the Customer 360 Platform. Candidates should have a fundamental awareness of how an integrated CRM platform solves the challenge of connecting departments and customer data. Candidates should be familiar with Salesforce as a user or a learner and have an interest in assisting with fundamental functionality in the current version of Salesforce.
- Prerequisite Knowledge: None
- Time Commitment: 0-6 months
- Exam Content: : 40 multiple-choice/multiple-select questions
- Time Allotment: 70 minutes
- Passing Score: 62%
- Registration Fee: $75.00 USD (plus applicable taxes as required per local law)
- Fees for Repeating Exam: Free!
The exam will focus on the following areas of knowledge:
- Salesforce Ecosystem: 32%
- Navigation: 28%
- Data Model: 25%
- Reports & Dashboards: 15%
Salesforce recommends utilizing the following self-study materials:
Trailmix: Prepare for Your Salesforce Associate Credential
Module: Salesforce Associate Certification Prep
For further preparation, check out the Trailblazer Community to find a study buddy and/or mentor!
2. Administrator Certification
Administrators, known affectionately within the Salesforce community as “Awesome Admins,” are responsible for working with stakeholders to define system requirements and customize the platform. In essence, Admins enable users to get the most out of Salesforce technology. Administrators act as your touchstone for all things Salesforce, helping to maintain the platform, assist users of any technical level with Salesforce and are updated on the platform’s new tools and capabilities.
- Prerequisite Knowledge: None
- Time Commitment: 6-12 months
- Exam Content: 60 multiple-choice/multiple-select questions and 5 non-scored questions
- Time Allotment: 105 minutes
- Passing Score: 65%
- Registration Fee: $200 USD
- Fees for Repeating Exam: $100 USD
- Configuration and Setup: 20%
- Object Manager and Lightning App Builder: 20%
- Sales and Marketing Applications: 12%
- Service and Support Applications: 11%
- Productivity and Collaboration: 7%
- Data and Analytics Management: 14%
- Workflow/Process Automation: 16%
Salesforce recommends utilizing the following self-study materials:
- Trailmix: Prepare for Your Salesforce Administrator Credential
- Trail: Study for the Administrator Certification Exam
- Practice Test: Administrator Practice Test
- Superbadge: Lightning Experience Reports & Dashboards Specialist
- Superbadge: Business Administration Specialist
- Superbadge: Security Specialist
3. Salesforce Platform App Builder Certification
Don’t let the “Platform App Builder” title scare you away! It does not require knowledge of programming or code. The Salesforce Platform App Builder credential is designed for individuals who would like to demonstrate their skills and knowledge in designing, building, and deploying custom applications using the declarative customization capabilities of the Lightning Platform. The candidate will be able to create, manage, and update data models, application security, business logic, and process automation using clicks not code.
- Prerequisite Knowledge: None
- Time Commitment: 6-12 months
- Exam Content: 60 multiple-choice/multiple-select questions and 5 non-scored questions
- Time Allotment: 105 minutes
- Passing Score: 63%
- Registration Fee: $200 USD, plus applicable taxes as required per local law
- Fees for Repeating Exam: $100 USD, plus applicable taxes as required per local law
The exam will focus on the following areas of knowledge:
- Salesforce Fundamentals: 23%
- Data Modeling and Management: 22%
- Business Logic and Process Automation: 28%
- User Interface: 17%
- App Deployment: 10%
Salesforce recommends utilizing the following self-study materials:
- Trailmix: Prepare for Your Salesforce Platform App Builder Credential
- Practice Test: Platform App Builder Practice Exam
- Superbadge: Security Specialist
- Superbadge: Process Automation Specialist
- Superbadge: App Customization Specialist
For further preparation, be sure to check out the following expert-led courses:
4. Advanced Administrator Certification
Take your Administrator certification one step further with the Advanced Administrator certification! This certification is for individuals who have the expertise of a seasoned Salesforce Administrator. The program includes a wide range of applications, features and functions available to an end-user, and the advanced configuration, management, and application extending options available to an Administrator across the Salesforce platform.The candidate should have a broad knowledge of the full application capabilities and be eager to learn more!
- Prerequisite Knowledge: Salesforce Certified Administrator credential
- Time Commitment: 3-6 months
- Exam Content: 60 multiple-choice/multiple-select questions and 5 non-scored questions
- Time Allotment: 105 minutes
- Passing Score: 65%
- Registration Fee: $200 USD, plus applicable taxes as required per local law
- Fees for Repeating Exam: $100 USD, plus applicable taxes as required per local law
The exam will focus on the following areas of knowledge:
- Security and Access: 20%
- Objects and Applications: 19%
- Auditing and Monitoring: 10%
- Cloud Applications: 11%
- Data and Analytics Management: 13%
- Environment Management and Deployment: 7%
- Process Automation: 20%
Salesforce recommends utilizing the following self-study materials:
- Trailmix: Prepare for Your Salesforce Advanced Administrator Credential
- Superbadge: Process Automation Specialist
- Superbadge: Lightning Experience Reports & Dashboards Specialist
- Superbadge: Business Administration Specialist
- Superbadge: Security Specialist
For further preparation, be sure to check out the following expert-led courses:
5. Service Cloud Consultant Certification
Service Cloud by Salesforce is one of the world’s most popular and highly rated customer service software solutions, helping businesses to streamline workflows, automate service processes, and find key articles, topics and experts to better support customer service agents. The Service Cloud Consultant Certification is for those who have experience implementing Salesforce Service Cloud solutions in a customer-facing role. The individual has proven experience with the administration and configuration of a Salesforce application, as demonstrated through successful completion of the Salesforce Certified Administrator exam.
- Prerequisite Knowledge: Salesforce Certified Administrator credential / 2 to 5 years of experience
- Time Commitment: 3-6 months
- Exam Content: 60 multiple-choice/multiple-select questions and 5 non-scored questions
- Time Allotment: 105 minutes
- Passing Score: 67%
- Registration Fee: $200 USD, plus applicable taxes as required per local law
- Fees for Repeating Exam: $100 USD, plus applicable taxes as required per local law
The exam will focus on the following areas of knowledge:
- Industry Knowledge: 10%
- Implementation Strategies: 15%
- Service Cloud Solution Design: 16%
- Knowledge Management: 9%
- Interaction Channels: 10%
- Case Management: 15%
- Contact Center Analytics: 5%
- Integration and Data Management: 5%
- Service Console: 15%
Salesforce recommends utilizing the following self-study materials:
For further preparation, be sure to check out the following expert-led courses:
We hope that you’ve found this guide to be helpful – for access to more resources and guides
from AGG, click here.
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