In just a few weeks, I’m taking the Salesforce Admin Certification Exam. Although I’ve been using Salesforce for years, I’ve never taken the leap to get certified. It’s time to get that first certification!
Prioritize subject areas
My incredible fellow Admin Evangelist LeeAnne Templeman shared this study guide from Salesforce University that outlines the percentages of each subject area covered on the test. This is how I’m focusing my study: spending more time on the subject areas with high percentages (i.e. Standard & Custom Objects, Security & Access, Reports & Dashboards), and less time on areas with the lowest percentages (Organization Setup, Global User Interface, Chatter).
Testing strategy
Community rockstar Susan Sparks shared her data-driven test-taking strategy with me (she’s got a blog coming on that soon!), which breaks down how many questions of each subject area I need to get correct in order to pass – 39 of 60 questions correct means I pass. She also recommends taking just 10-15 seconds to view each question on the test at first pass, answering the ones I know and then flagging all the others for review. With 90 minutes to take the exam, this should leave me plenty of time to review the ones I can’t answer immediately and go through the longer questions.
Practice, practice, practice
The most important part of preparing is actually using Salesforce. I’m doing this in two ways: Trailhead and building out my own org. I’m completing the Admin Beginner & Intermediate Trails and making sure I complete the modules associated with the main subject areas on the exam. I’m also going through the process of building out my own org, starting with gathering business requirements and basic setup all the way through user testing (more on that in a later blog post). The hardest part of preparing is setting aside time to study! I’ve actually blocked out specific study time on my calendar and made it clear to my team that this is a priority.
There are a ton of study resources out there, so it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Here are the ones I recommend:
Do you have tips for studying for the certification exam? Share them!
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