Salesforce is a very popular MNC that offers Customer Relationship Management (CRM) services that provide customer-centric applications for marketing automation, analytics and application development, etc. Salesforce offers numerous role-based certifications for its users to help them advance their careers and find exciting opportunities with Salesforce.
All the role-based certifications come within these five roles:
- Salesforce Administrator
- Salesforce Developer
- Salesforce Architect
- Salesforce Marketer
- Salesforce Consultant
If you wish to become a Salesforce Developer instead, check out the Salesforce Developer certification course to get in-depth industry-grade training.
Let’s now focus on Salesforce Administrator or Salesforce Admin.
Quick peek at topics we will discuss in the article:
- Who is Salesforce Administrator?
- Which Salesforce Administrator role is right for me?
- What is Salesforce Admin certification?
- Why should I get Salesforce Admin Certified?
- How to register for the exam?
- How to prepare for Salesforce Admin certification?
Who is Salesforce Administrator?
A Salesforce Certified Administrator or Salesforce Admin is a certified professional who works with stakeholders to understand and define requirements, customize platforms, and help users extract the most out of Salesforce.
Which Salesforce Administrator role is right for me?
Salesforce offers five certifications for the role of Admin, and they are:
- Salesforce Administrator
- Salesforce Advanced Administrator
- Salesforce CPQ Specialist
- Salesforce Marketing Cloud Administrator
- Salesforce Platform App Builder
What is Salesforce Admin certification?
It is one of the most popular certifications for candidates with sufficient experience in the Salesforce platform but not an expert yet. It is a 90-minute exam, testing you with 60 MCQs and carries passing marks of 65%. It is not an easy exam, as it gauges your experience with the Salesforce platform. Some of the concepts that you should be thorough with to ace the exam is:
- Managing users, security, and data.
- Building reports, workflows, and dashboards.
- Maintaining and customizing Service Cloud apps and Sales Cloud.
And this certification does not carry any pre-requisites.
Once you become Salesforce Certified Admin, you need to maintain your certification by completing the Trailhead maintenance modules each year. These modules are available in every release cycle, that is, Spring, Summer, and Winter. And must be completed before the end of one year from the day they were available. If you miss the deadline, your certification expires, and you must take the exam from scratch.
Why should I get Salesforce Admin Certified?
One of the most popular Salesforce certifications is Salesforce Certified Administrator. With this certification, professionals improve their employability and increase their chances of getting higher salary jobs. According to Indeed.com, the average salary of a Salesforce Administrator is INR 6,64,331 per annum, and that depends on the organization, your job location, and other factors. While in the US, ZipRecruiter stats show, a Salesforce Admin will earn a mean average salary upwards of $88,500 per annum, and the majority of them earn between $68,000-$106,000 per year.
How to register for the exam?
You can take the exam either Onsite or Online proctored.
For the Onsite proctored exam: Salesforce partnered with Kryterion, a global network of testing centers.
You can locate your nearby Kryterion testing center by visiting (http://www.kryteriononline.com/Locate-Test-Center). Salesforce recommends you register for the exam before one week to help you select the exam schedule and availability that will change from center to center.
For the Online proctored exam: You can register and take the exam the same day without leaving your home. This mode of exam is available daily, except for major U.S holidays and system maintenances. However, plan your exam to have sufficient time to fix your computer/laptop if issues arise before attempting the exam.
You can register for the Salesforce exam by following these steps:
- Create an account in Webassesor if you do not have one by visiting (www.webassessor.com/salesforce). If you have an account, proceed to the next step.
- Click on Register for an Exam.
- Locate the Salesforce exam that you wish to attempt, and then expand the section to choose Online or Onsite proctored exam delivery. Then click on the Register button.
- If you have selected an Onsite proctored exam, then select the testing center, schedule a date and time you are comfortable.
- And if you chose the Online proctored exam, select the date and time when you are available. All online proctored exams automatically take the time zone of your location on your Webassesor profile.
- Once done with scheduling, go through the Reschedule and Cancellation Policy and then select an acknowledgment checkbox.
- Then click Select.
- Confirm the exam and scheduling details before clicking Checkout.
- Once you click on Checkout, that will take you to the payment section, where you specify the mode of payment. If you have any voucher/coupon code, you can use it here too.
- Once done, click Submit.
- After paying, a purchase confirmation will flash on your screen. Click Done.
- Finally, you have registered for the exam successfully. You will receive a confirmation email from Salesforce acknowledging your payment and registration.
How to prepare for Salesforce Admin certification?
Start by downloading the Certification Exam Guide from the official Salesforce website and go through it to find out the pattern and other associated details.
Salesforce experts design each certification exam, and that makes it difficult to crack. Here are the exam outline describing the share of each topic:
- Organization and Setup-2%
- Sales and Marketing applications-15%
- Security and access-14%
- User Setup-7%
- Service and Support applications-12%
- Data management-8%
- Workflow/process automation-12%
- Analytics-10%
- Standard and custom objects-15%
- Desktop and mobile administration-1%
- AppExchange-1%
- Activity management and collaboration-3%
So, focus on these topics according to the importance they demand and plan your strategy accordingly.
If you wish to become Salesforce Certified Administrator, check out this industry-grade Salesforce certification course to help you ace the exam with sufficient practical hands-on experience. You can also refer to Salesforce Admin Interview questions to help you strategize your preparation comprehensively.
Once you are thorough with the preparation, you can take the Administrator Practice test by paying $20. This exam will help you validate your knowledge and give you hindsight on your training. If you fail, you can retake the exam any number of times by paying the registration amount of $20.
Prepare well with the right resource, and your chances of certification increase. All the best!
