Tips for passing the Salesforce certified administrator exam

Posted On by Selvina Poric

My former colleague Rob Hawthorne shared his study guide outlining specific areas covered in the exam and some great places to find free resources. The exam has somewhat changed since then so we’ve revamped his original notes and provided new and up-to-date resources to help you get that first Salesforce certification!

Let’s make no bones about it the Salesforce Certified Administrator exam is a tough certification to attain, remembering the Salesforce limits is tough as well as having to stop your thought process running away thinking “I know this can be achieved this way but would it be considered best practice”. There is a fine balance with the Salesforce Certified Administrator exam between knowing too much and knowing to little. This is a certification, however, where corners cannot be cut, you either know it or you don’t.

Disclaimer: This is aimed at being a starting point and a way to find resources but shouldn’t be relied upon solely.

Use your free dev Org

To use an analogy from cycling when a reporter once asked Fausto Coppi (a famous cyclist) what it took to be a great champion, he replied “Ride your bike, ride your bike, ride your bike”. The Salesforce equivalent would be “Use your Dev Org, use your Dev Org, use your Dev Org”. It is paramount that you sign up for a free Dev Org (and use it) in order to expand your Salesforce knowledge, try out new functionality, find different ways of reaching a solution and most importantly back up your knowledge in a practical way. In a perfect world we would all get the entire experience from our Salesforce based roles but this is very rare. Using the Salesforce Dev Org is fun too, like a big jigsaw puzzle.

Great resources for passing Salesforce certified administrator

Specific areas to pass the Salesforce certified administrator

  • Standard Objects and Data Model
  • Organisation Wide Defaults (OWD)
  • Record Types
  • Salesforce Limits
  • Role Hierarchy
  • Security
  • Roles and Profiles
  • Lead assignment rules
  • Reporting & Dashboards
  • Chatter

Standard Objects and Data Model

Organisation Wide Defaults (OWD)

Record Types

Role Hierarchy

Security

Roles and Profiles

Lead Assignment Rules

Reporting & Dashboards

Chatter

Ply your trade at 4C

If you’re considering taking Salesforce qualifications, there’s a good chance you already have many of the skills we look for when recruiting for roles here at 4C. Why not take a look at our current openings and see if your next step could be joining us!