Certification FAQs

Q. What’s Salesforce.com certification?

It’s a professional credential for Salesforce CRM administrators, developers, and implementation consultants that validates your knowledge and skills. There are five levels of certification—two for administrators, two for developers, and one for consultants. To receive a credential, you have to pass the certification exam.

Q. What’s in it for me?

Benefits of certification include:

• A credential that proves your knowledge and skills
• A certificate and a “Salesforce.com Certified” logo to use on business cards and in email signatures
• Free access to new features content for one year to keep your certification current
• Personal growth and professional advancement
• Membership in the exclusive community of Salesforce Certified professionals
• Access to special Certified Professionals events

Q. Do I have to take classes to get certified?

No, but we highly recommend it. Check the course topics in the Study Guides or the salesforce.com website [where should this go.] If you think you already have the knowledge to pass the exam, you can just sign up to take it.

Q. How can I prepare for the exam?

The best way to prepare for the initial certification exams is to study the materials in the appropriate study guide and take the relevant course. To maintain your certification for a new release, prepare by reviewing the new feature content you’ll receive automatically as a certified professional.

Q. What does certification cost?

The price for most certification exams is $200. The Advanced Developer certification exam is $400. If you take the preparatory classes, the price of the exam is included. The price of each exam includes 1 year of release-specific maintenance activities.

Q. Where and when can I take the exam? How do I sign up?

Salesforce.com certification exams are proctored exams you can take at testing centers around the world. To register for an exam, go to www.webassessor.com/salesforce/ and follow the instructions to select the exam, testing location and time, and to pay for the exam. If you took a course to prepare, you’ll be given a voucher number to use when registering for the exam.

Q. What's the exam format? How hard is it?

The certification exams feature multiple-choice and multiple-select questions that cover a broad range of topics. Each exam includes between 60-70 questions and you’ll be given 90-120 minutes to complete the exam. (See the Study Guide for the exam you are interested in for exact details.) The exams test for understanding of the most important Salesforce features rather than information that must be memorized. For this reason, the exams include few, if any, questions about limits, numbers, or items that can be easily looked up when needed. To get an idea of the level of difficulty, see the Study Guides.

The Advanced Developer exam also includes a programming assignment and short-answer essay exam. See the Advanced Developer study guide for more information on this program.

Q. What if I fail the exam?

Re-takes are available at a 50% discount.

Q. Are there prerequisites?

We highly recommended that you attend the related class to prepare for an exam, but it’s not required. However, some of the exams have do have other prerequisites. Here’s an overview:

Q. For how long is a certification valid?

When you successfully pass an exam, you’re considered certified. To maintain the certification over subsequent releases, you have to study for and take interim exams that test your knowledge of new release features. You’ll be notified when these tests become available. The cost of the new release exams is included in the initial certification fee for 1 year. After that year, maintaining your certification requires a yearly maintenance fee of $100.