How to Build a Study Plan for Salesforce Certification Exams: Tips from a Certified Admin
So, you’ve decided to go for a Salesforce certification. Good choice! It’s a great way to boost your career, expand your knowledge, and—if we’re being honest—impress your friends and family who still think “the cloud” is a place where data goes to nap. But how exactly do you prepare for these exams without feeling like you’re trying to drink from a firehose?
As a Salesforce Certified Admin and revenue operations consultant, I’ve been through the gauntlet and lived to tell the tale. Here’s my not-so-perfect but surprisingly effective strategy for building a study plan that will help you conquer the Salesforce certification exams. And yes, I’ll even throw in some self-deprecating humor because no one likes a know-it-all. Let’s dive in!
Step 1: Know What You’re Getting Into
Before you even think about cracking open a book—or in this case, a Trailhead module—you need to understand what you’re up against. Salesforce certification exams are not easy, but they’re also not the standardized nightmares you may remember from school. They’re designed to test your practical knowledge of the Salesforce platform, not your ability to memorize the Krebs cycle (thank goodness).
Each certification, whether it’s Admin, Advanced Admin, Sales Cloud Consultant, or any other, has a different focus. Here’s what you should do:
- Review the Exam Guide. Salesforce provides an official guide for each certification exam. This guide is like a treasure map (minus the treasure and pirates) that lists all the topics covered and their weightage. Pay attention to this breakdown; it tells you what areas you should prioritize. Here’s a link to the exam guides for easy reference.
- Assess Your Baseline Knowledge. If you’ve been working with Salesforce for a while, you might already be familiar with some topics. Take a few practice tests to see where you stand. Don’t be discouraged if your scores are low—that’s what study plans are for! Here are some practice tests that I found helpful.
Step 2: Create a Realistic Study Schedule (Emphasis on “Realistic”)
Now that you know what’s on the exam and where you currently stand, it’s time to create a study plan. This is where most people (including my past self) mess up. I once set a goal to study four hours a day, every day, for two weeks straight. Spoiler: I lasted three days before burnout hit harder than a 43 year-old’s Saturday morning hangover.
A more reasonable plan looks like this:
- Set aside consistent study blocks. Aim for 1-2 hours a day, 4-5 days a week. It’s better to have shorter, consistent study sessions than trying to cram everything in during a single marathon session.
- Break it into manageable chunks. Use the exam guide to divide the topics across your study blocks. For example, if “Security and Access” is 15% of the exam, allocate around 15% of your total study time to that topic.
- Plan for breaks and review time. Every few days, take a break from learning new material and review what you’ve already covered. Trust me, it’s much easier than realizing two days before the exam that you can’t remember the difference between a profile and a permission set.
Step 3: Use Trailhead (and Use It Wisely)
Trailhead is Salesforce’s free online learning platform, and it’s fantastic—like a Swiss Army knife for Salesforce enthusiasts. However, if you dive in without a plan, you can quickly find yourself lost in a maze of badges and modules that have nothing to do with your certification goals.
Here’s how to use Trailhead effectively:
- Focus on Relevant Modules. Stick to modules that align with the exam topics. Salesforce actually provides Trailmixes for certifications (think curated learning paths) that can help you stay on track.
- Complete Superbadges. If you’ve never done a Superbadge, you’re in for a treat. These are hands-on projects that simulate real-world scenarios. They’re challenging, yes, but also incredibly rewarding and aligned with what you’ll need to know for the exams.
- Don’t Get Sidetracked by Badges That Won’t Help You. As fun as earning a badge for “Be a Multicloud Navigator” might sound, it’s probably not going to help you ace your Admin certification. Focus on what matters.
Step 4: Get Hands-On with a Salesforce Dev Org
If you don’t already have a Salesforce Developer Org, get one now. It’s free and it’s your playground for experimenting with everything you’re learning. You can’t break anything—well, you can, but there’s always a reset button.
- Replicate Real-Life Scenarios. If you’re learning about workflows, set up some workflow rules. If you’re diving into report types, create a few reports that mimic the ones you’d use in a work setting. The more you can replicate real-life scenarios, the better prepared you’ll be for the exam.
- Document What You Learn. Take notes on the configurations you make and why. If you run into issues (which you will), document how you solved them. This will help you later during your review sessions.
Step 5: Take Practice Exams (And Actually Review Your Mistakes)
This is the part where I tell you to do something I avoided for far too long—taking practice exams. They’re not fun, they’re not easy, and sometimes they make you want to throw your laptop out the window. But they’re crucial.
- Start with Free Practice Tests. Websites like Focus on Force offer high-quality practice exams that simulate the real thing. You can also check out Quizlet for flashcards and other resources that might be helpful.
- Move to Paid Resources if Needed. If you find that you’re consistently scoring low, it might be worth investing in some paid practice exams or courses. Focus on Force also offers paid tests with detailed explanations of each answer, which I found to be incredibly useful when I was starting out.
- Review Every Single Question You Get Wrong. Don’t just focus on the ones you get right. Reviewing mistakes helps identify gaps in your knowledge and reinforces the correct concepts.
Step 6: Join Study Groups (But Don’t Make It Your Only Study Method)
There are tons of Salesforce study groups online, and they can be helpful for sharing resources, asking questions, and keeping you motivated. You can find groups on LinkedIn, the Salesforce Trailblazer Community, and even Reddit.
- Use Study Groups to Fill in the Gaps. Study groups are great for discussing challenging topics and hearing different perspectives. Sometimes someone else’s explanation can make everything click.
- Don’t Let It Replace Solo Study Time. It’s tempting to rely on a study group to push you through, but the only person who can learn this stuff is you. Treat study groups as a supplement, not a crutch.
Step 7: Rest and Reflect Before the Exam
If you’re the type who thinks, “I’ll just cram the night before,” let me stop you right there. The night before your exam should be dedicated to rest and light review. Go over your notes and refresh your memory on the high-weighted topics, but don’t stay up all night. You’re going to need a clear head for this.
- Get a Good Night’s Sleep. Studies show that sleep is crucial for memory consolidation, and I can confirm this from personal experience. I took one exam after staying up late reviewing and another after a solid night’s sleep—the difference was noticeable.
- Do a Quick Review of Key Concepts. Go over some flashcards or skim your notes on the morning of the exam. Don’t try to learn anything new—just reinforce what you already know.
Bonus: What to Do If You Fail (Because It Happens)
If you fail your exam, don’t beat yourself up. You’re not the first person to fail a Salesforce exam, and you won’t be the last. Trust me, it happens. Take a deep breath, maybe enjoy a “treat yourself” day, and then get back on track.
- Review the Feedback. Salesforce will tell you which sections you struggled with, so use that as your new starting point. Go back to Trailhead, do some hands-on exercises, and try again.
- Adjust Your Study Plan. Maybe you need more hands-on practice, or maybe you need to dive deeper into certain topics. Revise your schedule and keep moving forward.
Helpful Links to Resources
Here are some useful resources that I recommend:
- Trailhead Trailmixes for Certifications: Trailhead Certification Trailmixes
- Practice Tests and Study Guides: Focus on Force
- Trailblazer Community Groups: Trailblazer Community
- Free Flashcards and Study Materials: Quizlet
Conclusion
There you have it—a straightforward, slightly sarcastic, but mostly helpful guide to building a study plan for your Salesforce certification exams. Remember, there’s no perfect way to study, and everyone’s path looks different. The important thing is to start, stay consistent, and keep a sense of humor about it all.
Good luck, and may your Salesforce dreams be as smooth as a frictionless automation flow!