Pass your Salesforce Certified Platform Foundations exam!
Salesforce have recently changed its certification process.
June 30th was the last day to register for a Salesforce certification through WebAssessor, and on July 13th, the official switch was made to move all exam booking onto trailhead! This means after a small hiatus, certification booking us up and running again.
You might recognise this exam, previously known as the ‘Associate’ certification, and perfect for beginners or those wanting to get to grips with the core features of Salesforce. The new name, ‘Salesforce Certified Platform Foundations’, explains pretty clearly what the certification entails, giving you the means to learn those foundations and put them into practice as you expand your knowledge.
Our blog goes into detail about how you can ace your Salesforce Certified Platform Foundations exam and build on your Salesforce credentials as you grow in the ecosystem!
Top tips for passing the Salesforce Certified Platform Foundations exam:
As with any certification, the first tip is to read about the exam. Understanding the structure, how it works, and how long you have to complete the exam is an important starting point.
This helps you understand what to focus on, the weight of the sections, and the types of answers you’re required to give.
The exam is made up of 40 multiple-choice questions. You have 70 minutes to complete the exam, and are required 62% to pass. There are up to 5 non-scored questions, and you can retake this certification for free if you don’t pass.
The exam outline is a super important aspect to consider before you kickstart your revision.
Whilst we’d recommend being as prepped as you can for everything, the modules that are weighted more naturally should require increased attention. The structure is as follows:
- Salesforce Ecosystem: 32%
- Navigation: 28%
- Data Model: 25%
- Reports & Dashboards: 15%
If you are skilled to the max in the sections with a higher weight in the exam, you give yourself more chances of achieving that pass.
But never ever disregard a section because of a lower percentage, instead, plan your revision and time with these percentages as a guide.
Courses:
The official exam guide is the best place to start your learning. You can find it here: Trailhead Help. This page will give you, firstly, a more in-depth overview of the exam, as well as its target audience and what can be achieved with the certification.
You then have your Trailmix: Prepare for your Salesforce Platform Foundations Certication Trailmix.
This includes a free guide to all key content in the exam, such as the 'Complete Customer 360', and 'What does Salesforce do?', and much more...
One of the updates to the certification since its name change has been the added module ‘Agentforce Key Components: Quick Look’. As Agentforce has become a key part of Salesforce, it makes sense to be in the platform foundations, and for everybody to understand what it is and what it does.
You also have your cert prep: Salesforce Associate Certification Prep Guide
This preparation consists of 25 minutes' worth of practice questions for you to complete. Practice questions are key, as you can apply your knowledge in exam style. The Prep Guide contains flashcards, as well as the types of multiple-choice questions you may see in the actual exam, getting you prepped.
Another useful tip for studying for your Salesforce Certified Platform Foundations Exam is to check YouTube. There are lots of free resources, such as this playlist by ‘Salesforce Now’: (1/4) Salesforce Associate Exam: Salesforce Ecosystem, which covers the content for this cert. Whilst this playlist in particular covers content for the old ‘Associate’ exam, the foundations are mainly the same. However, keep in mind that the official trailhead website will have the most up-to-date content for all certifications!
Exam aftercare:
You've passed! Congratulations. But the certification process shouldn't stop there.
The very first page you visit when studying for your certification is also the last. At the bottom of the page of any cert, you will find tips for maintaining your certification once it’s complete. For the Salesforce Certified Platform Foundations Exam, Salesforce recommends no direct maintenance but pushes for continued learning through Trailhead Academy, as well as the Trailblazer Community. This is key to ensure you are always maintaining your knowledge, as well as being aware of any content updates to the certification that may be introduced.
Salesforce Certified Recruiters:
The Steadman Brown team are all Salesforce certified, which means as recruiters, we have that technical understanding of what candidates do. However, our learning does not stop at just certification, as we work to constantly improve and maintain our knowledge every day. This helps us perform our best as an official Salesforce Partner.
As a minimum, all of our team members are required to be Salesforce Certified Platform Foundations certified. Learning the foundations of Salesforce and how it works not only provides a clear base level of knowledge for our team, but also introduces important terminology and processes that apply to everybody we speak to. It helps make our conversations valuable for everybody involved!
Understanding Salesforce experience is a huge benefit to both the client and the candidate. For our clients who trust us to fill their Salesforce job, it means we go beyond the job description and never just view it as a checklist; we work to understand the terminology and why it's relevant to your role. As for our candidates, they’re always put forward for Salesforce roles that suit them, and jobs that allow them to learn and grow their Salesforce careers.
Find out more about what we do here: About Us | Steadman Brown.
Good luck!
Good luck to anyone taking the Salesforce Certified Platform Foundations exam.
