How I passed the Salesforce Admin Certification Exam
Tags: salesforce, certification, career, crm
Published: 2020-07-20 11:55:54

![Alt Text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/flp2e1l7vr3h4sebwi3u.png)

During my preparation for the exam, I didn’t find enough information about the real exam, questions, etc. I decided to write my article that, I hope will help other salesforce specialists to prepare properly for an exam and here you will find the answers for questions about Salesforce Admin Certification.

#**Why did I decide to get a Salesforce Administrator certificate?**#

I would like to start with a couple of words about my background. I’ve been working with CRM systems for almost 8 years. I configured various CRMs for different industries from Tobacco to Publishing.

Recently, I started working with Salesforce and now I believe Salesforce is the most powerful CRM system that covers almost all business needs. 

After almost 1 year of experience with Salesforce, I was in between  my jobs. It was a good time to improve my knowledge and received additional points for my CV by getting a certificate. Also, preparation for certification is a good chance to learn the system deeply.

#**How much did I spend on the certificate?**#

Around 80 euros for Practice Tests and courses on Udemy. The certificate was free for me because I attended the [“Level Up Challenge”](https://go.salesforce-partners.com/level-up-challenge) campaign by Trailhead.

#**How much time did I spend on preparation?**#

Around 2 months. I  spent 3-4 hours per week the first time and 20-30 hours per week during the last 2 weeks before the exam.

#**What materials did I use?**#
![Alt Text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/48vnugkd6vzwk140p76k.png)

* [Official materials](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/users/strailhead/trailmixes/prepare-for-your-salesforce-administrator-credential) on Trailhead
* [Free webinar on Trailhead “Preparation for your Administrator Certification (CDW-101)”](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/calendar)
* [Salesforce Admin Course on Udemy](https://www.udemy.com/course/salesforce-development-and-administration-for-beginners/)
* [Salesforce Admin flashcards](https://quizlet.com/subject/salesforce-admin/) at Quizlet
* [Salesforce Administrator Certification Practice Test](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/academy/classes/crt101-certification-preparation-for-administrator/)

Looking back, I  strongly recommend you to use only official materials on [Trailhead](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/home) (Badges / Superbadges, webinars, and so on).  They are  free and 100% correct. Also, it has a funny and playful format - it is possible to gain scores and badges like in video games. I used the Trailmix [“Prepare for Your Salesforce Administrator Credential”](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/users/strailhead/trailmixes/prepare-for-your-salesforce-administrator-credential)

[The one day free webinar](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/calendar) was also very useful.  Over a period of 5 hours, I learned about system overview, certification, and main topics. I recommend you take this webinar in the middle of your preparation, it helps you to find gaps in your knowledge.

[The Salesforce Admin Course](https://www.udemy.com/course/salesforce-development-and-administration-for-beginners/) on Udemy was nice but unnecessary - all information is available on Trailhead. But, if you prefer video content, it is useful . 

I have used [Salesforce Admin flashcards](https://quizlet.com/subject/salesforce-admin/) at Quizlet very carefully. I didn’t just memorize the questions and answers, I tried to solve each case, understand the logic. These flashcards helped me to get used to the questions.

And in the end, I would like to tell you a couple of words about the Salesforce Administrator Certification Practice Test. I passed it 3 times (I know, it was too much). Last time I passed this test with a score of 85%. What can I say? I think at least 30% of the questions you can find in Trailhead materials. That makes the practice test much, much easier than the real one. So, it doesn’t represent your knowledge, it can give just a slight experience of a real exam. I don’t think that a Practice Test is necessary, maybe, it is better to spend this time studying Trailhead materials.

#**Salesforce Certification Exam**#

What can I say about the exam? I didn’t have any  questions  about the Trailhead materials; and, of course, from other open sources. So, I  felt stressed because I had expected to see well-known questions (at least  some of them). 

The  majority  of the questions  were scenario-based. So, they were about system understanding. For example, you should know what you can set up in a user profile, what the difference is between objects and field security, how to control it, etc.

Don’t stress, read questions carefully. Make sure that you understand a problem. Read the answers and choose the correct one.

After finishing all the questions, I reviewed my answers once again. I had enough time for it. I found several mistakes during reviewing. And I am sure it helped me to pass the exam

My score was around 70%. Again, the practice test result was 85%.  This proves that the real test was much, much more difficult than the mock one.

#**Summary**#
Even if you just started the Salesforce journey and you don’t have extensive experience with Salesforce you can pass the Salesforce Administrator Certification Exam. 

But, there is only one way to do it - learn it. Go to Trailhead, read the materials, receive scores and badges, and do practice tests and you will be ready for the exam!