Hey friends,
"Salesforce Certified Administrator", "Platform Administrator" and "ADM 201" all point to the same entry-level admin certification. There's no prerequisite, the exam is 60 scored questions in 105 minutes with a 68% passing score, it costs $200 ($100 to retake), and you keep it current with a free annual maintenance module on Trailhead.
Everything here comes from the official exam guide. For the full study path, see my Admin certification guide.
Everything on one card.
Platform Administrator, Certified Administrator, ADM 201
- Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator is the current official name in the exam guide.
- Salesforce Certified Administrator is the older name. You'll still see it in job posts and on Trailhead Academy class pages, and it's the same credential.
- ADM 201 is shorthand people still use for the admin exam. It comes from the old name of Salesforce's admin training class. Some third-party practice tests still use it in their titles. Today the exam guide recommends the ADX201 class.
If a job post asks for any of these, your Platform Administrator certification is what it means.
Prerequisites
None. You don't need another certification, a class or a voucher first. The guide recommends about six months of hands-on admin experience, but you can make up for that with practice in a free Developer Edition org. My free prep plan is in how to get Salesforce admin certified for free.
The exam
- Up to 5 of the questions are unscored, and you can't tell which ones they are.
- Book through Trailhead Academy with Pearson VUE, at a test center or online proctored. The name on your account must match your government ID.
- The sections and weights are in my first-try guide, and my 6-week study plan maps out what to study each week.
Cert Lab by Nick Frates
Prepare free
The Admin Cert Lab covers all 8 sections with lessons, practice questions and flashcards. Free, no card.
Start the free Admin Cert Lab →Maintenance: how you keep it
Certifications need maintaining. Each year you complete a free maintenance module on Trailhead covering recent release changes. Miss it and the certification expires. The maintenance details are on Salesforce Help.
- Do it early. It usually takes under an hour.
- Each certification has its own maintenance, so more certs means more modules every year.
After you pass
Your credential shows on your Trailhead profile and can be verified by employers. Next steps: which certifications admins should get next, landing an entry-level admin job, and what the role pays in my admin salary post.
Hope this helps!
Best,
Nick
