Hey friends,
Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator II (formerly Advanced Administrator) is the advanced admin exam: 60 scored questions plus up to five unscored, 105 minutes, a 65% passing score, and Platform Administrator as a required prerequisite. You get three attempts per release cycle, and you keep it current with one Trailhead maintenance badge a year, the same badge that maintains your Platform Administrator credential.
This post covers what you need before you book, what the fees depend on, how retakes and renewal work, and who gets real value from it.
The exam at a glance
From the official Platform Administrator II exam guide:
| Item | Platform Administrator II |
|---|---|
| Questions | 60 multiple-choice/multiple-select, plus up to 5 unscored |
| Time | 105 minutes |
| Passing score | 65% |
| Prerequisite | Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator |
| Delivery | Proctored, online or at a testing center |
| References | None allowed during the exam |
The seven sections and their weights: Security and Access 20%, Objects and Applications 19%, Auditing and Monitoring 10%, Cloud Applications 11%, Data and Analytics Management 13%, Environment Management and Deployment 7%, and Process Automation 20%. Security and automation together are 40% of the exam, so that’s where most of your study time should go. The full objectives are in the Platform Administrator II study guide.
What it costs
The registration and retake fees are listed on the exam guide, plus applicable taxes required by local law. Check them there on the day you book. You pay on Pearson at checkout, where you can also apply a voucher or promo code (Schedule an Exam). The step-by-step booking flow is the same as for the first admin exam: see How to Register for the Salesforce Admin Exam.
If you can’t make your date, reschedule for free at least 24 hours before an online exam, or more than 48 hours before a test-center exam, through Modify Registration in Trailhead Academy. A no-show is charged the full fee (Reschedule and Cancellation Policy).
The cost that’s easy to miss is failed attempts. Each retake is paid, so booking before you’re ready is the expensive choice.
Retake rules
From the Retake Policy, within each release cycle you get three attempts at the same exam:
- Fail the first attempt: wait 24 hours before registering again.
- Fail the second: wait 14 days.
- Fail the third: wait until the next release cycle begins. Attempts reset then.
Renewal: how maintenance works
All Salesforce certifications need one Trailhead maintenance badge a year (Certification Maintenance Schedule). For this credential there’s a detail that saves you work: Platform Administrator II is maintained by the Platform Administrator certification maintenance badge, on the Spring cycle (Maintain Your Salesforce Certification). One badge keeps both credentials current.
The flip side is the trap. If your Platform Administrator certification expires, the certifications that need it as a prerequisite, including Platform Administrator II, expire too, and re-earning only the first admin exam doesn’t restore them. You’d have to sit each exam again (Certification Expiration Overview). Watch your Trailblazer profile for the due date; Salesforce says not to rely on reminder emails alone.
Is it worth it?
The exam guide describes the target candidate as someone with “significant experience performing as a Salesforce Administrator” who can “recommend configuration enhancements and the best practices to optimize and extend an organization’s use of Salesforce.” That’s the honest test of whether it’s worth it for you.
It’s worth it if:
- You already work as an admin and want proof you handle the harder parts: sharing and security design, complex Flow, deployments between environments.
- You’re aiming at senior admin or consultant roles, where a second admin credential separates you from people who only hold the first.
- You want a structured reason to learn security, auditing and deployment properly. The exam forces it.
It can wait if:
- You just passed Platform Administrator and haven’t worked in a real org yet. The exam is scenario-based and written for experienced admins.
- Your next role is clearly developer or AI focused. Then Platform Developer I or Agentforce Specialist may serve you better; Salesforce Certifications compares the paths.
Still deciding between this and App Builder, or comparing it with the first exam? Platform Administrator II vs Administrator lays out the differences.
How to prepare
Where experienced admins usually lose points is the gap between doing something and choosing the best of several ways to do it. Almost every objective in the guide starts with “Given a scenario,” and one says “Given a complex scenario, determine the solution using the best tool or combination of tools to solve a business problem.” So practice deciding, not only clicking: for a record-access scenario, work out whether the sharing model, “controlled by parent,” role hierarchy or Territory Management is the cause; for a reporting need, choose between custom report types, joined reports, reporting snapshots and dynamic dashboards; for a data load, pick the Data Import Wizard or Data Loader and know when an external ID matters.
- Read the exam guide and rank the seven sections by weight against your own weak spots. Security and Access plus Process Automation are 40% together.
- Work the hands-on material in a free org. Platform Administrator II on Trailhead lists the modules worth doing.
- Test yourself with Platform Administrator II practice questions and book when your scores are steady.
Cert Lab by Nick Frates
Practice each section with the Platform Administrator II Cert Lab
Short lessons, flashcards and a practice quiz for all 7 exam sections, from Security and Access to Process Automation.
See the Platform Administrator II Cert Lab – $9.99 →FAQ
What is the passing score for Platform Administrator II?
65%, across 60 scored questions in 105 minutes.
Do I need the Admin certification first?
Yes. Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator is a required prerequisite.
How do I renew Platform Administrator II?
Complete the annual Platform Administrator certification maintenance badge on Trailhead, which maintains both admin credentials.
What happens if my Admin certification expires?
Platform Administrator II expires with it, and you’d need to pass both exams again to restore them.
How many times can I retake the exam?
Three times per release cycle, with a 24-hour wait after the first fail and 14 days after the second.
Is Platform Administrator II the same as Advanced Administrator?
Yes. It’s the renamed Advanced Administrator credential, and the exam guide covers the same seven sections.
Hope this helps!
Best,
Nick
