Hey friends,
If you hold Platform Administrator and have under a year of real admin work, take Platform App Builder first. If you’ve run an org for a few years, take Platform Administrator II first, because it tests things you already do every day. If you don’t hold Platform Administrator yet, the choice is made for you: Platform Administrator II requires it, and Platform App Builder has no prerequisite.
The two exams side by side
From the official exam guides (Platform Administrator II, Platform App Builder):
| Platform Administrator II | Platform App Builder | |
|---|---|---|
| Prerequisite | Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator | None |
| Questions | 60 multiple-choice/multiple-select, plus up to 5 unscored | 60 multiple-choice, plus up to 5 unscored |
| Time | 105 minutes | 105 minutes |
| Passing score | 65% | 73% |
| Biggest sections | Security and Access 20%, Process Automation 20%, Objects and Applications 19% | Business Logic and Process Automation 32%, Data Modeling and Management 20% |
| Who it’s written for | Admins with significant hands-on experience | People who design and build custom apps declaratively |
Where they overlap, and where they don’t
| Topic | Platform Administrator II | Platform App Builder |
|---|---|---|
| Flow and automation | Troubleshooting automation, choosing between tools in complex scenarios | The largest section: capabilities and limits of each declarative tool, formulas, validation rules |
| Data model | Extending objects, complex business models such as person accounts and contacts to multiple accounts | Relationships, junction objects, schema design, data import |
| Security | Deep: sharing, delegated administration, authentication, sandbox data handling | Light: record and field access as it affects an app |
| Sales and Service Cloud | Products, price books, forecasting, territory management, Knowledge, entitlements, Omni-Channel | Not tested |
| UI | Lightning App Builder, Dynamic Forms, console | Lightning pages, record types, page layouts, custom buttons and actions |
| Deployment | Change sets, sandboxes, packages | Sandboxes, change sets, managed and unmanaged packages |
About half of App Builder’s content shows up again inside Admin II scenarios. Admin II then adds a whole layer of Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, analytics and auditing that App Builder never touches.
Three people, three answers
New admin, 6 months in
App Builder first. You’ll be studying data modeling and Flow anyway, and those are the foundation Admin II assumes. Admin II’s scenario questions are much harder without real org time behind them.
Admin for 3 years, Sales and Service Cloud org
Admin II first. Entitlements, territory management, reporting snapshots and sharing design are your daily work, and the lower passing score rewards that experience. App Builder then becomes a short follow-up.
Heading toward development
App Builder first, then Platform Developer I. App Builder’s declarative-vs-code thinking feeds straight into Platform Developer I. See App Builder vs Platform Developer I.
Cert Lab by Nick Frates
Ready for Platform Administrator II?
The Platform Administrator II Cert Lab ($9.99) has scenario practice for every exam section, written for admins with real org time.
See the Platform Administrator II Cert Lab – $9.99 →What catches people on each exam
- Admin II: multiple-select questions where you must pick every correct option, and Sales and Service Cloud features some admins have never configured, such as entitlements and forecasting.
- App Builder: the 73% passing score leaves little room, and the automation section is about a third of the exam. Know which tool fits a scenario and what each one can’t do.
- Both: “most efficient declarative solution” questions. The answer is usually the simplest tool that meets every requirement, not the most powerful.
Cert Lab by Nick Frates
Starting with App Builder instead?
The Platform App Builder Cert Lab ($9.99) covers data modeling, Flow and UI with exam-style practice questions.
See the Platform App Builder Cert Lab – $9.99 →FAQ
Can I take Platform Administrator II without Platform Administrator? No. Platform Administrator is the listed prerequisite.
Which is harder? App Builder’s passing bar is higher. Admin II’s questions are longer and cover more products. Most people with under a year of admin work find Admin II harder.
How long is the gap between them? If you take App Builder first, many of its topics carry into Admin II, so plan your Admin II study around the Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, analytics and auditing sections.
Hope this helps!
Best,
Nick
