Hey friends,
You can prepare for the Salesforce Admin certification for free: Trailhead, a free Developer Edition org and free practice questions cover everything on the exam. The one thing that isn't free is the exam itself, which is US$200 (US$100 to retake). So "free" really means a $0 study budget and passing the first time.
I've passed 17 Salesforce exams, and I'd happily do the Admin one again on free resources. Here's exactly what's free, what costs money, and the order I'd use them in.
The only required cost is the exam fee.
What's free
1. The official Trailmix. Salesforce's Prepare for your Salesforce Administrator Credential Trailmix groups modules and projects by exam section and shows each section's weight. It's free and it's written by the people who write the exam.
2. A free Developer Edition org. This is where reading turns into skill. Every concept on the exam can be clicked through in one.
3. My Admin Cert Lab. All 8 exam sections are live, with short lessons, the traps the exam likes, practice questions that explain every option, and flashcards. It's free, with no card and no trial.
4. Free practice questions. My 25 free Admin practice questions cover all 8 sections, and the Cert Lab has more.
5. The official exam guide. The Platform Administrator exam guide is the real syllabus. Read it first and last.
What still costs money
- The exam: US$200, and US$100 for a retake, plus tax. That's from the official guide.
- Optional mock exams: K2 University (Focus on Force's new home) sells Admin practice exams for US$24 with 12 months of access. They're good value if you want lots of timed full-length practice.
- Optional class: Salesforce's own CRT101 is a one-day instructor-led review that includes an exam voucher. The price didn't show on the page when I checked, so check it directly.
My honest take: the free stack is enough to pass if you actually do the hands-on work. If you'd spend the money anywhere, spend it on timed mock exams in the last week, not on another video course. Once you're certified, here's my guide to entry-level Salesforce admin jobs.
Is Trailhead enough to pass the Admin exam?
Trailhead is enough to learn the material. On its own, it usually isn't enough to pass, for two reasons:
- The exam is scenario-based. Trailhead teaches features one at a time. The exam asks which feature fits a messy business requirement, often with two answers that both sound right.
- Trailhead doesn't time you. 60 questions in 105 minutes is a skill on its own, and you only build it with timed practice.
So use Trailhead for learning, then add practice questions that explain why each wrong answer is wrong. That's exactly why I built the Cert Lab with per-option explanations.
Cert Lab by Nick Frates
The free half of the plan, in one place
All 8 Admin exam sections with lessons, practice questions that explain every option, and flashcards. Free, no card, no trial.
Start the free Admin Cert Lab →The order I'd do it in (the best way to learn Salesforce Admin)
- Read the exam guide and note the section weights. Data and Analytics Management is the biggest at 17%.
- Sign up for a free Developer Edition org and keep it open while you study.
- One section at a time: do the Trailmix modules for it, then the matching Cert Lab lesson, then build it in your org.
- Quiz yourself right away on that section and write down every miss.
- Final week: timed, full-length practice. When you're consistently above the 68% passing score with room to spare, book the exam.
If you want this as a calendar, my 6-week Admin study plan lays it out at about 5 to 7 hours a week around a full-time job. And the science of studying for Salesforce certifications explains why quizzing beats re-reading.
Which Trailhead modules matter most
Start with the official Trailmix, but put extra time into the topics that carry the most scenario questions:
- Security and sharing: profiles, permission sets, org-wide defaults and roles. See my security model explainer.
- Data and analytics: report types, report formats, dashboards, and Data Import Wizard vs Data Loader.
- Automation: Flow types, when to use which, and approvals.
- Object Manager: lookup vs master-detail, record types and page layouts.
The exam guide also recommends the Object Relationships and Flow Administration superbadges as self-study, which are free on Trailhead. For what you earn at the end, see the Salesforce Certified Administrator credential.
How people waste money anyway
- Booking before you're ready. A retake costs US$100. Don't book until your timed scores are comfortably above 68%.
- Buying three courses. The content overlaps. One learning source plus one practice source is plenty.
- Using dumps. Salesforce's code of conduct prohibits using real exam content, and penalties include losing certifications. It's also bad prep.
- Skipping the online test check. If you test online, run the OnVUE system test on the same computer and network first.
Keep going
- The full Admin certification guide: cost, format and sections.
- Best Admin certification courses in 2026, if you do want a paid option.
- How to pass the Admin exam on your first try.
Hope this helps!
Best,
Nick
