What Is a Salesforce Certification? Discover the Certifications Offered + How to Get One

The digital skills gap could cost US businesses as much as $975 billion by 2028, according to data from Accenture [1]. The National Skills Coalition discovered that although up to 92 percent of positions already require these skills, about 33 percent of employees need to improve their proficiencies [2].

Among the in-demand digital skills that Salesforce covers with its various certifications, Pursuing these credentials can showcase your Salesforce skills and increase your professional recognition. Explore Salesforce certifications in more detail to determine which are suitable to help you meet your goals. 

What is a Salesforce certification? 

A Salesforce certification is a globally recognized credential that qualifies you to implement Salesforce best practices on behalf of your organization. Salesforce offers 40 primary certifications (some requiring prerequisite certifications) to demonstrate your expertise in different Salesforce roles. 

Check out the following Salesforce certifications list, organized by the roles to which they correspond.

* These certifications apply to more than one Salesforce role. 

Read more: What Is a CRM? And How Does it Help Businesses?

How much does it cost to get Salesforce certified?

Many Salesforce certifications cost about $200 to take the exam, with additional fees if you need to retake it [3]. 

3 entry-level Salesforce certifications 

You can classify all three entry-level Salesforce certifications as ones that don’t require prior certifications or other prerequisites beyond a general working knowledge of the Salesforce platform.   

These certifications span different roles—Administrator, Developer, and Marketer—to give you an idea of possible starting points for pursuing a credential. For each breakdown, you can get pertinent details, including the Salesforce certification cost, the exam outline, exam format, passing score, and a link to the exam guide, as provided on Trailhead, Salesforce’s academy for building skills and getting certified.  

What is the pass percentage for salesforce admin certification? Check out need-to-know details like this and use the following breakdowns as a model for your research process. 

1. Salesforce Certified Administrator 

• Cost: $200 

• Exam outline: configuration and setup (20 percent), object manager and Lightning app builder (20 percent), sales and marketing applications (12 percent), service and support applications (11 percent), productivity and collaboration (7 percent), data and analytics management (14 percent), workflow/process automation (16 percent)

• Exam format: 105 minutes to complete 60 multiple-choice or multiple-select questions and five non-scored questions 

• Passing score: 65 percent 

• Exam guide: Click here.

Read more: What Is a Salesforce Administrator? And How to Become One

2. Marketing Cloud Email Specialist

• Cost: $200 

• Exam outline: email marketing best practices (10 percent), content creation and delivery (24 percent), marketing automation (26 percent), subscriber and data management (26 percent), insights and analytics (14 percent)

• Exam format: 90 minutes to complete 60 multiple-choice questions and five non-scored questions 

• Passing score: 67 percent 

• Exam guide: Click here. 

3. Platform App Builder 

• Cost: $200 

• Exam outline: Salesforce fundamentals (23 percent), data modeling and management (22 percent), business logic and process automation (28 percent), user interface (17 percent), app deployment (10 percent) 

• Exam format: 105 minutes to complete 60 multiple choice/multiple select questions and five non-scored questions 

• Passing score: 63 percent

• Exam guide: Click here. 

4 reasons to get Salesforce certified 

Building in-demand skills and increasing your earning potential are a few potential advantages you may experience. In addition to the fact that Salesforce certifications are globally recognized credentials, you can also enjoy several career benefits to getting certified, as explored below. 

1. Salesforce skills are in demand across a variety of industries. 

Salesforce software is customizable to meet the needs of many types of businesses. In your job search, you may find that employers across a variety of industries are looking for candidates with Salesforce skills. 

For example, consider what’s happening on LinkedIn as of October 2024:

• LinkedIn has more than 119,000 job listings in the US for people who have a Salesforce certification or at least some experience using this software. 

• You can find over 600 job listings specifically for Salesforce Administrator.

• Industries hiring Salesforce professionals include consulting, auditing and tax services, IT management, career support services, athletic manufacturing, and more.    

Given these figures, your Salesforce certification may increase in value over time and qualify you for a variety of job opportunities.

2. A Salesforce certification keeps your skill set up to date. 

While you can build skills through regular use of Salesforce’s tools, getting Salesforce certified—and maintaining your certification—means your skills reflect the latest updates to the tool. In addition, preparing for a certifying exam can help to structure your learning process so that you cover all areas of the software’s functionality for your desired role. 

3. You can enhance your job performance. 

Just as getting Salesforce certified can help you find employment, getting a certification while employed can help you do your job more effectively. Your employer may have ideas for integrating a Salesforce certification and the skills that come with it into your role.  

4. You have the potential to earn a competitive salary.

You may be able to earn a salary that is competitive in today’s marketplace. The median base salary of a Salesforce Administrator salary is around $99,877 per year [4]. Salesforce Architects earn $123,795 on average, according to Glassdoor’s October 2024 data [5]. 

How to get Salesforce certified 

Choose a certification option, study the relevant materials, and take the exam. When you follow the five steps below, you’ll be on your way to earning your Salesforce certification. 

1. Select a Salesforce certification. 

The first step in getting Salesforce certified is researching and selecting a certification that best fits your desired role, career goals, and the skills you want to build. 

Refer to the table above as a starting point, and then study Trailhead’s information page in more depth to discover the skills you’ll learn in certifications you’re considering, as well as any requirements or prerequisites for taking a certifying exam. For example, the Marketing Cloud Administrator certification is a prerequisite for getting the Marketing Cloud Consultant certification. 

2. Register for the exam on Trailhead. 

When you’re ready to register for a Salesforce certification exam, you’ll need to create a Webassessor™ account. Then, you'll be able to schedule the exam and pay for registration. Here are two important pieces of information to review: 

• Cost. One is the cost to take or retake each exam. For example, each of the Administrator exams costs $200 for the first sitting and $100 to retake.  

• Location. The other is the procedure for taking the exam onsite or remotely. For either option, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with the requirements. For example, to take an exam online, you’ll need a built-in webcam, microphone, and Kryterion Sentinel Secure software downloaded onto your device. 

3. Prepare for your exam. 

Before taking the exam, you’ll want to spend time preparing and learning as much as possible about using Salesforce in your role. You can prepare in several ways:  

• Sign up for a Salesforce certification training webinar through Trailhead.

• Review the guide for your chosen exam. 

• Learn through Trailhead’s library of modules and projects.  

• Join the Trailblazer community to connect with other Salesforce learners, ask questions, and learn skills. 

• Take a practice test designed for your chosen certification, such as the one for the Salesforce Certified Administrator.

• Take Salesforce courses through other programs, such as Coursera’s Salesforce Sales Operations Professional Certificate.

4. Take the Salesforce certification exam.

Arrive online or onsite for your scheduled exam. Make sure you are well-rested and prepared to take your exam. 

Read more: 10 Test-Taking Tips to Set You Up for Success

5. Maintain your certification. 

To maintain your certification after passing the exam, you’ll need to complete Trailhead maintenance modules, demonstrating your skills are current with the latest software updates. 

Read more about Salesforce certification updates here. 

Prepare for Salesforce certification with Coursera 

Building your expertise can be valuable as you prepare for certification. Online courses can be a great way to gain skills and knowledge in Salesforce, discover career opportunities, and start your Salesforce certification journey. Explore these course options: