Salesforce New Certification Process

Salesforce Certification Process and Career Paths

Step-by-step certification registration process and recommended paths based on Salesforce career roles.

New Salesforce Certification Process

1. Create or Log In to Your Trailhead Account

●Open Salesforce Trailhead.

●Create a Trailblazer account using your personal email address.

●Use the same account for learning, certification registration and certification maintenance.

2. Complete Your Trailhead Profile

●Enter your full legal name.

●Your name must match your valid government-issued ID.

●Check your email address, country and other profile details.

●Avoid using nicknames or shortened names.

Important: A name mismatch between your Trailhead profile and government-issued ID may create problems during exam verification.

3. Open Trailhead Academy

●Log in using your Trailblazer account.

●Trailhead Academy is used to find, register and manage Salesforce certification exams.

4. Search for the Certification

●Open the Certifications section.

●Search for the certification you want to complete.

●Select the certification based on your career role and experience.

Examples

▪Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator

▪Salesforce Certified Platform App Builder

▪Salesforce Certified Platform Developer

▪Salesforce Certified Agentforce Specialist

▪Salesforce Certified Data 360 Consultant

5. Review the Exam Details

●Exam fee

●Exam duration

●Number of questions

●Passing score

●Exam topic weightage

●Available exam languages

●Prerequisites, when applicable

●Online and test-centre availability

Exam details may vary depending on the selected Salesforce certification.

6. Click “Register Now”

●Open the selected certification page.

●Click the Register Now button.

●Verify your personal and certification details.

●Continue to the exam registration process.

Important: You must have an active Trailblazer profile to register for a Salesforce certification exam.

7. Continue to Pearson VUE

●Salesforce certification exams are delivered through Pearson VUE.

●Trailhead Academy redirects you to Pearson VUE during registration.

●Complete scheduling and payment through the redirected registration page.

8. Choose the Exam Method

Online-Proctored Exam

▪Take the exam from your home or office.

▪Use a computer with a webcam and microphone.

▪Use a stable internet connection.

▪Your identity, computer and testing room will be verified.

Test-Centre Exam

▪Take the exam at an authorized Pearson VUE test centre.

▪Select the nearest available test centre during registration.

▪Carry the required original government-issued ID.

9. Select the Exam Date and Time

●Select your country.

●Choose the required exam language.

●Select the correct time zone.

●Choose an available exam date and time.

●Verify the selected date, time and time zone before confirming.

Example: Candidates taking the exam from India should confirm that the displayed exam time is in IST.

10. Apply the Voucher and Complete Payment

●Enter the certification voucher code, when available.

●Check the voucher validity and expiry date.

●Confirm that the voucher discount was applied correctly.

●Pay the remaining exam fee and applicable taxes.

●Save the confirmation email and payment receipt.

11. Check Your Scheduled Exam

●Log in to Trailhead Academy.

●Open My Dashboard → Certifications.

●Check the exam name, date and time.

●Check the exam delivery method and registration status.

●View your exam history and payment receipts.

12. Complete the System Test

●This step is required for an online-proctored exam.

●Run the Pearson VUE system test before the exam day.

●Use the same computer and internet connection planned for the actual exam.

●Test the webcam, microphone and internet connection.

●Close unnecessary applications.

●Avoid VPN connections and restricted office networks.

●Keep your desk and testing room clean.

13. Take the Exam

●Log in to Trailhead Academy on the exam day.

●Open My Dashboard → Certifications.

●Select the scheduled exam and click the launch option.

●Join approximately 20–30 minutes before the scheduled time.

●Complete identity, room and system verification.

●Read every question carefully.

●Mark difficult questions for review.

●Review your answers before submitting the exam.

Keep your original government-issued ID ready before starting the check-in process.

14. Check the Result and Certification Status

●Check the result after completing the exam.

●After passing, the certification will be connected to your Trailblazer profile.

●Certification updates may take up to one business day to appear on the verification page.

●Add the certification to your resume and LinkedIn profile.

15. Maintain the Certification

●Complete the required certification maintenance modules on Trailhead.

●Complete the maintenance modules before the assigned deadline.

●Regularly check your certification maintenance status.

●Failure to complete required maintenance may cause the certification to expire.

Salesforce Certification Paths by Role

Note: These are recommended career paths. Not every certification is a mandatory prerequisite. Always check the official certification page before registration.

1. Beginner or Fresher Path

●Salesforce Certified Platform Foundations

●Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator

●Continue with the Administrator, Developer, Consultant, Tester, Business Analyst or AI path.

Recommended Path
Platform Foundations → Platform Administrator → Select Your Career Role

2. Salesforce Administrator Path

●Platform Foundations – Recommended for beginners.

●Platform Administrator – Core certification for Salesforce Administrators.

●Platform App Builder – Declarative application-building skills.

●Platform Administrator II – Advanced administration skills.

●Business Analyst – Requirements and stakeholder management.

●Agentforce Specialist – AI agent configuration and management.

●Choose Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Experience Cloud or Field Service specialization.

Recommended Path
Platform Foundations → Platform Administrator → Platform App Builder → Platform Administrator II → Consultant or Agentforce Specialist

3. Salesforce Developer Path

●Platform Foundations – Recommended for beginners.

●Platform Administrator – Salesforce configuration knowledge.

●Platform App Builder – Declarative development knowledge.

●Platform Developer – Apex, automation, interfaces, testing and deployment.

●JavaScript Developer – JavaScript and Lightning Web Components.

●Platform Developer II – Advanced programmatic development.

●Choose OmniStudio, MuleSoft, Commerce Cloud or Marketing Cloud specializations.

Recommended Path
Platform Administrator → Platform App Builder → Platform Developer → JavaScript Developer → Platform Developer II

4. Salesforce Architect Path

Foundation Certifications

▪Platform Administrator

▪Platform App Builder

▪Platform Developer

Application Architect Path

▪Platform Data Architect

▪Platform Sharing and Visibility Architect

▪Platform App Builder

▪Platform Developer

▪Earn the Application Architect credential.

System Architect Path

▪Platform Development Lifecycle and Deployment Architect

▪Platform Identity and Access Management Architect

▪Platform Integration Architect

▪Platform Developer

▪Earn the System Architect credential.

Technical Architect Path

▪Earn the Application Architect credential.

▪Earn the System Architect credential.

▪Prepare for the Architect Review Board evaluation.

▪Earn the Salesforce Certified Technical Architect credential.

Recommended Path
Administrator → App Builder → Developer → Domain Architect Certifications → Application Architect + System Architect → Technical Architect

5. Salesforce Tester or QA Path

Important: Salesforce does not currently provide a separate Salesforce Tester or QA certification. Testers can complete related platform certifications.

●Platform Foundations – Salesforce and CRM fundamentals.

●Platform Administrator – Security, users, objects, automation and data management.

●Platform App Builder – Declarative applications and automation.

●Platform Developer – Apex, integrations and technical testing.

●Business Analyst – Requirements, acceptance criteria and UAT.

Additional Testing Skills

▪Functional and regression testing

▪User acceptance testing

▪Flow and automation testing

▪Apex unit testing

▪API and integration testing

▪Security and permission testing

Recommended Path
Platform Foundations → Platform Administrator → Platform App Builder → Platform Developer or Business Analyst

6. Salesforce Consultant Path

●Platform Foundations – Recommended for beginners.

●Platform Administrator – Core platform knowledge.

●Business Analyst – Requirements gathering and stakeholder collaboration.

●Select a product-based consultant certification.

Popular Consultant Certifications

▪Sales Cloud Consultant

▪Service Cloud Consultant

▪Experience Cloud Consultant

▪Field Service Consultant

▪Data 360 Consultant

▪Revenue Cloud Consultant

Recommended Path
Platform Administrator → Business Analyst → Sales Cloud or Service Cloud Consultant → Additional Product Specializations

7. Salesforce Business Analyst Path

●Platform Foundations – Salesforce fundamentals.

●Platform Administrator – Understanding Salesforce functionality.

●Business Analyst – Core certification for Salesforce Business Analysts.

●Platform App Builder – Useful for solution-design knowledge.

●Select a Sales Cloud, Service Cloud or Experience Cloud certification.

Recommended Path
Platform Foundations → Platform Administrator → Business Analyst → Platform App Builder → Consultant Certification

8. Agentforce and AI Path

●Platform Foundations – Salesforce platform fundamentals.

●Platform Administrator – Configuration, data, security and automation.

●Agentforce Specialist – Agentforce and AI agent configuration.

●Data 360 Consultant – Data ingestion, identity resolution and activation.

●Platform App Builder – Declarative applications and automation.

●Platform Developer – Custom actions, Apex and integrations.

Recommended Path
Platform Administrator → Agentforce Specialist → Data 360 Consultant → Platform App Builder or Platform Developer

9. Salesforce Data and Analytics Path

●Platform Foundations

●Platform Administrator

●Data 360 Consultant

●CRM Analytics and Einstein Discovery Consultant

●Platform Data Architect

●Add Tableau certifications for advanced analytics and data visualization.

Recommended Path
Platform Administrator → Data 360 Consultant → CRM Analytics Consultant → Platform Data Architect

10. Salesforce Designer Path

●Platform Foundations

●Platform Administrator

●Platform App Builder

●Platform User Experience Designer

●Platform Strategy Designer

Recommended Path
Platform Foundations → Platform App Builder → User Experience Designer → Strategy Designer

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