Salesforce Administrator Certification Guide – [3/8] – Download Full Guide Here
Author: Peggy Schael | Salesforce Trainer | WeLearnSalesforce
Since there is a lot of content to work through, having a list of all the topics to keep an eye on, can be a real lifesaver. You don’t want to be missing any topics that may bring you a lot of points in your exam results. In this third of my eight-part certification guide, I will explain how you can learn all these topics in a structured way and how to split them out in bite-size chunks to give your brain time to absorb and memorize.
Learning in a structured environment
Use a Study Checklist
Every time I studied for a Salesforce certification, I kept a close eye on the exam outline to make sure I’m not missing any topics. So I’ve pretty much used it as a checklist, that I went back to regularly and marked the topics I had studied already and that I felt confident with.
Since the Trailhead Exam Guide doesn’t allow you to tick anything off, I’ve put together a Study Checklist with a complete list of all exam topics. You can print it out if you prefer, tick it off as you go and even add additional notes that help you with your studies.
HOT TIP: Avoid Salesforce Exam Dumps
You may come across Websites or Facebook Groups pretending to be Salesforce Training providers that offer complete Exam Dumps for free or for a small fee. These are not legal! Even if you do consider making use of them, any smart future employer will find out quickly that you have been cheating and your chances to find a job in the Salesforce Job Market will decrease significantly.
Follow a Structured Training Curriculum
Now that you have the list of topics, how do you actually go about learning them all? By stamping blindly through the Trailhead platform and finding the related learning modules. Just kidding.
I have created a comprehensive Trailmix “WeLearnSalesforce – Salesforce Administrator Credential” for you on Trailhead. It includes quizzes and hands-on challenges or projects for each exam topic.
It is based on the official Trailmix provided by Trailhead which is included in the official exam guide. However, I have added my own version of it. Why? Since I used to work closely with the Trailhead Academy as a Certified Salesforce Instructor for over 4 years, I know the contents really well and know what’s missing. So I’ve added a few more items to fill those gaps. I have also changed the order of the learning modules a little bit to make sure you get a more logical and therefore better learning experience.
This means you will learn each topic in chronological order building up your knowledge as you proceed. Some exam topics require prior knowledge of another topic, so I’ve structured the contents accordingly.
Join a formal Training Course
Everyone has a different learning style. From my experience in training thousands of students, I’ve realized that most students prefer to learn in a structured environment, with visual representation and guided hands-on exercises. I had a number of students join my trainings who initially started learning solely on Trailhead and found themselves lost.
In conjunction with the Trailmix I have set up for you, me and my team have created a Salesforce Video Learning Platform WeLearnSalesforce. It’s an online on-demand platform, giving you the freedom to choose a time and pace that suits your personal and business lifestyle. And since it’s all online, you can access our courses from any device such as your desktop, laptop or tablet, as long as it has an internet connection and an internet browser, e.g. Safari, Chrome, Firefox.
Our Salesforce Video Courses follow the Study Checklist and guide you through your Salesforce Learning Journey as you proceed. The structure of the videos is based on the essential elements of successful learning: Logical concepts using diagrams, workflows and checklists combined with common business use cases. Followed by Salesforce system demos and most importantly plenty of hands-on exercises.
Nothing is more important than “learning by doing”. Your own hands-on practice will help you internalize your newly acquired Salesforce knowledge. The hands-on exercises are completed on Trailhead following our WeLearnSalesforce Trailmix.
The Complete Salesforce Administrator Certification Course includes all the essential ingredients you need to prepare for your Salesforce Certification Exam:
- 16+ Hours of Video Content
- 600+ Pages Printable Study Workbook
- 5 Realistic Practice Exams – 60 Questions Each
- Covers ALL Exam Sections and ALL Exam Objectives
- 120+ Learning Units
- Bonus Practice Section
- Certification Exam Guide & Study Checklist
- Unlimited Access. Release Updates Included
Uncover the Secrets of successfully learning Salesforce
Practice Practice Practice
It’s all about Practice! You will hear me say this a lot. You can only get better with hands-on experience. It’s the key to your learning success and will help you ease your way through the exam you are preparing for.
HOT TIP: Don’t Learn By Heart
If you simply memorize the learning concepts without actually understanding the Why behind it, you will not only struggle in the exam. You will also struggle in your job when it comes to proving credible solutions.
There are aspects to the capabilities of the Salesforce platform that you will indeed need to learn by heart. This primarily includes platform limitations or license type limitations etc.
EXAMPLE:
KNOWLEDGE QUESTION (learn by heart)
How many components can be added to a Dashboard?
A) 10
B) 20
C) 50
The correct answer is B. You simply have to learn this by heart, there is no real logic behind it. The only reason might be that more than 20 becomes really hard to view, but Salesforce wouldn’t limit this if it was technically possible to add more than 20.
COMPREHENSION QUESTION (requires an understanding of context)
What are the results of deactivating a user instead of freezing?
A) Frees up a license
B) Does not remove from sharing privileges
C) Removes from Team Sharing if required
D) None of the above
The correct answers are A and C. There is a lot of logic behind these features. Deactivation is meant to be a permanent decision, e.g. when a user leaves the organization. So you would want to re-allocate the license you are paying for to someone else. Team Sharing will also be impacted. If the deactivated User would still appear as a team member, this can lead to confusion. Freezing on the other hand is a temporary solution, e.g. when running data imports or deployments.
Take Your Time
Don’t try to learn all at once. There is a lot of content to absorb and to get familiar with so it will take some time. You’ll need a bare minimum of three months, better six or more, especially when you are very new to Salesforce. Some topics are easier than others. Therefore you’ll notice that you may need to practice the trickier topics more than once.
Learn in Bite-Size Chunks
I recommend studying one unit at a time. Each unit is different in length and complexity.
Studying a unit includes:
- A video with learning concepts for each topic
- A follow-along segment within the same video where I demo the learnings in Salesforce
- A PDF Workbook for download, covering all units and to use to take notes
- Time to practice on your own*
- Time to study additional resource materials provided
*If you would like to practice the exact same steps, I recommend creating a new Playground to avoid duplication issues. Or use your own Developer Org and practice without guidance to gain more confidence.
Connect with Your Salesforce Learners Community
You are not alone. There are thousands of Salesforce learners out there. Connect with your peers to ask questions, get answers and share your own expertise and experiences.
I have set up dedicated WeLearnSalesforce Community Groups.
Come and join WeLearnSalesforce on Facebook and LinkedIn:
We are looking forward to meeting you!
And in the next article, we will look at strategies to test your knowledge. It’s one thing to learn and practice but it’s another to actually apply your learnings and find out whether you understand what you have been working on so long.
Salesforce Administrator Certification Guide Download Full Guide Here
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