Salesforce professionals will soon see new titles on 35 of the company’s coveted certifications as part of a significant update to its credential program, set to take effect on July 21, 2025. The move is part of a broader initiative to centralize all certification activities within Trailhead Academy and establish a more consistent naming structure across its extensive catalog.

The renaming effort spans various roles – administrators, developers, architects, and consultants – aiming for greater clarity and alignment with current job roles and Salesforce platform terminology. 

While the core skills validated by certifications remain, their presentation and organization will change. For example, “Salesforce Certified Administrator” becomes “Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator,” and “Salesforce Certified Advanced Administrator” transitions to “Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator II”. “Salesforce Certified Associate” will be known as “Salesforce Certified Platform Foundations”. 

These changes indicate a shift towards a platform-centric naming model, sometimes with increased product specificity.

Why is Salesforce renaming its certifications?

Salesforce’s commitment to a unified, intuitive certification experience drives these changes. Migrating all certification management to Trailhead Academy creates a single hub for professionals to manage credentials across Salesforce, Tableau, MuleSoft, and Slack. The current system, including Webassessor, will be phased out for Salesforce exams by mid-July. The last day to register for Salesforce exams via Webassessor is June 30, 2025; the final day to take exams there is July 13, 2025.

Salesforce states a key reason for the name changes is to “provide a consistent naming structure across the entire catalog of Salesforce certifications”. With the ecosystem’s rapid expansion, some original naming conventions became less aligned with current products and job specializations, causing some confusion. 

The new, standardized names are intended to offer clearer professional pathways and help employers understand the expertise each certification represents. This move includes shifting exam delivery to Pearson VUE, expected to offer test-takers greater flexibility and access through its extensive network and online proctoring.

What these changes mean for Salesforce professionals

Individuals holding Salesforce certifications need no immediate action to re-earn them; existing certifications remain valid. Trailblazer profiles will automatically update with the new names. New certificates issued after July 21 will bear these updated names, also reflected in the Partner Navigator Score if applicable.

Professionals should, however, update resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and other platforms with the new nomenclature post-changeover. Ensuring the email address on Trailblazer profiles matches those for Webassessor or Tableau accounts is crucial for smooth certification history synchronization into Trailhead Academy. Exams scheduled in Webassessor after July 13, 2025, must be rescheduled earlier or rebooked via Trailhead Academy after its launch. Unused, unexpired exam vouchers will generally be usable in the new system.

Ultimately, this transition is designed to simplify and enhance the certification journey. Consolidating resources and standardizing titles aims to support professionals navigating career development in Salesforce’s evolving ecosystem. Staying updated through official Salesforce Trailhead Community channels is key as July 21 approaches.

How do the Salesforce certification changes affect Focus on Force courses?

Starting July 21, we are updating the names of 14 courses to align with Salesforce’s new certification titles. Rest assured, you will continue to receive the same high-quality exam preparation resources, now updated to reflect these new names.

To see all 35 certifications impacted by the name changes, visit the Salesforce Trailhead website.