This study guide covers all of the topics in the Admin exam. It includes summaries of all topics, screenshots and review questions. The percentage weighting from the official study guide is added after each topic name.
Platform Administrator - Certification Goal
Resources
Lessons
Configuration and Setup III
- Given a scenario, demonstrate the proper setup and maintenance of users (user name is unique, locales, working hours, how to distribute licenses, types of licenses, not deleting a user, implications of making inactive, override, assigning feature licenses, management of users with various login methods).
- Explain the various organization Security Controls (for example: Identity verification, Setup Audit Trail, Login Hours, Session Settings, agent access).
- Given a user request scenario, apply the appropriate security controls based on the features and capabilities of the Salesforce sharing model (for example: Teams, Sharing hierarchy, public groups, org-wide defaults, sharing: roles, subordinates, role hierarchy, report and dashboard folders).
- Given a scenario, determine the appropriate use of a custom profile or permission set (using the various profile settings, permission set group, and muting).
- Knowledge Check
Object Manager and Lightning App Builder
- Describe the standard object architecture and relationship model (for example: standard object, parent/child, master detail/lookup/junction relationships, record types, Schema Builder).
- Explain how to create, delete, and customize fields and page layouts on standard and custom objects, and know the implications of deleting fields (roll-up summaries, cross object formulas, picklist dependencies, relationship fields).
- Given a scenario, determine how to create and assign page layouts, visibility on Lightning page layouts, record types, and business processes for custom and standard objects (quick actions and global actions).
- Test Your Skills!
- Knowledge Check
Sales and Marketing Applications
- Given a scenario, identify the capabilities and implications of the sales process (for example: leads, opportunities, path).
- Given a scenario, apply the appropriate sales productivity features using opportunity tools (for example: dashboards, lead scoring, Einstein for Sales, opportunity scoring, grading, and home page assistant, forecasting, territory management).
- Describe the capabilities of lead automation tools and campaign management (for example: leads, lead convert, lead assignment rules, campaign, and campaign members).
- Describe the capabilities of campaign management
Productivity and Collaboration
- Describe the capabilities of activity management (tasks, events).
- Describe the features of Chatter (groups, accessibility to groups, internal/external users).
- Describe the capabilities of the Salesforce mobile app (Lightning page, modifying the app, browser, app menu, visibility, branding mobile app, build launchpad).
- Identify use cases for AppExchange applications (awareness of managed or unmanaged packages, who is allowed to publish, prompts on AgentExchange, flows).
- Knowledge Check
Data and Analytics Management
- Data and Analytics Management Overview Video
- Describe the considerations when importing, updating, transferring, mass deleting, exporting, and backing up data (Archival, Apex data loader, Import Wizard).
- Describe the capabilities and implications of data validation tools (duplicate and matching rules, validation rules).
- Describe the options available when creating or customizing a report or report type (join objects together, with or without records, renaming the fields, formulas, bucket, join reports, chart settings, hide details, grouping totals, troubleshooting fields at a high level).
- Describe the impact of the sharing model on reports (visibility, understand folder structure, sharing fields).
- Describe the options available when creating and modifying dashboards (for example: dashboard widgets, data sources, chart types/settings, subscribing, dynamic dashboard, org licensing limits, view dashboard as, schedule refresh, filters).
- Knowledge Check
Automation
- Given a scenario, identify the appropriate automation solution based on the capabilities of the tool.
- Describe capabilities, use cases, and configuration for Flow (screen flows, record-triggered flows, autolaunched flows, order of execution).
- Describe capabilities, use cases, and configuration for the approval process (criteria for approvers, rejections, approvals).
- Test Your Skills!
- Knowledge Check
Agentforce AI
- Describe the capabilities and use cases of Agentforce (scenarios about use cases, when it’s appropriate to use AI, security, troubleshooting agent permissions).
- Explain how to maintain, update, or install prompts and instructions in Agent Builder (light testing, conversation preview).
- Knowledge Check
I am new to Salesforce and am starting with Admin part. Should I rely on focusonforce courses for understanding salesforce or I should do trailhead first.
We recommend that you use both at the same time, as you work through the topics. See our post here that has suggested steps:
https://focusonforce.com/salesforce-administrator-certification/
I would like to know if there is any option to print the guide to study?
Hi Deepika, as we update our materials frequently, we don’t have a printable view. However, you can open all toggles (except Review) and click CTRL/CMD+P.
Passed my cert yesterday. Bought these materials 5 weeks ago. The exam questions were probably harder but i still got 75%. I have to say for the price of these materials, the value you get out of them is insanely good. I’ll be recommending to others. I also think this course prepared me for actually being able to navigate and configure Salesforce well, rather than just focusing on passing an exam. Thanks for your help.
Congratulations on clearing the exam, Dan! The whole team is happy to know that our materials helped you in preparing for the exam! Cheers!
Been preparing for the Admin test via Trailhead but found it lackluster when it came to actually explaining goals of the test. Sure, there was useful information, but I didn’t feel confident at all despite completing pretty much everything except for Superbadges.
And then exactly a week ago before the exam I stumbled upon this very website. I read description, cross-checked opinions on various Salesforce-related forums and decided to give it a go and got myself Admin Guide + Practice Exams.
Lo and behold, I read the guide in about 3 days of spare time I had and then spent next 3 days doing Practice Exams and then got my first ever Salesforce credential on the first try.
Best thing about the guide was that it explained the logic behind the questions and what Salesforce wants you to know in order to pass – scenarios, trick questions, multiple choices, etc. Once you grasp that, you’re golden – it’s easy to find right answers even if you know just the basics from the guide. Guide also covers some obscure Salesforce features really well – with all the experience and Trailheads I would’ve had no idea some things existed or worked this way.
Many thanks to you, I’m off to get App Builder certificate now. Saving me a lot of time and effort here with theory systematization.
Congratulations on getting certified! We’re glad our materials helped you with getting your first certification. We hope that you’ll find our other study guides and exams just as useful as you prepare for the next ones. Cheers!
You helped me with the PD1 last year, then when I needed to go take the Admin Exam I knew just where to go. Thank You… passed the exam a few hours ago – 1st try – walking on sunshine now.
Congratulations on passing the exam, Lisa! We’re glad our materials helped.
Congratulations!!!!!!
Got Salesforce Certified Administrator on Feb 29, 2020. I passed the exam. This study guide is amazing which lists topics in detail, hard to find on SF Trailhead. As long as people take the time to truly understand the concepts, and create the scenario’s in the exam section of FOF they will have no issue passing real exam. The real exam was very different and few questions were from Trailhead practice exam. Overall I will give FOF 100 STARS for creating this guide. Thank you!
Congrats on passing the exam, and thanks for the nice words about our materials! We’re happy to hear that our courses helped you get certified!
Hi Martin,
I passed the ADM201 yesterday! FocusOnForce played a huge part. Thank you!
Regards,
Mark
Hi mward462, congratulations on passing the exam! The whole FoF team is happy to know that our materials helped!
I passed my admin test today on the first try and couldn’t have done it without your practice test! Thank you FocusonForce!
Hi Shea, that’s great news, congrats on passing. It’s great to hear that our materials were helpful!
I just passed my Admin Exam!! Big THANK YOU to team FOF and Martin for putting together such a great study resource! I’ll definitely continue to use it for my upcoming exam preparations! :))
Hi Dre, congrats, it’s great to hear that our materials were helpful!
I started and finished studying sales & marketing applications II without doing the first part of sales & marketing. When taking the topic exam, there were questions that were not part of that section like macros and forecasting. So I had to stop the quiz and start studying the previous section. It’s misleading to separate into two topic exams if both section topics are mixed. If that’s the case, then just have 1 big topic exam for both sections.
I understand your concern, however we have a lot of feedback that the exams should be split into smaller chunks or sections, so this one was split. The questions are mixed between the two parts, so you would need to review all of the Sales and Marketing study guide sections before doing the topic exams.