Let’s look at the agenda for this Salesforce certification path blog:
Introduction to Salesforce as a CRM Tool
In earlier days, companies used to create software for accomplishing different business-related tasks such as sales, marketing, customer support, and many more. However, the development of the software used to be time-consuming to be launched for the business. But, what if we already have a facility where we can just customize the feature that we want for our business with the same functionality that the software provides? It will help us save a lot of time. In this case, we just need to have a business idea and strategy. This is where a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool helps companies establish their business models in a fast and reliable way.

There are various CRM tools available for use, but Salesforce is one of the top trending CRM tools used by 150,000+ companies—from mid-size companies to Fortune 500 companies. Salesforce helps them grow the business on a secure, reliable, and scalable platform. It provides various applications for sales, marketing, automation and service, commerce, customer support, and many more.
Also, Salesforce provides various certifications for individuals who want to make their career in the field of Salesforce. Therefore, this blog aims to provide a Salesforce certification path to give you information about various types of certifications in Salesforce.
If you want to succeed in your Salesforce career, then you must start with this Salesforce Administrator training:
Types of Salesforce Certifications
Establishing a company using Salesforce is an easy job. But, it requires skilled professionals to set up the company as per the requirements. Also, there are multiple job roles in the field of Salesforce, such as Admin, Developer, Architect, Consultant, and many more. This blog on ‘Salesforce Certification Path’ will let us look at various Salesforce certification types and their details.
Looking to get started in Salesforce? Head on to our blog on Salesforce Tutorial for beginners.
Below is the image that shows Salesforce certification types:

- Administrator
- Consultant
- Developer
- Commerce
- Architect
- Marketer
This is the primary Salesforce certifications list. There are more certifications related to each of these categories that we will discuss in this guide on Salesforce certification career path.
Let’s begin with the Salesforce certification types for Administrator.
Certifications for Administrators
1. Salesforce Certified Administrator: The objective of Salesforce Certified Administrator certification is to provide certificates to the skilled Salesforce professionals who can build reports and manage various business processes, such as creating business-related workflows, ensuring data security, and maintaining Salesforce applications.
Level: Entry-level
Experience: 6–12 months
Prerequisites: None
No. of Questions: 60 MCQs
Exam Duration: 105 minutes
Passing Score: 65%
Exam Fee: US$200
Retake Fee: US$100
2. Salesforce Certified Advanced Administrator: The Salesforce Advanced Administrator certification is aimed at individuals with high-level knowledge and expertise in Salesforce administration. They have the responsibility of business management in Salesforce. In general, the roles and responsibilities of these professionals are similar to those of Salesforce Administrators, such as reports and dashboards creation, database management, application integration, and customer support.
Level: Mid-level
Experience: 1–2 years
Prerequisites: Administrator
No. of Questions: 60 MCQs
Exam Duration: 105 minutes
Passing Score: 65%
Exam Fee: US$200
Retake Fee: US$100
If you want to become a Salesforce Administrator, then enroll in this Salesforce Certification provided by Intellipaat.
3. Platform App Builder: For professionals who develop applications, Salesforce provides Salesforce Certified Platform App Builder. This credential is primarily intended for professionals working on the Force.com platform to develop, design, deploy, and configure Force.com applications.
Level: Entry-level
Experience: 3–6 months
Prerequisites: None
No. of Questions: 60 MCQs
Exam Duration: 105 minutes
Passing Score: 63%
Exam Fee: US$200
Retake Fee: US$100
Certifications for Consultants
1. Sales Cloud Consultants: The certification for the Sales Cloud Consultant is curated for a professional who designs and executes solutions for Sales Cloud. Also, the Sales Cloud Consultant is responsible for designing applications and their interfaces and for maintaining and implementing analytics for the purposes of monitoring.
Level: Mid-level
Experience: 2–5 years
Prerequisites: Administrator
No. of Questions: 60 MCQs
Exam Duration: 105 minutes
Passing Score: 62%
Exam Fee: US$200
Retake Fee: US$100
2. CPQ Specialists: CPQ (Configure Price Quote)Specialists Certification is aimed at the professional who works on the CPQ software. The CPQ software allows companies to give exact pricing for a product when provided with the product configuration scenario. Also, it helps them make effective decisions by integrating the Sales Cloud platform with their CRM.
Level: Mid-level
Experience: 6–12 months
Prerequisites: None
No. of Questions: 60 MCQs
Exam Duration: 105 minutes
Passing Score: 65%
Exam Fee: US$200
Retake Fee: US$100
3. Service Cloud Consultants: This credential honors people who develop contact center solutions, as well as analytical metric tracking solutions.
Level: Mid-level
Experience: 2–5 years
Prerequisites: None
No. of Questions: 60 MCQs
Exam Duration: 105 minutes
Passing Score: 67%
Exam Fee: US$200
Retake Fee: US$100
4. Field Service Lightning Consultants: This credential honors professionals who build Salesforce solutions and configure and administer Salesforce applications for customers.
Level: Mid-level
Experience: 2–5 years
Prerequisites: Admin & Service Cloud Consultant
No. of Questions: 60 MCQs
Exam Duration: 105 minutes
Passing Score: 63%
Exam Fee: US$200
Retake Fee: US$100
5. Community Cloud Consultants: Salesforce Communities apps are introduced by a professional having this certification. The professional also helps customers develop and maintain communities and diagnose platform-related problems.
Level: Mid-level
Experience: 2–5 years
Prerequisites: Admin
No. of Questions: 60 MCQs
Exam Duration: 105 minutes
Passing Score: 62%
Exam Fee: US$200
Retake Fee: US$100
6. Einstein Analytics and Discovery Consultant: This credential acknowledges the design and development skills of a consultant on the framework of Salesforce Einstein Analytics and Discovery.
Level: Mid-level
Experience: More than 1 year
Prerequisites: None
No. of Questions: 60 MCQs
Exam Duration: 90 minutes
Passing Score: 68%
Exam Fee: US$200
Retake Fee: US$100
7. Certified Non-profit Cloud Consultant: This credential is aimed at those professionals having skills and expertise to develop and execute Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud applications.
Level: Mid-level
Experience: 2–5 years
Prerequisites: Admin
No. of Questions: 60 MCQs
Exam Duration: 105 minutes
Passing Score: 67%
Exam Fee: US$200
Retake Fee: US$100
8. Education Cloud Consultant: This Education Cloud Consultant certification is meant for professionals who can develop and execute the Education Cloud for customers that should be maintained and scaled and should lead to long-term business growth.
Level: Mid-level
Experience: 3 years
Prerequisites: Admin
No. of Questions: 60 MCQs
Exam Duration: 105 minutes
Passing Score: 68%
Exam Fee: US$200
Retake Fee: US$100
Certifications for Developers
1. Platform Developer I: The Salesforce Platform Developer I exam aims to certify a professional with expertise in the creation and implementation of the basic business strategy and user interfaces by using the Lightning platform’s programmatic features.
Level: Beginner-level
Experience: 3–6 months
Prerequisites: None
No. of Questions: 60 MCQs
Exam Duration: 105 minutes
Passing Score: 65%
Exam Fee: US$200
Retake Fee: US$100
Do you want to know the salary earned by Salesforce professionals? Check out our blog on Salesforce Salary.
2. Platform Developer II: The certification for Salesforce Platform Developer II is created for Salesforce experts who are looking to validate their knowledge in executing advanced programmatic solutions using the Salesforce platform.
Level: Mid-level
Experience: More than 3 years
Prerequisites: Platform Developer I
No. of Questions: 60 MCQs
Exam Duration: 120 minutes
Passing Score: 70%
Exam Fee: US$200
Retake Fee: US$100
3. JavaScript Developer I: The certification for Salesforce JavaScript Developer I is for those candidates who are skilled in using the JavaScript language with one or more frameworks to build both frontend and backend applications. The candidates should be able to design, build, and test the applications created using JavaScript.
Level: Beginner-level
Experience: 1–2 years
Prerequisites: None
No. of Questions: 60 MCQs
Exam Duration: 105 minutes
Passing Score: 65%
Exam Fee: US$200
Retake Fee: US$100
If you are aspiring to clear the Salesforce Developer certification, then you must sign up for this Salesforce Platform Developer Training to enhance your preparation.
Certifications of Commerce
1. B2C Commerce Developer: This certification for Salesforce B2C Commerce Developer is focused on the candidates who have knowledge and experience in implementing Storefront Reference Architecture (SFRA) and configuring JavaScript controllers to implement business logic for an application.
Level: Mid-level
Experience: 3–6 months
Prerequisites: None
No. of Questions: 60 MCQs
Exam Duration: 105 minutes
Passing Score: 65%
Exam Fee: US$200
Retake Fee: US$100
2. B2C Commerce Architect: B2C Commerce Architects focus on off-platform applications, compatibility, the security of accessibility between systems, application deployment, testing resources, and the existing specifications for adjustments in Salesforce applications.
Level: Expert-level
Experience: More than 5 years
Prerequisites: B2C Commerce Developer
No. of Questions: 60 MCQs
Exam Duration: 105 minutes
Passing Score: 65%
Exam Fee: US$400
Retake Fee: US$200
3. Salesforce Accredited B2B Commerce Administrator: This Salesforce B2B Commerce Administrator Certification is for those individuals who have expertise in working on the administration of B2B products.
Level: Entry-level
Experience: 6 months
Prerequisites: None
No. of Questions: 50 MCQs
Exam Duration: 90 minutes
Passing Score: 70%
Exam Fee: US$200
Retake Fee: US$100
4. Salesforce Accredited B2B Commerce Developer: Individuals certified in this will have skills to develop a Salesforce B2B Commerce application. Also, this certification evaluates the programmatic capabilities of the candidates to customize business logic and UI with the help of Apex and Visualforce.
Level: Entry-level
Experience: 1 year
Prerequisites: None
No. of Questions: 50 MCQs
Exam Duration: 90 minutes
Passing Score: 70%
Exam Fee: US$200
Retake Fee: US$100
Certifications for Architects
1. Salesforce Data Architecture and Management Designer: This Salesforce certification exam targets candidates who can build a scalable architecture based on specific customer requirements.
Level: Expert-level
Experience: More than 5 years
Prerequisites: None
No. of Questions: 60 MCQs
Exam Duration: 105 minutes
Passing Score: 58%
Exam Fee: US$400
Retake Fee: US$200
If you are interested in earning any Salesforce certification, then sign up for this Salesforce CRM Training provided by Intellipaat.
2. Salesforce Sharing and Visibility Designer: This is for Salesforce Architects and those professionals who can design a secure data-sharing model using the Force.com platform that is scalable. Various businesses can rely on such a model for data security.
Level: Expert-level
Experience: More than 4 years
Prerequisites: None
No. of Questions: 60 MCQs
Exam Duration: 105 minutes
Passing Score: 67%
Exam Fee: US$400
Retake Fee: US$200
3. Development Lifecycle and Deployment Designer: This certification is created for professionals who can build frameworks and plans to develop and deploy applications using the Salesforce Lightning platform.
Level: Expert-level
Experience: More than 5 years
Prerequisites: None
No. of Questions: 60 MCQs
Exam Duration: 105 minutes
Passing Score: 68%
Exam Fee: US$400
Retake Fee: US$200
4. Application Architect: An Application Architect in Salesforce helps design a data model, a mechanism for data sharing, and add functionalities for role hierarchies. This Application Architect certification exam tests the ability of candidates to carry out the above-mentioned tasks.
Level: Expert-level
Experience: More than 5 years
Prerequisites: Salesforce Developer, Data Architecture and Management Designer, and Sharing and Visibility Designer.
5. System Architect: The Salesforce System Architect Certification is aimed at those candidates who are capable of integrating, securing, and managing Salesforce off-platform systems.
Level: Expert-level
Experience: More than 5 years
Prerequisites: Identity and Access Management Designer, Platform Developer I, and Development Lifecycle and Deployment Designer
This credential includes all the above mentioned certifications.
6. Certified Technical Architect: The Salesforce Certified Technical Architect exam checks the ability of the candidates to work on different development platforms to create an architecture for developing scalable and efficient technical solutions for clients using the Salesforce platform.
Level: Expert-level
Experience: More than 8 years
Prerequisites: Application Architect and System Architect
Exam Duration: 3 hours; besides, a 15-minute interval for scenario analysis and solution planning; then, 45 minutes for giving a summary of scenarios, and finally, a 40-minute session for giving answers to the questions
Exam Fee: US$6,000
Retake Fee: US$3,000
Certifications for Marketers
1. Pardot Specialists: The Salesforce Certified Pardot Specialist is a credential for those individuals who know how to design, build, and implement workflows for marketing using the Pardot platform.
Level: Entry-level
Experience: 3–6 months
Prerequisites: None
No. of Questions: 60 MCQs
Exam Duration: 90 minutes
Passing Score: 72%
Exam Fee: US$200
Retake Fee: US$100
2. Pardot Consultant: A Salesforce Pardot Consultant will have the capability, skills, and knowledge to design and implement solutions for various business needs by gathering appropriate requirements.
Level: Mid-level
Experience: More than 1 year
Prerequisites: Pardot Specialist
No. of Questions: 60 MCQs
Exam Duration: 105 minutes
Passing Score: 68%
Exam Fee: US$200
Retake Fee: US$100
3. Marketing Cloud Admin: The Salesforce Marketing Cloud Administrator certification is focused on evaluating whether the professionals have deep knowledge of data structures, can troubleshoot user requests, and perform account configuration using the Marketing Cloud setup.
Level: Entry-level
Experience: 3–6 months
Prerequisites: None
No. of Questions: 60 MCQs
Exam Duration: 105 minutes
Passing Score: 67%
Exam Fee: US$200
Retake Fee: US$100
4. Marketing Cloud Email Specialists: This credential is for candidates capable of creating powerful messages for marketing. Also, these email specialists have a thorough knowledge of scripting languages used in Marketing Cloud, along with knowledge of data configuration and report analysis.
Level: Mid-level
Experience: 6–12 months
Prerequisites: None
No. of Questions: 60 MCQs
Exam Duration: 90 minutes
Passing Score: 65%
Exam Fee: US$200
Retake Fee: US$100
5. Marketing Cloud Consultants: The Marketing Cloud Consultant certification is focused on providing credentials to professionals who can create marketing campaigns using emails by combining various marketing tools such as analytics and automation that can help in targeting potential customers.
Level: Expert-level
Experience: More than 1 year
Prerequisites: Marketing Cloud Administrator
No. of Questions: 60 MCQs
Exam Duration: 105 minutes
Passing Score: 67%
Exam Fee: US$200
Retake Fee: US$100
6. Marketing Cloud Developer: The Salesforce Marketing Cloud Developer certification checks the ability of the candidates to manage Salesforce Marketing Cloud and integrate SFMC with third-party platforms.
Level: Expert-level
Experience: More than 1 year
Prerequisites: Marketing Cloud Administrator
No. of Questions: 60 MCQs
Exam Duration: 105 minutes
Passing Score: 63%
Exam Fee: US$200
Retake Fee: US$100
In this Salesforce certification path, we covered all the Salesforce certifications for Administrator, Developer, Architect, Consultant, Commerce, and Marketing and their related details that you need to know. Stay tuned to know more about various Salesforce training and certifications.
If you have any doubts while preparing for any of these Salesforce certifications, then you can visit Intellipaat’s Salesforce Community!
The post Salesforce Certification Path - A Study Guide to All Exams in 2020 appeared first on Intellipaat Blog.