Salesforce Administrator Cheat Sheet.
The night-before summary, built like the exam.

Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator — Cheat Sheet

A condensed, scannable reference for exam-week review. Pair this with hands-on Trailhead practice — this exam rewards muscle memory in the Setup menu, not just definitions.

Exam Logistics At-a-Glance

The 8 Content Domains (Quick List)

1. Configuration and Setup
2. Object Manager and Lightning App Builder
3. Sales and Marketing Applications
4. Service and Support Applications
5. Productivity and Collaboration
6. Data and Analytics Management
7. Automation
8. Agentforce

Because the guide organizes content into these eight domains, expect the exam's question distribution to roughly track them — don't neglect the smaller-sounding domains like Productivity and Collaboration just because they feel less "admin-y."

Key Terms and Concepts to Memorize

Configuration & Data Model

• Object Manager: where custom objects, fields, page layouts, and record types live.
• Field-level security vs. page layout visibility vs. sharing rules — three separate, stackable access layers.
• Role hierarchy grants implicit access downward; it does not grant editing rights unless combined with sharing settings.
• Organization-wide defaults (OWD) set the baseline; sharing rules, manual sharing, and role hierarchy only ever widen access, never restrict it further.
• Validation rules fire on save and block bad data; they are distinct from required fields and duplicate rules.

Automation

• Flow is the modern automation tool of choice; know record-triggered, screen, and scheduled flow variants.
• Order of operations on save matters: validation rules, before-save flows/triggers, then after-save automation.
• Approval processes route records through defined steps with field updates, locking, and notifications.

Sales, Service & Productivity Apps

• Lead conversion creates Account, Contact, and Opportunity records (Opportunity only if a conversion option is selected).
• Case escalation rules and assignment rules route Service Cloud work automatically.
• Chatter, List Views, and Kanban views drive day-to-day collaboration and pipeline visibility.

Data & Analytics Management

• Data Import Wizard handles small volumes and standard objects; Data Loader (or Bulk API tools) handles large volumes and more objects.
• Reports answer single-object or related-object questions; Dashboards visualize report data and refresh on a schedule or on demand.
• Duplicate and matching rules prevent redundant records at the point of entry.

Agentforce

• Agentforce brings AI-driven agents into the platform; know at a conceptual level how agents, topics, and actions relate, since this domain is newly folded into the current guide.

Common Gotchas and Traps

• Profiles vs. Permission Sets: profiles set the baseline (one per user); permission sets and permission set groups only add access, never subtract it.
• Roles control record visibility via hierarchy; profiles control object/field-level permissions. Mixing these up is one of the most common exam traps.
• "Public Read/Write" OWD makes sharing rules and manual sharing largely irrelevant for that object — watch for scenario questions testing this.
• Workflow Rules and Process Builder are legacy; Flow is the tested, forward-looking automation tool — don't assume deprecated tools are the "correct" exam answer.
• Required vs. Universally Required fields behave differently depending on whether the requirement is set on the field itself or the page layout.
• Read the question for the *most specific* correct answer — Salesforce exams frequently offer two technically-true answers where only one fully satisfies the scenario's constraints.
• Time-based workflow actions and scheduled flow paths can be delayed or removed if criteria change before they fire — a frequent trick in automation questions.

Night-Before Checklist

• Confirm your testing appointment: onsite location or online-proctor system requirements (webcam, ID, clear desk) as applicable to your chosen delivery method.
• Review the full list of 8 content domains one more time and mentally rate your confidence in each.
• Skim your notes on Profiles vs. Permission Sets vs. Roles vs. OWD — this distinction shows up across multiple domains.
• Do a light Flow refresher: trigger types, order of execution, and common automation scenarios.
• Re-check registration and retake fee amounts so there are no logistics surprises if a retake is ever needed.
• Get sleep — a 105-minute exam covering eight domains rewards steady recall over cramming.
• Have valid photo ID ready and arrive/log in early to handle check-in without rushing.