Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator Exam Guide
At a glance
- Questions
- 60
- Time limit
- 1h 45m
- Passing score
- 68% (English version); 65% (Japanese version)
- Exam fee
- $200
- Governing body
- Salesforce
The Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator certification validates your expertise in configuring and managing Salesforce environments. This credential is designed for professionals who administer Salesforce instances, manage users, customize configurations, and ensure the platform runs smoothly. It's a valuable credential for IT administrators, system administrators, and anyone responsible for maintaining Salesforce systems in their organization.
The exam covers eight core domains: Configuration and Setup, Object Manager and Lightning App Builder, Sales and Marketing Applications, Service and Support Applications, Productivity and Collaboration, Data and Analytics Management, Automation, and Agentforce. These topics span the full breadth of platform administration, from user management and data integrity to application customization and workflow automation.
The exam registration fee is US$200 plus applicable taxes. If you need to retake the exam, the retake fee is US$100 plus applicable taxes. To maintain your certification, you must complete one maintenance badge annually, aligned with Salesforce's Spring, Summer, and Winter release cycles.
The exam consists of 60 multiple-choice questions plus up to five additional unscored questions, delivered in 105 minutes. You must score at least 68% to pass (65% for the Japanese version). The exam is proctored and available either onsite at a testing center or online in an online proctored environment. Salesforce recommends six or more months of hands-on administrator experience before attempting the exam.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the Salesforce Certified Administrator exam, and how long do I get?
<h3>Exam format at a glance</h3><p>The Salesforce Certified Administrator exam consists of 60 multiple-choice questions plus up to five additional unscored questions, and you are allotted 105 minutes to complete it. Because the extra questions don't count toward your score, focus your pacing on the 60 scored items — that works out to roughly 1.75 minutes per question if you spread your time evenly.</p><ul><li>60 scored multiple-choice questions (up to 5 unscored)</li><li>105-minute time limit</li></ul>
What score do I need to pass, and what does it cost to register or retake?
<h3>Passing score and fees</h3><p>The passing score is 68% for the English version of the exam (65% for the Japanese version). The initial registration fee is US$200 plus applicable taxes, and if you need to retake it, the retake fee is US$100 plus applicable taxes. Note that the passing threshold is a percentage of scored questions, so aim comfortably above 68% in your practice tests to leave a safety margin.</p><ul><li>Passing score: 68% (English), 65% (Japanese)</li><li>Registration fee: US$200 + tax</li><li>Retake fee: US$100 + tax</li></ul>
What topics does the exam cover, and how much experience should I have first?
<h3>Content domains and prerequisites</h3><p>The current exam guide aligns to the Summer '25 release and organizes the exam into eight content domains: Configuration and Setup, Object Manager and Lightning App Builder, Sales and Marketing Applications, Service and Support Applications, Productivity and Collaboration, Data and Analytics Management, Automation, and Agentforce. Salesforce recommends six or more months of experience as a Salesforce Administrator before attempting the exam. The addition of an Agentforce domain reflects the platform's move toward AI features, so hands-on time with recent releases is worth prioritizing.</p><ul><li>Eight domains, including the newer Agentforce domain</li><li>Aligned to the Summer '25 release</li><li>Recommended: 6+ months of admin experience</li></ul>
How do I take the exam, how much should I study, and how do I keep the certification active?
<h3>Delivery, study time, and maintenance</h3><p>The Administrator exam is a proctored exam delivered onsite at a testing center or in an online proctored environment, so you can choose whichever setting you're more comfortable in. For preparation, Salesforce's recommended certification Trailmix is estimated at approximately 60 hours of learning. Once you pass, the certification isn't permanent: you must complete one maintenance badge per year to keep it active. These maintenance badges align with the three annual Salesforce release cycles (Spring, Summer, and Winter), and each badge is due one year from when it becomes available — the certification expires if you miss the deadline. Budgeting the ~60 study hours across the weeks before your test date makes the workload more manageable than cramming.</p><ul><li>Proctored: onsite testing center or online</li><li>~60 hours of Trailmix learning recommended</li><li>One maintenance badge per year, tied to Spring/Summer/Winter releases</li></ul>