How To Become a Salesforce Certified Associate?

This article will help you provide information about the recommended training for the Salesforce certification exam and documentation and how long it takes to become a Salesforce-certified Associate.

Who Is An Ideal Candidate for Salesforce Certified Associate?

An ideal candidate is someone with knowledge about the Salesforce platform and up to 6 months of Salesforce user experience. Salesforce Associates should have knowledge related to

• Fundamentals of Salesforce report, security, customization, and data management.
• Can solve business requirements with Salesforce.

Also read – What is a Salesforce certified associate?

Who Should Give This Exam?

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• If you are new to the Salesforce ecosystem and want to learn about the Salesforce platform to make it your career
• If you are working as a Salesforce Admin and want to get validation of your knowledge for a promotion
• If you are looking for a Salesforce Consultant as your next job

About Salesforce Certified Associate Exam

• The exam consists of 40 multiple questions and needs to be completed in 70 minutes.
• You have to secure 62% to pass the examination, which means at least getting 25 correct answers.
• The exam cost is $75 + tax (applicable as per local law), and no retake fee.
• You can give the exam in the comfort of your home or at the examination center.

Exam Syllabus

The exam is divided into 4 parts.

1. Salesforce Ecosystem – 32%
2. Navigation – 28%
3. Data Model – 25%
4. Reports and Dashboards – 15%

Salesforce Ecosystem – 32%

This is the area with the most weightage in the exam. It contains 13 questions. You will be tested for your knowledge of the Salesforce ecosystem, including

• How companies use salesforce customer 360
• What is the salesforce CRM system and how does it work?
• How does it help businesses to solve their problem?

Other topics to learn under the Salesforce ecosystem

• Salesforce values that include

1. Trust 
2. Customer Success
3. Innovation
4. Equality
5. Sustainability

• Trailhead and trailblazer community
• Types of salesforce operations
• Salesforce for Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP)
• Salesforce architecture

Navigation – 28%

This part of the section accounts for 11 questions out of 40. It will test your understanding of how to navigate through this

• Knowledge of accounts and contacts in the sales cloud
• Understanding of the Salesforce exchange app
• Scrum and Kanban workflows
• User Management
• Personalization to add color and visuals
• Choose the right search solution in Salesforce
• How to customize lightning in Salesforce
• How to view list in Salesforce

Data Modeling – 25%

This section consists of 10 questions out of 40. This section will test your understanding of standard objects, their relationship, and managing data access level in the organization. It includes the following topics

• Managing Leads in Salesforce
• Managing data security
• Using formulas in lighting for customization
• Create custom field to manage your business data
• Getting to know about permission sets

Reports and Dashboard – 15%

This section has the lowest weightage as it contains 6 questions out of 40. But this section cover one of the most important topics, which includes

• Basic of creating reports and dashboards
• How to create reports in Lightning experience
• How to create joined reports
• Use cross filters

Check out our in-depth guide to the complete Salesforce Associate Certification Syllabus.

Thoughts and Tips for the Exam

1. Get Practical Experience 

You will need to understand the basics of the Salesforce platform. Such as how to find records, customize list view, personalize settings, etc

2. Read Questions Properly

As with any exam, it is essential to read the questions correctly and read a few times. In scenario-based questions, you will get clues to answer correctly if you carefully read the question.

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3. Answering Strategy

While answering the question, make sure to eliminate such questions that you think are incorrect. However, Salesforce gives a twisted option that seems to be correct but is different from the right answer. So focus on standard Salesforce features which will help you get accurate answers.

4. Understand Command Words

Understand every command word properly. This is a scenario-based exam in which you are not expected to know every topic in detail, but you should know how to apply Salesforce solutions.

5. Section Weightage

In this exam, different sections have different percentage weightage; Salesforce ecosystem, Navigation, and Data Model have almost similar weightage, while Reports and Dashboards have the lowest weightage. So put your effort accordingly. 

Related read – Explore how much a Salesforce certified associate earns

Summing up

This certification is an introductory credential to getting a clear understanding of the Salesforce CRM platform. Obtaining this certificate will be of great help if you are planning to become a Salesforce-certified professional. 

Now is the best time to crack the exam. Check out our free Salesforce Associate certification course – get personalized study plans, free mock exams, quizzes, flashcards and much more.

Sign up with saasguru, Now! Also, install our Salesforce Learning App/ IOS App  to make your learning process convenient and seamless.