Well I did it, I signed up to take the test to become one of the "first 500" certified Salesforce.com administrators. Talked a bit about it in my post here, and I’m making the trek down to San Mateo to take the test next week. 60 multiple choice questions of Salesforce.com goodness. I downloaded the study guide, checked out the sample questions…and promptly had a minor heart attack.
I’ve been a "power user" for 4 years, built custom apps, implemented from scratch at one company and helped with a few others. I’m the guy people call with Salesforce.com questions…and I usually have the answers! But maybe this certification won’t be the piece of cake I thought it was…and that kind of makes me want it more.
One of the beauties of Salesforce.com is the ease of use. When you understand the way it works, and how things relate to each other, it is easy to accomplish so much with very little further instruction. Or, there are easy to find hints or recommendations within the help and training section. I feel like if the exam were a "practical exam" which set me in front of a browser and asked me to accomplish things there would be no problem. But that’s not how it works. There are 60 multiple choice questions, and you need to get 67% of them right in 90 minutes to pass.
Here is a sample questions from the study guide:
- Which of the following is a standard profile? (Select all that apply.)
- A. Sales User
- B. Marketing User
- C. Invoice Manager
- D. Contract Manager
Umm…Sales User, right? After all, Salesforce.com was born as an SFA tool and the majority of users are sales users so they should be set up right out of the box….and yes on Marketing User, but not the other two…I don’t know, it’s been a long time and I’ve created a ton of my own profiles, which ones did I create and which ones came with? Um…A and B?
WRONG! Sales User is not a standard profile.The answer is B (Marketing User) and D (Contract Manager).
I exchanged an email with a colleague with some connections at Salesforce.com regarding the exam last week, and her suggestion was to beware of the nitpicky questions like "how many custom fields are allowed on a record in Professional edition" and to prepare by downloading and printing out the user guide and making notes in the margins. The full user guide is 1700 pages long! I’ve never used Professional Edition! Holy cow!
I need to go study. Any tips or tricks welcome. Please post below. Please. 
Examination: Salesforce.com Certified Administrator Exam
Result: Pass
Took the exam this morning and my story began the same way yours did (only 1 year of experience though). I was the only one in a large room taking the exam. I could feel my arms shaking while the proctor logged me in. 30 minutes later, I was walking out the door with a smile on my face.
Not the hardest test I’ve taken, but challenging since there are so many modules to study. I would just focus on the study guide and refresh yourself on parts of SF you rarely venture into (Cases, Solutions, etc). There were a few questions that took a little more time than the others, but a little process of elimination goes a long way. Good luck!
Hey, Mike. Thanks for the advice…I passed! Your tips were dead on, but move the emphasis on security and customization. It was definitely a challenging test.
I’m hoping to take the test shortly. I’m curious as to what the “giftbag” those of you who pass was filled with. I assume that I won’t be in the first 500, but I’m just curious on what I missed out on.
Hi, Rebecca…to be honest the “gift bag” was a little questionable. Other than bragging rights, most of what they offered was special recognition/seating at Dreamforce if you are going.
Ahh, I see. Well I plan on taking my exam the Sunday before Dreamforce. I hope I pass!
I only had 1 year of experience and unfortunately I had a hard time with the test since I don’t venture into certain areas of SFDC. I focused my reading on a high level of every aspect of SFDC but not the details. The test I took primarily focused on Leads and Workflows. I plan on taking it again and studying it much better in detail. Although if you have any suggestions, please let me know.
I took it and Dreamforce & passed! I got a pin and a hat, if people were curious.
Congrats, Rebecca! I heard they have close to a 40% failure rate. I wouldn’t call it an an “easy” test, very technical. Bone up on security measures, people!
I passed the exam a few weeks back… no pin, no hat. I feel a bit robbed! I created a site to help myself study, you can find some info about the test and a short practice exam @ http://forcecertified.com
Hope this helps
I am planning on taking the exam in January, and have been going over the study guide. I don’t have much hands-on experience with SFDC. Any pointers on what I should be focusing on? Other than the 15 questions on forcecertified.com, are there other sample questions floating around?