The Salesforce platform app builder certification is for you if you are already aware of the lightning platform and able to design applications that can help businesses. The certification provides you with some sort of authentication in the job market.
If you have been working for 6 months on the Salesforce app builder, you should certainly go for certification to boost your career. When recruiters hire a candidate, they would certainly prefer certified candidates over non-certified ones.
Moreover, platform builder app certification opens the door to so many future opportunities. Salesforce Certified Platform App Builder Certification can be your first step toward a bright career in the Salesforce ecosystem.
So, now you would be clear about how important this certification is, and you might be thinking about where to start your preparation for this certification. It is undoubtedly confusing how to get started with the exam preparation.
This is the reason we have created this post to guide you through it. In this post, we will discuss step by step how to get started with your preparation for the platform app builder exam.
First of all, we discuss specific prerequisites for the exam, then the topics covered in the exam. After that, we will discuss what should be your ideal way of preparation and some tips to kickstart your exam preparation. So, let’s start with,
Who Can Be An Ideal Candidate For This Certification?
Before you start preparation, make sure you are eligible for the certification exams or not. So, here are the basic prerequisites for the exam.
- You should have a six-month to one year of experience in developing custom applications on Salesforce app builder. It makes you well aware of the basic features of the lightning platform.
- You need to have practical experience in understanding business processes and crafting applications for the same.
- You need to have knowledge of how mobile applications work and the integration of social apps.
- You should have a basic idea of different types of Salesforce licenses and their applications.
- You need to have experience handling and optimizing enterprise-level applications on smartphones and how applications are deployed after development.
Once you are fulfilling all those above-said prerequisites, then you are ready to start preparing for the platform app builder certification. First of all, let’s have a look at what will be covered in the exam.
Topics Covered in Platform App Builder Certification Exam
Here we will briefly cover what topics are included in the exam and their weightage so that you can prepare for the certification exam accordingly.
- Data Modeling and Management
As the topic name suggests, it covers Salesforce Data Modeling. It is one of the most important topics as it has 22% weightage in the exam. It checks your knowledge regarding custom objects, standard objects, lookup and master relationships, fields, and relationships. You need to have a good understanding of the fields and capabilities of schema builder.
- Salesforce Fundamentals
Salesforce Fundamentals have a 23% weightage in the exam. In this section, you can find the fundamentals of Salesforce. You might be aware of many concepts like field access, reports, objects, chatter, dashboard, mobile experience, and sharing. Refresh all these concepts for the exam.
- User Interface
This is also a very important topic for the exam as it has a 17% weightage. The topic will test your knowledge of how you can make application users’ life easy with the help of custom buttons, links, and actions.
- Business Logic and Process Automation
This is the core topic of app builder certification. The main objective of the Salesforce app builder is to enable any person to develop applications with sound knowledge of business logic and process automation. So, even if you do not know to code, you can still develop apps on this platform with the knowledge of business logic and process automation.
This topic has the highest 28% weightage in the exam. So Prepare this section carefully and put more emphasis on practical training on this topic.
- Application Deployment
App deployment has a 10% weightage in the exam. Although it is a small topic, it is very important in terms of usage. This topic might be challenging for newcomers. It involves testing and deploying changes from the sandbox, change sets and use cases of the application.
As you are aware of what to prepare for the certification exams, we shall now move to the vital part, which is how you would start preparing for the same. Let’s check out the preparation strategies involved in preparing for the Salesforce App Builder Certification exam.
Preparation strategy for the Platform App Builder Certification
After you assess your eligibility for the exam and go through the topics, the next step is to create a systematic plan to prepare for the exam. So, how would you get started with that? So, we have crafted a preparation strategy for that.
So, the best preparation strategy for the platform app builder certification is by going through each topic and then working on its use case. Learning the practical applicability of all the concepts is the best way to absorb all of the topics in the long term. So, here’s how you can do that.
First, list out all the topics in the syllabus and prioritize the sub-topics as per their importance in the exam. Then go through the theory part and learn to implement the concepts in real life. It will build your practical experience, and you will know about their use case in the companies. Go through the following steps to make your preparation easy.
- Review the Syllabus
Go through the complete syllabus and list out topics. Allot dates for each topic and prepare accordingly. Listing out the topics will remove all the complications in the preparation. Also, as we mentioned above, prioritize the topics on the basis of their weightage while listing them out for preparation.
- Implement the Concepts
We have already mentioned how important it is to implement the concepts. It does not only help you remember the concepts but also build your working portfolio.
- Self-Assessment
After every mock test, asses the results on your own. It will not only help you find how much knowledge you have gained so far but also you get to know on which topics you need to focus more. Not just for this exam, self-assessment is the best practice for preparation for any certification exam.
- Take Mock Tests
After you complete all the above steps, then the time comes to take mock tests to check your preparation and find areas to improve. By taking mock tests, you can get an idea about what to expect in the actual certification exam. Make self benchmarks and keep taking mock tests. It reinforces your learning and helps you find the areas where you are weak and strong so that you can take the actual certification exam with confidence.
Here joining online learning platforms help you a lot as they provide multiple rounds of mock tests before the exam, and you can get suggestions for improvement from their experts.
- Join Reliable Online Learning Platform
Joining online learning platforms are recommended because you can learn concepts from their experts, and you can build your practical knowledge under their mentorship. So, once you are ready with the list of concepts, approach a good online learning platform.
The reason for choosing an online learning platform over an offline one is that you can have the flexibility of timing to learn the concept. Also, you can learn at your own pace. One more advantage of joining an online learning platform is that they provide you with an excellent community where you do not feel alone while preparing. You can share your ideas and get your doubts resolved by like-minded people in the community.
So, now you know how to prepare for the exam, let’s discuss some other important points you should keep in mind before you start preparing.
What are the Do’s and Don’ts for Certification Preparation?
First of all, let’s discuss what you should do while preparing,
- Refer only to those reading materials that are approved by Salesforce. Trailhead is the official source of information. So, refer to Trailhead courses and live sessions as the official source of information.
- If you have not joined the Trailblazer community, then do that to get all the latest updates regarding Salesforce.
- Check all the official guidelines on Trailhead before starting preparation.
Now, let’s discuss what you should avoid,
- Do not engage in any behavior that violates Salesforce guidelines.
- Avoid study materials that do not comply with official Trailhead study materials.
- Avoid exam dumps.
Summing Up
That’s all about how to get started with the platform app builder certification preparation. Follow all the steps to kickstart your preparation for the exam. Proper planning and sticking to the timeline is the key to success in this certification exam. Also, you should join online communities and take mock tests to reinforce your learning.
So, when will you start preparing for the platform app builder certification? All the Best!
