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My certification journey began 10 years after the VH1 Storytellers album with Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson was released. That journey has led me to eight product certifications, and it isn’t over yet...

In nearly all the product training courses I teach, several students inevitably approach me after class worried about a certification exam. I recognize the look on their faces, as I’ve seen it on my own eight times before. It’s the look of a worried man (or woman), like the one described by Johnny Cash in Worried Man. So for my students past and future (and Mr. Cash!), this song (post) is dedicated to you...Hit it!

The Greatest Hits. The most helpful documentation for your certification journey.
First things are always first. Download the certification exam guide for the exam you are studying for. It outlines the concepts tested on the exam. Click the certification track you are studying. Click the See Details link and scroll halfway down the page. The Exam Guide is a link in the About the Exam section on the right side of the page. After downloading the exam guide, print it out. I know, but trust me, it will be helpful.

You should physically note your progress on it. I review all the concepts on the exam guide and write a 1, 2, or 3 next to each concept:

  • 1 means I understand the concept well and don’t need to study it.
  • 2 means I have some understanding of it but need to study it further.
  • 3 means I am unfamiliar with the concept.

I then focus my studying on the 2s and 3s. I promote my 3s to 2s and my 2s to 1s. Once I have all the concepts with 1s next to them, I know I have done a comprehensive concept review.

Always reference Salesforce curated documentation to ensure you are studying Salesforce-vetted materials. There are Salesforce documents and technical websites on the internet not vetted by the Salesforce Documentation team or Salesforce University. When referencing what we call at Salesforce University “gray materials,” you never know how accurate or up-to-date the material is. This can lead to studying something incorrectly. It isn’t worth the risk.

Your Playlist. Resources to help guide you on your path.
In addition to the exam guide, download the guide book. It outlines specific exam preparation resources. Again, print out the pages for the exam journey you are on.

  • Trailhead trails, E-learning, Videos, Communities, and Instructor-Led Training are all linked to directly in the guide book.
  • Cross-reference the exam guide concepts with the guide book resources.
  • Place check marks next to the resource, with different pen colors, to indicate how many times you have reviewed the resource.
  • The number of check marks indicate the features that require more review. It also helps track your progress, and you can show it off to others as well!

Give yourself a “release date” and register for the exam. With an actual date to work towards, you can better plan your journey. Create a Webassessor account using personal information (notably an e-mail address) to help ensure key communications such as maintenance exams reach you. Unless you plan to work for your current employer for the rest of your life, use your personal contact information.

The Album. The exam format itself.

  1. Multiple Choice/Multi-Select Question
  • Single Selection
  • Multi-Selection (will indicate how many to select)
  • Time-based (per exam)
  • 90 Minutes (Administrator, Advanced Administrator, App Builder, Marketing Cloud Consultant, Marketing Cloud Email Specialist, Pardot, etc.)
  • 105 Minutes (Platform Developer 1, Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, etc.)
  • 120 Minutes (Platform Developer 2, Identity & Access Management Designer, Sharing & Visibility Designer, etc.)

A New Release. Exam feedback now available!
Much requested and highly anticipated, section-level feedback is now available for most multiple-choice certification exams. Delivered to you via email along with your overall pass or fail result, the feedback will be in the form of percentage scores to help you determine your strengths and weaknesses on each section of knowledge covered in the exam.

4 Bonus Recordings. Hints and tips to help you along the way.

  1. Create acronyms, diagrams, and mnemonic devices. Write them down on your scratch paper when you sit down for the exam but before you click the start button. That time is valuable. A few that helped me with the Administrator certification was:
  • The Order of Execution: Very Angry Admins Work Pretty Efficiently
    Very = Validation Rules
    Angry = Assignment Rules
    Admins = Auto-Response Rules
    Work = Workflow
    Pretty = Process
    Efficiently = Escalation Rules
  • Record Owners have a VESTED interest in their records
    View, Edit, Share, Transfer Ownership, Delete
  • Custom Objects are CRRSS
    Configurable, Relational, Reportable, Searchable, Secureable
  • Have a “Mark for Consideration” strategy. While progressing through the exam, you have the ability to mark a question for consideration. I only mark a question for consideration if I believe spending more time on it, once I have answered all the exam questions, will help me answer it correctly.
  • I need total silence when I take exams. Bring earplugs that fit in your ear. Foam earplugs are adequate.
  • Failure is an option. Plenty of test takers do not pass our exams the first time. Do not worry about being one of them.

Exclusive Gig. Destination Success 2017.
Our dedicated training and certification event is coming up in March. This is the perfect place to get certified. With 100+ hours of expert-led training for nine learning tracks across five different Salesforce roles, you'll also have access to multiple free certification exam opportunities. What's more, you'll be surrounded by experts, study halls, and others—just like you—sharing a wealth of knowledge to help you reach your goal. I've got my ticket—do you?

So there you have it! My Greatest Hits of hints and tips for your certification journey! I now find myself a “Worried Man” once more as I navigate towards the Platform Developer I certification. Even though the programmatic side of the application is a new genre for me, as Cash would say, “Hardin wouldn't run,” and neither will I. With the right playlist (and a bit of hard work), I'm sure I'll make it to the No.1 spot.

A big thank you to Wendy Braid, Kevin Corcoran, and Andy Anderson for collaborating on this musical number.

Hidden Tracks. Additional Useful Links.