With registration now open, we're already counting down to Dreamforce '17—set to be the learning event of the year. With 2700+ sessions and learning opportunities, 5x three-day pre-conference training courses, hands-on training (HOTs), and certification sessions running all week, there's no excuse for leaving the City by the Bay without learning something new!

You should also plan to trailblaze your way to becoming Salesforce certified (or more certified, as the case may be!) before you leave. Here's the low-down on how everyone can make the most of the certification opportunities available at Dreamforce.

Why Certify at Dreamforce?

If you've you been thinking about sitting for a certification exam for a while now, or you want to build out your existing cert portfolio, Dreamforce '17 is the place to do it! Take advantage of the “Dreamforce Only” special pricing of 50% off your exam. How? Simply register for your certification when you complete your Dreamforce registration. Then choose your exam time when the Agenda Builder goes live. Exam sessions will start on the Sunday before the main event kicks off and will run throughout the week.

1. Get “Exam Ready”

You've booked your spot, you know the date—now what? A great place to start is to download the exam guide from the certification site. Also, download the Guide to Certification, which is packed full of valuable study resources. Be sure to join the Success Community to connect with fellow trailblazers. Then get yourself on Trailhead, the fun way to learn Salesforce. It's the perfect way to validate your mastery, at your own pace, and get ready for your certification exam.

You can earn badges (by completing trails with modules and projects) or superbadges (skill-based credentials that showcase your Salesforce expertise). If existing Trailhead badges represent what you’ve learned, superbadges prove that you can take what you’ve learned and apply it to solve complex business problems, and they'll look pretty good on your resume, too!

2. Pre-Conference Preparations

To enhance your Dreamforce experience, and for the ultimate in cert prep, get trained by Salesforce “masters” via one of our 3-day in-depth pre-conference sessions. Covering Admin, Advanced Admin, Platform Developer I, and App Builder topics, it's the perfect in-person way to sharpen your self-study skills. A Salesforce-certified expert will be on hand to walk you through any of your “Achilles heel” areas. And, you'll be in a room full of other cert hopefuls, just like you, with whom you can share your thoughts, ideas, and study plans.

3. Study the #SalesforceOhana Way

We all know how invested people in the Salesforce ecosystem are in each other's success. This makes Dreamforce a great place to grab the chance to study with your #SalesforceOhana. Check in with your local User Groups to see who else is around to practice your flash cards with. Or set up a study session of your own and invite people via the Success Community. Visit the certification study hall, where there will be experts on hand to answer all your questions. And soak up the atmosphere of learning that will be surrounding you in abundance this Dreamforce.

4. Cert Tips From the Pros

We're always looking to bring you stories of how others have succeeded on their certification journey. Salesforce MVP and 22x certified Mayank Srivastava has added over 10,000 answers to the success community! With this level of expertise, you’ll want to read his top certification study tips!

Salesforce-certified Instructor, Garrett Farwell, shares his “Greatest Hits” round-up on tips for acing your exam. And if you don't happen to be successful on your first attempt, you can check out #CertHero Michael Drzewiecki's post about making the most of that all important section-level feedback.

If you haven't yet registered for Dreamforce, get your skates on! It was completely sold out last year, so you don't want to miss out. And if you haven't yet registered for a certification session while you're there, why not? It's going to be THE place to hone your skills, network with the best of the best, and trailblaze your way to a coveted Salesforce credential.

Want more? Check out the video or podcast below, and good luck!