Certification


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Guide to Certification

Salesforce.com certification is a professional credential for Force.com developers and Salesforce administrators that validates your knowledge and skills. There are four levels of certification—two for administrators and two for developers. To qualify, you have to pass a certification exam.

This article describes the certification program, examining certification benefits, paths to certification, the certification exam structure. We end with a number of useful links that allow you to register for a certification and take part in the mailing list, which will keep you abreast of when certification is roled out in your country.

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Why Get Certified?

Earning a salesforce.com certification helps show off your hard-earned skills and opens new doors. We already have many developers and admins that are expert enough to take the exam and pass it—now you'll have an external validation of your expertise.

By becoming a Certified Administrator or Certified Force.com Developer, you join a select group of highly qualified individuals.

When you earn your credential by passing the requisite certification exam, you get:

  • A certificate
  • A "Salesforce.com Certified" logo to use on business cards and in email signatures
  • Free access to new feature content for 1 year to keep your certification current
  • Personal growth and professional advancement
  • Membership in the exclusive Salesforce Certified professional community
  • Access to special events
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Certification and Certification Paths

When you successfully pass a certification exam, you're considered certified. To maintain the certification over subsequent releases, you have to study for and take interim exams that test your knowledge of new release features. You’ll be automatically notified when these tests become available. The cost of the new release exams is included in the initial certification fee for 1 year. After that year, a maintenance fee is charged.

There are two levels of certification for developers: Salesforce.com Certified Force.com Developer and Salesforce.com Certified Advanced Developer.

Likewise, for administrators: Salesforce.com Certified Administrator and Salesforce.com Certified Advanced Administrator.

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Certification Preparatory Classes

To help get ready for the certification exams, you can sign up for one of the preparatory classes. The certification exam is included in the price of these classes. Of course, if you believe you're already at the right level, simply sign up for the certification.

For developers, we recommend the following preparatory classes:

  • DEV 401 Force.com Essentials
  • DEV 501 Visualforce, Apex, and DaaS

For administrators, we recommend:

  • ADM 201 Administration Essentials
  • ADM 301 Advanced Administration
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Certification Exam Structure

Developer certification exams feature multiple-choice and multiple-select questions that cover a broad range of topics. Each exam includes 75 questions, and you’ll be given 90-120 minutes to complete it. For the Salesforce.com Certified Force.com Advanced Developer exam, you’ll also have to review and submit Apex and Visualforce code to meet a prescribed set of requirements and explain your coding choices.

The exams tests for understanding of the most important Salesforce features rather than information that must be memorized. For this reason, the exams include few, if any, questions about limits, numbers, or items that can be easily looked up when needed. To get an idea of the level of difficulty, see the Developer Certification Study Guide, which will become available at the same time as the exam. Stay tuned by subscribing to the mailing list.

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Certification Rollout

Salesforce.com certification exams are proctored exams you can take at testing centers. We will be rolling out certification examination globally, starting with exams being made available in North America. After this, they will be made available in EMEA during fall of 2008, and then India, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Japan will follow. Stay tuned by subscribing to the mailing list or the developer.force.com blog.

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Summary

Salesforce.com certification is a professional certification, allowing you to validate and declare your expertise. Certification will be made available for both developers and administrators. The exams will be rolled out globally, starting fall of 2008. For any feedback or additional questions, please contact Training and Certification on the mailing list.

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Links

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