The Complete List of Salesforce Certifications for Your Team In 2024
As a CRO, you understand that the increasingly competitive business landscape rewards organizations that optimize customer relationships. Understanding the Salesforce ecosystem and helping your team leverage its full potential can be pivotal for revenue growth and overall organizational success.
We’ve compiled the following list of Salesforce certifications so that you can decide which modules are most relevant to your business and what it would take for Salesforce professionals to take on a role in the areas of Salesforce Admin, Salesforce Consultant, Salesforce Marketing, and more. Whether you’re looking to help beginners within your organization complete their first certification courses or you’re looking to promote a certified platform developer, this list includes the prerequisites, certification cost information, and practice exams you need to help your team prepare.
When reviewing the study guide for an exam, you’ll see the fundamentals required for the certification along with a practice test with multiple-choice questions to help your team study. If anyone fails their administrator exam, they have three chances to retake the test.
Associate Certifications
Certified Associate
Who it’s for: This is the first certification a new employee can earn on the Salesforce platform.
Level: Entry
Prerequisites: None
Cost: $75
Admin Certifications
Certified Administrator
Who it’s for: This is the entry level Salesforce administrator credential.
Level: Entry
Prerequisites: Six months to a year of experience
Cost: $200
Advanced Administrator
Who it’s for: Administrators with enough experience and motivation can take the step to the next level with the Advanced Administrator certification.
Level: Middle Level
Prerequisites: Salesforce Administrator certification and one to two years experience
Cost: $200
Platform App Builder
Who it’s for: People that want to learn how to create custom applications using Salesforce infrastructure.
Level: Entry
Prerequisites: Three to six months experience
Cost: $200
Designer Certifications
User Experience (UX) Designer
Who it’s for: This mid-level salesforce certification allows people to focus on developing and troubleshooting programs that are customer-focused.
Level: Middle level
Prerequisites: Three months UX design experience
Cost: $200
Strategy Designer
Who it’s for: Strategy designers are more focused on building organizational systems and this path is great for anyone looking to work on B2B projects.
Level: Senior
Prerequisites: At least two years experience
Cost: $200
Consultant Certifications
Service Cloud Consultant
Who it’s for: A service cloud consultant has demonstrated the ability to design and roll out Service Cloud functionality.
Level: Middle level
Prerequisites: Administrator
Cost: $200
CPQ Specialist
Who it’s for: The CPQ specialist exhibits proficiency with CPQ implementations and can begin designing and building new projects.
Level: Middle level
Prerequisites: Six months experience
Cost: $200
Sales Cloud Consultant
Who it’s for: A sales cloud consultant shows similar proficiency as a service cloud consultant, except in the area of Salesforce Cloud functionality.
Level: Middle level
Prerequisites: A Salesforce certification in administration
Cost: $200
Field Service Consultant
Who it’s for: Service cloud consultants can move onto this step if they have an interest in Field Service Lightning applications.
Level: Middle level
Prerequisites: Service cloud consultant and two years experience
Cost: $200
Experience Cloud Consultant
Who it’s for: An Experience Cloud Consultant can design and roll out communities using Experience Cloud infrastructure.
Level: Middle levell
Prerequisites: Administrator and two years experience
Cost: $200
Tableau CRM & Einstein Discovery Consultant
Who it’s for: This certification exam proves that someone is capable of building and managing applications with Tableau CRM and Einstein Discovery.
Level: Middle level
Prerequisites: One year experience
Cost: $200
Nonprofit Cloud Consultant
Who it’s for: This exam is for those who have acquired experience with the Nonprofit Success Pack and are able to work with Nonprofit Cloud Solutions.
Level: Middle level
Prerequisites: Administrator and two years experience
Cost: $200
Education Cloud Consultant
Who it’s for: This is a career path for someone who has gained experience with the Education Data Architecture after beginning as an administrator.
Level: Middle level
Prerequisites: Administrator and three years experience
Cost: $200
Omnistudio Consultant
Who it’s for: An Omnistudio Consultant has demonstrated expertise with OmniStudio and is capable of using it to design custom solutions to customers’ concerns and help them scale successfully.
Level: Middle level
Prerequisites: Three years experience
Cost: $200
Certified Business Analyst
Who it’s for: A certified business analyst is versed in how to help customers get the most from their Salesforce solutions.
Level: Middle level
Prerequisites: Salesforce certified administrator and two years experience
Cost: $200
Developer Certifications
Platform Developer I
Who it’s for: The Platform Developer I is the entry level position for people pursuing a career in program development.
Level: Entry level
Prerequisites: None
Cost: $200
Platform Developer II
Who it’s for: This Salesforce certification is for platform developers who show advanced skill with the Lightning platform.
Level: Middle level
Prerequisites: Platform Developer I and two years experience
Cost: $200
Javascript Developer I
Who it’s for: For aspiring developers who have an interest in learning how to work with JavaScript.
Level: Entry level
Prerequisites: One year experience
Cost: $200
Industries CPQ Developer
Who it’s for: An Industries CPQ Developer knows how to build applications for Salesforce Communications, Media, and Energy & Utilities Clouds.
Level: Middle level
Prerequisites: One year experience
Cost: $200
Omnistudio Developer
Who it’s for: This is a certification for someone interested in pursuing application design using OmniStudio architecture.
Level: Middle level
Prerequisites: One year experience
Cost: $200
Commerce Certifications
B2C Commerce Developer
Who it’s for: This is for anyone who has experience with Storefront Reference Architecture and wants to pursue a career in developing eCommerce solutions.
Level: Middle level
Prerequisites: One year experience, three months relevant experience
Cost: $200
B2C Commerce Architect
Who it’s for: the certified technical architect who’s experienced with global commerce sites and is familiar with SDLC.
Level: Senior
Prerequisites: Over five years experience with eCommerce and B2C commerce development
Cost: $400
Salesforce Architect Certifications
Identity and Access Management Architect
Who it’s for: high level architects capable of designing identity management solutions using the Lightning Platform.
Level: Senior
Prerequisites: Two years securities technology experience and another one year relevant experience
Cost: $400
Sharing and Visibility Architect
Who it’s for: A senior position for those with enhanced abilities creating security and sharing models on the Force.com platform.
Level: Senior level
Prerequisites: Up to five years of experience in relevant areas
Cost: $400
Development Lifecycle and Deployment Architect
Who it’s for: For the Salesforce administrator who has shown mastery of the Lightning Platform and development strategies.
Level: Senior
Prerequisites: Over five years experience
Cost: $400
Heroku Architect
Who it’s for: A Salesforce certification for those who have extensive experience working with Heroku, team management, and product deployment.
Level: Middle level
Prerequisites: Two years experience
Cost: $400
Integration Architect
Who it’s for: This is for the Salesforce administrator who has earned over four years of experience developing scalable integrations and solutions using the Lightning Platform.
Level: Senior
Prerequisites: Over four years experience in relevant competencies
Cost: $400
Data Architect
Who it’s for: A data architect is familiar with Customer 360 architecture and how to develop and support applications on the platform.
Level: Senior
Prerequisites: Over five years of relevant experience
Cost: $400
Application Architect
Who it’s for: An application architect understands most native Salesforce functions and features and how to model a hierarchy.
Level: Senior
Prerequisites: Platform Developer I, Platform App Builder, Data Architect, and Sharing and Visibility Architect credentials
Cost: Free
System Architect
Who it’s for: A system architect has chosen a career path focused on integrations with off-platform applications and Salesforce modifications.
Level: Senior
Prerequisites: Platform Developer I, Development Lifecycle and Deployment Designer, Identity and Access Management Designer, and Integration Architecture Designer Salesforce certifications.
Cost: Free
B2C Solution Architect
Who it’s for: A Salesforce-certified architect that specializes in B2C application development, implementation, and support.
Level: Senior
Prerequisites: Platform App Builder, Integration Architecture Designer, and Marketing Cloud Email Specialist certifications
Cost: $400
B2B Solution Architect
Who it’s for: For architects with extensive experience in the B2B space and relevant expertise with Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Field Service, B2B Commerce, and Revenue Cloud.
Level: Senior
Prerequisites: Platform App Builder, Platform Developer I, Data Architecture and Management Designer, and Sharing and Visibility Designer certifications.
Cost: $400
Technical Architect
Who it’s for: The holy grail of Salesforce certifications, completing this exam displays mastery of the Salesforce platform and all its applications.
Level: Senior
Prerequisites: Application Architect, System Architect and over eight years experience
Cost: $6,000
Marketers
Pardot Specialist
Who it’s for: An entry-level certification for marketers interested in mastering lead generation, lead scoring and routing, and email campaign development.
Level: Entry
Prerequisites: Three months
Cost: $200
Pardot Consultant
Who it’s for: The next step for Pardot specialists who’ve proven their abilities and are ready to take the next leap.
Level: Middle level
Prerequisites: Pardot Specialist and one year experience
Cost: $200
Marketing Cloud Administrator
Who it’s for: An entry-level certification for marketing administrators focused on Marketing Cloud.
Level: Entry level
Prerequisites: Three months experience
Cost: $200
Marketing Cloud Email Specialist
Who it’s for: This is a certification for anyone with extensive experience and success creating and implementing email marketing campaigns with Email Studio.
Level: Middle level
Prerequisites: Six months experience
Cost: $200
Marketing Cloud Consultant
Who it’s for: For marketers who have displayed expertise with Marketing Cloud and an enhanced understanding of marketing automation.
Level: Senior
Prerequisites: Marketing Cloud Administrator and one year experience
Cost: $200
Marketing Cloud Developer
Who it’s for: The top tier certification for marketers who have had success with all Marketing Cloud applications.
Level: Senior
Prerequisites: Marketing Cloud Email Specialist and one year experience
Cost: $200
Which Certifications Does My Team Need?
Building the right ecosystem of Salesforce developers depends greatly on what your business needs and where you see yourself heading in the future. It’s important that you’re not expecting anyone in your company to complete a Salesforce certification exam in an area that’s not relevant to your business.
For example, if you need a greater focus on customer relationship management, you should focus on certifications that help you reach your goals with CRM as opposed to training experts in process automation.
For more on Salesforce, check out our article 40 Companies that Use Salesforce as their Preferred CRM. Also, stay tuned for more updates by subscribing to our newsletter.