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Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator II

Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator II is the advanced administrator credential, and it takes the Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator credential as a prerequisite. Rather than one-off configuration tasks, it asks about the decisions that shape a whole org: sharing settings and security, designing custom objects and applications, auditing and monitoring, change management and release, and process automation. The exam is 60 multiple-choice and multiple-select questions, plus up to five unscored questions, in 105 minutes, and the passing score is 65% — a figure the English and Japanese guides agree on, unlike the Administrator exam. It can be taken at a Pearson VUE test center or online with a proctor, and a Japanese exam guide is published alongside the English one. Security and Access and Process Automation carry the heaviest weight at 20% each, followed by Objects and Applications at 19%, so those three areas alone account for more than half the exam. The credential has to be maintained on Trailhead, though the guides differ on how often: the Japanese guide says once a year, the English guide says three times a year.

Official page

Who takes it

  • People who already hold the Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator credential (a prerequisite for sitting)
  • In-house administrators designing sharing settings and security across multiple departments and profiles
  • People responsible for the operation, auditing and change management of Salesforce in a large org
  • Consultants at Salesforce partner firms who handle design reviews and operational improvement

What it lets you do

  • It is the officially defined next step for holders of the Platform Administrator credential
  • The heaviest areas are Security and Access at 20% and Process Automation at 20%, so study concentrates on sharing design and automation design — the core of running an org
  • Auditing and Monitoring (10%) and Environment Management and Deployment (7%) are exam areas in their own right, so the post-build operational phase is covered systematically
  • The exam outline is published officially as seven areas with percentage weights
  • The exam can be taken in Japanese, with an official Japanese exam guide and a yen-denominated fee

The exam

As published by Salesforce. Anything we could not confirm is left out. Check the official page before you apply.

Questions
60 multiple-choice / multiple-select questions (plus up to five unscored questions)
Time
105 minutes
Pass mark
65%
Fee
JPY 30,000 / US$200, excluding tax. Retake fee: JPY 15,000 / US$100, excluding tax
Format
At a Pearson VUE test center or online with a proctor (Pearson OnVUE). No hard-copy or online reference material may be used during the exam. The Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator credential is required as a prerequisite
Languages
Japanese and English (an official Japanese exam guide and a yen-denominated fee are published)
When it runs
On demand. Sign in to Trailhead Academy and pick the date and time you want; this is not an exam with a fixed number of sittings per year
Validity and renewal
Not permanent. Completing the maintenance badge on Trailhead is the condition for keeping the credential, but the stated frequency differs between the official guides: the Japanese guide says once a year, the English guide says three times a year

How hard it is

Pass rate not published (Salesforce does not publish pass rates for its credentials). The published passing score is 65%, and the English and Japanese exam guides agree on it. Holding the Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator credential is required in order to sit, and the official guide recommends substantial hands-on experience as a Salesforce administrator.

How long people study

Not published by the exam body. Rather than a number of hours, the official exam guide recommends substantial hands-on experience as a Salesforce administrator plus the ADX211 course or equivalent study.

Syllabus

  • Security and Access20%
  • Objects and Applications19%
  • Auditing and Monitoring10%
  • Cloud Applications11%
  • Data and Analytics Management13%
  • Environment Management and Deployment7%
  • Process Automation20%

Our apps and books for this exam

  • SFDC Advanced Admin Exam Prep

    Download on the App Store

Questions people ask

Isn't it called "Advanced Administrator"?
The current official name is Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator II — "Advanced" in the older English name has become "II". The old URL trailhead.salesforce.com/credentials/advancedadministrator now redirects to /credentials/platformadministrator-ii. The credential has not been retired.
Can I start with this exam?
No. The exam guide names the Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator credential as a prerequisite, so you have to pass the lower-level Platform Administrator exam first.
What is the passing score?
65%. The English and Japanese exam guides agree on it. Note that for the lower-level Platform Administrator exam the guides do not agree — the English guide says "English version 68%; Japanese version 65%" and the Japanese guide says 68% — so don't confuse the two.
Which areas carry the most weight?
Security and Access at 20% and Process Automation at 20% are the largest, followed by Objects and Applications at 19%, Data and Analytics Management at 13%, Cloud Applications at 11%, Auditing and Monitoring at 10%, and Environment Management and Deployment at 7%. The top two areas alone are 40% of the exam.
Do I have to maintain the credential after passing?
Yes, but the guides differ on how often. The Japanese guide says you must complete the badge released once a year on Trailhead, while the English guide says to "complete the Administrator certification maintenance badge on Trailhead three times a year". Check what your maintenance badge on Trailhead actually shows.

Sources

These are the pages the figures came from. Some are published in Japanese only, and are marked as such — we keep the original titles rather than translating them, so you can match what you find on the official site. Exam rules change; check the official page before you apply.

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