The Short Answer
For most people, the first Salesforce certification should be Platform Administrator. It has no prerequisite, it is the most widely recognized credential, and it is required before you can earn the Agentforce Sales Consultant or Agentforce Service Consultant certifications.
The exceptions:
- Developers can start directly with Platform Developer (PD1). There is no prerequisite.
- People heading into AI work can start with Agentforce Specialist, which also has no prerequisite.
- Complete beginners who want a low-cost first step can take Platform Foundations (US$75, free retakes), then move on to Platform Administrator.
- Marketers working in Marketing Cloud usually start with Marketing Cloud Engagement Administrator or a Foundations exam on that track, not the core platform.
The rest of this guide explains the path for each role, the prerequisites that actually apply, and the 2026 renames and retirements you should know about before you pick.
How Salesforce Organizes Its Certifications
Salesforce groups its certifications into role-based tracks: Administrators, Architects, Business Analysts, Consultants, Data Analysts, Designers, Developers, Marketers, Sales Professionals, plus product-focused credentials such as Agentforce Specialist and Accredited Professional exams. The official certification overview lists them all; after the retirements on February 1, 2027, Salesforce says 63 certifications will remain.
Within each track there are roughly three levels:
- Foundations: short, inexpensive exams for people new to the product, with no maintenance requirement
- Core credentials: Platform Administrator, Platform Developer, the consultant exams, Business Analyst and similar, typically US$200
- Advanced and architect credentials: Platform Administrator II, Platform Developer II, and the architect exams, which assume years of delivery experience
You can browse the certifications we cover by role on our Salesforce certifications hub.
Where Platform Foundations Fits
The Salesforce Certified Platform Foundations exam (the entry-level platform exam on the Administrator track) is aimed at people with up to six months of Salesforce user experience. According to Trailhead Academy:
- 40 multiple-choice questions plus up to five unscored questions
- 70 minutes
- US$75 registration, free retakes
- No prerequisite
Foundations certifications have no maintenance requirement and do not expire.
Should you take it? Take it if you are new to Salesforce, paying for exams yourself, and want a confidence-builder. Skip it if you already work in Salesforce daily; go straight to Platform Administrator, which is what employers usually ask for. Platform Foundations is not a prerequisite for anything.
The Path by Role
Administrator
Start with: Platform Administrator Then: Platform App Builder, Platform Administrator II, or a consultant exam
Platform Administrator (formerly Salesforce Administrator) covers configuration, security, data, reports, automation with Flow, and, since the latest outline, an 8% Agentforce section. It has 60 scored questions, a 105-minute time limit and a 68% passing score, per the official exam guide.
Platform Administrator II (formerly Advanced Administrator) is designed for people who already hold Platform Administrator and have mastered configuration. Platform App Builder focuses on declarative app design and is a building block of the Application Architect credential.
Our free Platform Administrator diagnostic and study guide are good places to start. See the full administrator path.
Developer
Start with: Platform Developer (still widely called Platform Developer I or PD1) Then: Platform Developer II, and optionally JavaScript Developer
Platform Developer has no prerequisite. Salesforce recommends Platform Administrator but does not require it. It covers Apex, Lightning Web Components, the data model, testing and deployment, and now includes Agentforce for Developers objectives. Passing score: 68%.
Platform Developer II requires Platform Developer, allows 120 minutes instead of 105, and has a 70% passing score. JavaScript Developer (formerly JavaScript Developer I) is a framework-agnostic JavaScript exam with no prerequisite; it suits developers who spend most of their time in Lightning Web Components.
See the developer path.
Consultant
Start with: Platform Administrator, then the consultant exam for the cloud you implement Common choices: Agentforce Sales Consultant, Agentforce Service Consultant, Data 360 Consultant
On July 24, 2026, Salesforce renamed Sales Cloud Consultant to Agentforce Sales Consultant and Service Cloud Consultant to Agentforce Service Consultant. Salesforce says the exam content and maintenance requirements did not change with the name, and existing holders do not need to re-earn anything.
Both of those exams require Platform Administrator. Their passing scores are high: 73% for Agentforce Sales Consultant and 78% for Agentforce Service Consultant, the highest of the exams we cover.
Data 360 Consultant (formerly Data Cloud Consultant) has no prerequisite and a 70% passing score. It is a good choice if you work on data unification or Agentforce grounding, since Data 360 sits underneath most Agentforce work.
Consultant exams are judgment exams. They describe a customer scenario and ask what you would recommend, so real implementation experience matters more than on any other track. See the consultant path.
AI and Agentforce
Start with: Agentforce Specialist Then: Data 360 Consultant, or an Agentforce consultant exam if you hold Platform Administrator
Agentforce Specialist (formerly AI Specialist) has no prerequisite. The current outline covers prompt engineering, Data 360 fundamentals, AI agents (the largest section at 35%), testing and deployment, governance and observability, and multi-agent orchestration. Passing score: 72%.
Note that the AI Associate certification was retired in February 2026. Salesforce points people to Agentblazer Status on Trailhead for foundational AI skills recognition instead. If you see a guide recommending AI Associate as a first step, it is out of date.
See the AI and Agentforce path.
Business Analyst and Designer
Start with: Business Analyst Also consider: Platform User Experience Designer, Platform Strategy Designer
Business Analyst has no prerequisite (some third-party guides still say it requires Administrator; the official guide lists none). It tests discovery, stakeholder collaboration, process mapping, requirements, user stories and user acceptance, with almost no configuration trivia. Its 72% passing score makes it harder than it looks.
Platform User Experience Designer covers discovery, human-centered design, declarative design and the Salesforce Lightning Design System, with a 65% passing score and no prerequisite.
See the business analyst and designer path.
Architect
Start with: a core developer or administrator credential and real delivery experience Then: domain architect exams such as Platform Integration Architect or Platform Identity and Access Management Architect
Architect exams cost US$400 (US$200 retake) and assume years of experience making design decisions. Neither Integration Architect nor Identity and Access Management Architect has a formal prerequisite, but both are hard to pass without production experience.
Some architect credentials are earned by combining others. For example, Application Architect is granted automatically once you hold Platform App Builder, Platform Data Architect, Platform Developer and Platform Sharing and Visibility Architect. The top of the ladder is Certified Technical Architect (CTA), which involves an Architect Evaluation and a Review Board exam.
See the architect path.
Marketer
Start with: Marketing Cloud Engagement Administrator, or Marketing Cloud Engagement Foundations if you are new to the product Then: Marketing Cloud Engagement Specialist (formerly Marketing Cloud Email Specialist), Consultant or Developer
The Marketing Cloud track stands apart from the core platform ladder. Marketing Cloud Engagement Administrator has no prerequisite and a 67% passing score, and its largest section by far is Setup (38%).
If you work in Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (formerly Pardot), note that the Account Engagement Consultant certification is one of the credentials retiring on February 1, 2027; the Account Engagement Specialist and Foundations certifications remain.
See the marketer path.
Quick Reference: First Certification by Role
| Role | First certification | Prerequisite | Passing score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrator | Platform Administrator | None | 68% |
| Developer | Platform Developer | None | 68% |
| Consultant (Sales or Service) | Agentforce Sales or Service Consultant | Platform Administrator | 73% / 78% |
| Consultant (data) | Data 360 Consultant | None | 70% |
| AI and Agentforce | Agentforce Specialist | None | 72% |
| Business Analyst | Business Analyst | None | 72% |
| Designer | Platform User Experience Designer | None | 65% |
| Architect | Domain architect exam (after a core credential) | None formally | 65-67% for IAM / Integration |
| Marketer | Marketing Cloud Engagement Administrator | None | 67% |
Passing scores come from each certification's official exam guide and can change when Salesforce updates an outline. Always check the current guide before you book.
2026 Renames and Retirements to Know
Renamed on July 24, 2026
Salesforce renamed 16 credentials to match current product names. The ones most likely to affect a first-cert decision:
- Sales Cloud Consultant → Agentforce Sales Consultant
- Service Cloud Consultant → Agentforce Service Consultant
- Field Service Consultant → Agentforce Field Service and Operations Consultant
- Nonprofit Cloud Consultant → Agentforce Nonprofit Consultant
- Revenue Cloud Consultant → Revenue Management Consultant
- Marketing Cloud Email Specialist → Marketing Cloud Engagement Specialist
- Sales Foundations → Agentforce Sales Foundations
The full list is in the Certification Name Changes FAQ. Earlier renames are still worth knowing when you read older guides: Administrator is now Platform Administrator, Advanced Administrator is Platform Administrator II, Platform Developer I is Platform Developer, and Data Cloud Consultant is Data 360 Consultant.
Retiring on February 1, 2027
Salesforce is retiring 24 certifications, mostly Accredited Professional credentials. The non-AP certifications on the list are CPQ Administrator, B2B Solution Architect, B2C Commerce Architect, Education Cloud Consultant, MuleSoft Catalyst Consultant, Nonprofit Success Pack Consultant, Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Consultant, MuleSoft Hyperautomation Developer and Industries CPQ Developer, per the certification overview. Do not pick one of these as a first certification.
None of the core credentials (Platform Administrator, Platform App Builder, Platform Developer, Platform Developer II) are retiring.
How to Choose If You Are Still Unsure
Ask yourself three questions:
- What do you do, or want to do, every day? Configuring orgs points to Administrator; writing code points to Developer; running discovery workshops points to Business Analyst or Consultant.
- What does your employer or target job ask for? Check five job postings for the role you want and count which certifications appear.
- Can you get hands-on practice? Every Salesforce exam is scenario-based. Pick the certification where you can build things in an org while you study.
If two options still look equal, choose the one with fewer prerequisites first. You can always add the second.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the easiest Salesforce certification?
Platform Foundations is the most accessible: 40 questions, 70 minutes, US$75 and free retakes. Among the core US$200 exams, difficulty depends more on your background than on the exam, but passing scores give a hint: Platform User Experience Designer and JavaScript Developer require 65%, while Agentforce Service Consultant requires 78%.
Do I need Platform Foundations before Platform Administrator?
No. Platform Foundations is not a prerequisite for any certification. It is an optional first step for people new to Salesforce.
Can I take Platform Developer without the Administrator certification?
Yes. Platform Developer has no prerequisite. Salesforce recommends Platform Administrator, and admin knowledge helps, but it is not required.
Is the AI Associate certification still available?
No. Salesforce retired AI Associate in February 2026 and directs learners to Agentblazer Status on Trailhead. For a full AI certification, take Agentforce Specialist.
How much does a Salesforce certification cost?
Most core exams cost US$200 with a US$100 retake; architect exams cost US$400 with a US$200 retake; Platform Foundations costs US$75 with free retakes. See our full guide to Salesforce certification cost, retake fees and policies.
How long does it take to get the first certification?
It depends on your experience. Many people preparing for Platform Administrator plan four to eight weeks of part-time study. A quick diagnostic will tell you how far you are from ready.