# Completion actions: triggers, limits and order

*Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Specialist Study Guide · Lead Management · Last updated November 3, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/marketing-cloud-account-engagement-specialist/lead-management/completion-actions-triggers-limits-and-order*

Which assets and interactions trigger completion actions, what the standard and conditional actions do, the 15-action and 6-group limits, throttling, and why completion actions are not retroactive and run in no defined order.

- Certification: Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Specialist
- Exam section: Lead Management
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/marketing-cloud-account-engagement-specialist

**Official exam objective:**

> Define the capabilities of a completion action.

## What the exam expects

- Name the assets and prospect interactions that trigger completion actions, and the interactions that never do.
- Pick a standard or conditional completion action for a requirement, including assignment, Salesforce task and campaign actions.
- Apply the per-asset limits (15 actions, 6 conditional groups, the enhanced email trigger limits) and the classic email exemptions.
- Explain why completion actions don't reach past activity or run in sequence, and which tool to use instead.
- Predict the effect of throttling on repeat downloads, clicks and submissions.

Key terms:
- **Completion action**: an action an asset runs when a prospect interacts with it.
- **Standard action**: runs on every prospect who triggers the asset.
- **Conditional group**: a prospect condition plus the actions that run only for prospects who meet it.
- **Trigger**: on emails, the open, link click or unsubscribe that fires the actions.
- **Throttling**: a waiting period that stops some actions repeating on rapid repeat interactions.

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Assets | Forms, form handlers, files, custom redirects, emails, page actions | [Completion Actions](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.pardot_completion_actions_overview.htm&type=5&language=en_US) |
| Never trigger | Image downloads, filtered activities, unsubscribe link clicks, preference page clicks | [Completion Action Considerations](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.pardot_completion_actions_considerations.htm&type=5&language=en_US) |
| Timing | Not retroactive; only activity after the action is added | [Completion Action Considerations](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.pardot_completion_actions_considerations.htm&type=5&language=en_US) |
| Order | No defined order; use Engagement Studio for sequences | [Completion Action Considerations](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.pardot_completion_actions_considerations.htm&type=5&language=en_US) |
| Email link clicks | Run once per prospect per link | [Completion Action Considerations](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.pardot_completion_actions_considerations.htm&type=5&language=en_US) |
| Per-asset limit | 15 actions and 6 conditional groups; classic emails exempt | [Completion Action Considerations](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.pardot_completion_actions_considerations.htm&type=5&language=en_US) |
| Enhanced email limits | 15 for open and unsubscribe, 5 for link click; no conditional on link click | [Completion Action Considerations](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.pardot_completion_actions_considerations.htm&type=5&language=en_US) |
| Create Salesforce task | Not synced until the prospect is assigned | [Available Completion Actions](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.pardot_completion_action_definitions.htm&type=5&language=en_US) |
| Add to campaign | Only if the prospect has a Salesforce lead or contact | [Available Completion Actions](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.pardot_completion_action_definitions.htm&type=5&language=en_US) |
| Autoresponder throttle | 4 hours on most assets; none on forms | [Completion Action Considerations](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.pardot_completion_actions_considerations.htm&type=5&language=en_US) |

## Check yourself

- Why might a prospect notice a slow form submission on a busy form?
- When the user named in a Notify User action is deleted, what happens to that action?
- When a prospect resubmits a hosted form three times, how many autoresponder emails arrive?
- How many prospect conditions can a single conditional group hold?

## Sources

- [Completion Actions](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.pardot_completion_actions_overview.htm&type=5&language=en_US)
- [Considerations for Completion Actions](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.pardot_completion_actions_considerations.htm&type=5&language=en_US)
- [Available Completion Actions](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.pardot_completion_action_definitions.htm&type=5&language=en_US)
- [Add Completion Actions to Assets](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.pardot_completion_actions_add.htm&type=5&language=en_US)
- [Filter Prospects with Conditional Completion Actions](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.pardot_completion_actions_conditional.htm&type=5&language=en_US)
- [Disable Activity Throttling for Form Handler Submissions](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.pardot_forms_disable_throttling.htm&type=5&language=en_US)
- [Choosing the Right Account Engagement Automation Tool](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.pardot_automation_choosing_the_right_tool.htm&type=5&language=en_US)
- [Automating Prospect Assignments](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.pardot_automating_prospect_assignments.htm&type=5&language=en_US)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 10 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Specialist pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams