Getting Certified: Feedback

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122 thoughts on “Getting Certified: Feedback”

  1. I PASSED today!!! (after a rather disappointing fail in June) Thank you, John, for creating and maintaining this guide – best investment I ever made. And, will be a resource I go back to as I continue to work with Salesforce. I will recommend it to anyone I know preparing for their ADM201 Exam.

    Cheers!
    Dianne

    ps – For anyone that fails FYI – I opened a Case with Salesforce to have someone look at my results to give me an indication of where I went wrong. They couldn’t give me specifics, but they were able to tell me what high level areas I should work on. I had to really push, but my persistence paid off. It is something they can do although they don’t like doing it -but it can help give you some direction when you feel deflated and lost after getting a Fail.

    1. Congrats!!

      I heard from a friend that took another exam during DF16, that now, after the exam they show you the percentage/areas that you got it correct.

      1. Thanks Carlos, but all I got was the PASS note – but if they are doing this, great move on their part – helps so much to know where to direct one’s efforts.

      1. Thanks John.

        And, speaking as someone who didn’t pass my first time around, that would be a step in the right direction. I know when I spoke to the person at Salesforce, she said they were aware that the gap of information for those that need to re-write is something they were looking to close. I think they are getting wise to the fact that people need to know this information to make re-testing less stressful.

        I guess it would be nice to know by how much I passed by, but the certification is what counts, and I can live with the not knowing.

        Thanks again, John for this Guide.

        Cheers!
        Dianne (finally a Salesforce Certified Admin)

  2. Hi John,

    I passed my exam yesterday (first time around) and wanted to personally thank you for the excellent resource that you have provided, as without this resource I may have struggled to pass the exam (it was a tough exam).

    It would be great if you had something similar for other certs like the App Builder, Advanced Admin etc…

    Keep up the good work!!!

    Thanks,

    Kam

  3. John:

    Its almost 3 months that I passed my certification and I now I am considering the Advanced Admin certification.
    Any advice on where to start? I am sure I have forgotten some of the subjects since I am not using them, but I believe I have to start ASAP.

    Thanks

  7. I took my exam two weeks ago and, unfortunately, failed. However, instead of getting discouraged, I became determined to pass. I’ve been studying consistently for 1-2 hours a day since then, and I plan on retaking it this weekend.

    Failing the exam at first has helped me value the credential much more. I went in with the mindset that it was going to be “a piece of cake.” The failure made me realize that passing the exam is a big deal, and I really respect those who’ve acquired it…and I want to be one of those people!

    I was reading around after I failed, and the best advice I found was “Quitting is worse than failing.” I think that’s very true. So if you’re working towards your cert, don’t get discouraged by a bump in the road. Just keep on going, you’ll get there!

    1. Similar scenario with me. I was studying with somebody and many times I was the one doing the “teaching”. She passed and I couldn’t understand how/why. A week later I took the exam and half-way thru I realized that I was doomed.
      Not just because I didn’t study properly but because I got one of those strange sets that had nothing related to what I have studied.
      Went back to study EVERYDAY and taking simulates tests. A month later June 28th I took again and passed in 26 minutes.
      July 25th I started my 1st paid job as a Salesforce Admin, after a 6 months unpaid internship.
      Don’t rush, take your time, study/practice and you will get the results.

      Good luck.

    1. Congrats Arshad!

      John:

      I got an official job offer yesterday and the company is planning on starting a mentoring program.
      I mentioned this site as major tool and you might see an increase of attendees from Tampa FL.

  9. I thought I shared before, but looks like I didn’t. Took the exam again on June 28th and nailed it in 26 minutes!
    My exam was 90% the same as “The Final Exam Prep – (75 questions)” from http://www.djmlab.com.
    They have awesome tests, but his site rules regarding teaching you instead of making you memorize.
    I will keep checking here and continue to learn more.

    Keep up the good work John!

      1. Yes, exactly word for word. I take it as “redemption” since my 1st attempt in May 18th was a disaster with questions that I never seen here or any other site.

  10. Hi John, just sent you a message earlier regarding my passsing certification. Thanks for your guide!
    Just curious if this guide will be sufficient for advanced cert too since I am not sure what type of questions are covered in that.

  11. Great resource – thank you for putting it together. Fancy doing it for another certification (!)
    Passed and really down to you – thank you

  12. Wow! I wish I had found this sooner. I purchased last night with about 12 hours to go before test time. It was a fantastic final prep tool. I went through all the quizzes and practice exams a couple times and focused on my weaknesses. Great work, John!

    Would it be possible to set up some time to talk? I would love to learn more about how you built this platform, and find out what you intend to do with it in terms of marketing and expanded content. I have a similar product for web development training. See lifecycleskills.com

  13. John,

    I passed ADM 201 certification yesterday. Thanks for putting together such valuable content and exercises – it helped me focus on what was most important and learn key facts quickly about areas that weren’t as high percentage areas in the exam. I had very little previous Salesforce experience before taking the ADM certification and it was a lot of new information to digest before taking the exam. I found your site very helpful to further explain topics in an easy to understand manner and provide additional resources (videos, links, etc.) to help increase understanding of how to apply the ADM 201 concepts. Keep up the great work! I’m moving on to DEV 401 next and then on to ADM 211.

    Thanks,
    Susan

  14. Hi John,

    I just wanted to share a word that i cleared my ADMIN 201 certification today. Thanks a lot for organizing the whole content and thanks for this site.

    Thanks
    Madhuri

  16. Hi John!
    I just wanted to share that I passed my exam today! And I owe it to you and this site. I previously used a few other sites as well as the Trailhead for a couple of months, but I had a hard time filtering through the enormous amount of information out there, figuring out how to put it all together, and then making it stick in my head. The first time I took the exam, I failed. Then I met someone at a Salesforce Group meeting (two weeks ago) that recommended Certified On Demand, and I am so grateful. Your site is well structured with the right information put together in a way that makes sense, I also like the guidelines of what we must/should/could review. Everything you’ve put together has made all the difference for me. Thank you John!
    Andrea

  17. Hi John, happy to report that I passed the exam today on my second try. I went through all the materials on your site once, took all the exams and also some online mock up exams. Overall no surprises on this one, however I think the test taking strategy is very important to follow for folks that are not good test takers such as myself. Feel free to email me and I can provide details around what helped me pass etc, thanks again and keep up the great work on this site!

  18. I passed!!! I was introduced to Salesforce from a freind and started learning with Trailhead. I didn’t pass the first time, but found this training in my continued effort. This brought the broad knowledge needed into an organized study guide and gave me the help I needed to pass, from no knowledge to certified. Big Thank You John!!!

  20. Hi, I used only this study guide to prepare for the exam, and in 4 weeks full-time studying, I passed the exam (with no real SFDC experience yet)!

    1. You’ll get notified by email. It will be the next release after you took your exam (e.g. if you took the Spring 15 exam, you would need a maintenance exam for Summer 15). The FAQ has some additional detail on this as well.

  23. Thanks John for this wonderful site.I passed in second attempt .It took me just 20 min to complete the exam but I just cross checked before submit so I spend 45 min .I am looking for Advanced admin material .Can u suggest some site where I can learn n prepare for the exam on my own.

  25. Hi John,

    Just passed my ADM201 exam. I heavily depended on this site when I prepared for the exam. After covering many topics from study guide and suddenly when I feel am lost somewhere, I just come back to your list and just go to the particular section for quick refresh and your site is always helped as a light house. Thanks a lot for such a wonderful site and maintaining it with the latest releases.

  26. I’m a little baffled about how to maintain my admin certification that I got in February (wouldn’t have been able to do it without this awesome website and John’s excellent support). I see that the exam is free. How should I prepare? Is the exam open-book? How many times can I re-take it if I don’t pass the first time. Thanks in advance for any assistance and tips.

  27. Thank you John. I was able to pass my test in the first attempt. Just referencing your site and applying it in my org was more than sufficient to understand the salesforce concepts and pass the exam!
    Thank you once again.

  28. Passed the exam today…Cod played a great role helping me get this certification..
    focusonforce.com helps you examine your skills as they have 6 practice exams covering vast scenarios, so it really helps you to identify ur weak zone..

  29. John,

    Earlier this week I sought out additional resources to compliment the ADM-201 course I took a month ago. I didn’t feel prepared for the exam, and boy am I glad I found certifiedondemand.com!

    I crammed through your resources in 3 days (I don’t recommend this – take more time!) and without this additional training I wouldn’t be able to announce that I passed the certification exam this morning, on the first try.

    Great job maintaining this content – I will reference your material in the future and can’t recommend your site highly enough!

    Thanks,
    Brian

  31. Hi John,

    I took my Salesforce Admin exam last week and passed. Thank you so much for putting up this well laid out guide. I was so confused by seeing lot of salesforce material online. But certified on demand gave me the roadmap. COD is not just the site now but a reference guide for my career.Thanks a lot John for your prompt responses and this amazing guide. 🙂

    Cheers

  32. Just passed my DEV 401 certification, 1.5 weeks after passing the ADM 201. I thought it was easier than the ADM test. The prep given by this course served me well, thanks! Additionally, I studied the Force.com fundamentals book, and used the flash cards on Cram.com.

  33. Hi John
    I just wanted to let you know that I passed my Admin certification this morning. I think you covered all the materials brilliantly and the links to videos, quizzes, online help and the ranking with the Admin Guide were just perfect. It was worth spending the extra money to get all the content. I filled in my survey form and hope it helps. Without this site I would have struggled.

    The videos were excellent.

    Thanks
    Sanjay

  35. John,
    I can’t thank you enough for this website. It is the best $40 investment I have ever made. I used your courses for the bulk of my studying and passed the exam last week! It was much easier than I expected, thanks to all the knowledge I gained from your site.

  36. I want to say thank you John for making this site the best resource to learn about salesforce and to pass the admin exam.
    I passed on first try today and your site has a lot to do with it and I’m ready to take on my Salesforce journey now.
    Good luck to everybody trying to become certified; all the best !

  38. Thanks John. I passed the exam on the first try. I recommend working through all the sections of your site to anyone. Your straight forward explanations are awesome! I hope you continue to develop additional courses. Some people THINK they can create training materials, but really few have the skill. John, you have that skill.

  39. Hi John,

    I took exam(ADM 201) this morning and I passed it at first attempt. I was completely new to Salesforce. This site has been very helpful to me given that I only had a month to do study and take the exam.

    Thanks a lot

  40. I passed the exam succesfully yesterday, and thanks very much for this guide. It was very helpful, I never take a course, but I make some pratice after studying your guide, and I will recommend it to everybody who wants to pass the exam. I found that the lest is a litte bit more difficult than the quizz proposed on this guide

    Thanks a lot

  41. I just passed my exam today, and I would have not been able to do it without your study guide. I took the SF 5 day course on Essentials for New Admin, which is a good start, but I would never have passed relying solely on that material. Your study good “filled in the gaps”, and although the test was difficult, I was able to get over the finish line.
    Thanks so much! I owe you, buddy!

  42. I passed my Exam Today and could not have done it with out you, the guild was key to me passing, it is the best I have ever seen. I would highly recommend it. Keep it up.

  43. Passed my exam last Thursday on my first attempt. Thanks for such a good study guide John. You’ve done a great job. Couldn’t have done it without Certified on Demand!!

  44. Passed my exam today! Thanks for creating such a good resource for the exam preparation. Three weeks of preparation using your site and I was out of the exam within 30 minutes 😛
    Are you planning to have content for other exams as well anytime soon?

  45. The best guide /site for getting certified.I had no prior experience in sf and failed in my first exam.After that I studied through COD and cleared in the second attempt.
    Thanks a lot John.

  49. Hi John,
    I took my exam(ADM 201) yesterday and I passed it. I was completely new to Salesforce when I started working on it some two weeks back. This site has been of great help to me given that I only had a week to do study and take the exam. Thanks a mil.

  50. Hi John,

    I took my Salesforce Admin exam yesterday and passed. Thank you for putting up this well laid out guide. This site was my primary source of preparation. Thanks a lot John. 🙂

  51. Passed the SF.com System Admin test last week. This site was the main reason I could pass it on the first attempt. I had a couple of years SF.com development and admin experience from a previous job, but that was more than 5 years ago. My new job asked me to get up to speed quickly. Needless to say, SF.com had changed a lot since last looking at it.

    I studied for less than 2 months a little everyday. This site has arranged the material in a structured manner with the goals clearly stated. Good work and a big thanks!

  52. I passed the admin certification exam this week on the first attempt. I just prepared from COD and went through some of the salesforce videos. This COD site is a great resource for preparing and drastically reduced my preparation time which i thought might take few months to just 2 weeks.

    Great work John!Thanks

  53. I passed the admin exam today after failing my first attempt. I only had a few months’ work experience with SF on the first attempt but studied premium training content however I was overwhelmed by the exam especially in areas like Answers, Ideas, Portals, Zones, and areas that I had no experience with. This COD site was an excellent resource for preparing me for all areas of SF especially the main topic areas, but also the areas where my work experience provided little knowledge. I recommend this site as a resource for exam preparation.

  54. I passed the admin certification exam today on the first attempt. I credit it to this site mostly. Great website John and thank you for all your hardwork keeping this site updated. Do you know any other good site to prepare for the DEV401?

  55. I took and passed the Administrator 201 exam today. This was my 2nd attempt as I drastically underestimated the difficulty the first time around. After 1 week of heavy studying on this site, I passed and felt comfortable doing it. I thank you tremendously for this site. I have one issue with this site though, no Dev 401 exam prep :).

  56. I took the Certified Administrator exam (WI14) in April and passed at first try. I totally share Topher’s comments and can’t thank CertifiedOnDemand enough! It is by far the best resource for passing ADM201, I highly recommend it.

  57. Hello,

    I took the Certified Administrator exam in mid-November and a major reason why I passed the exam was due to this website. Thank you! As expected, most of the test was focused on various security scenarios, i.e. permissions, profiles vs. roles, etc. However, I was surprised by the number of questions on Content, Knowledge, and the new Salesforce app for mobile devices. While it was only 5-8 questions, it would be really highlighted these areas in more detail. We don’t leverage these aspects of Salesforce as much as others, so it could be this is why I was more surprised.

    Overall, the test was what I expected and I found it really helpful to focus on the percentage breakdown outlined on in the Salesforce Administrators study guide (http://certification.salesforce.com/administrators). I used this to identify areas of growth and used this site to strengthen these areas.

    Keep up the great work and thanks again,

    Topher

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