Salesforce Platform Developer Certification Certification Exam Guide
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⚡ Quick Answer
What is the Salesforce Platform Developer Certification Certification Exam Guide?
The Salesforce Platform Developer Certification Certification Exam Guide validates expertise in the relevant Salesforce domain. Exam format: 65% passing score. Offered by Salesforce, registered through Webassessor/Kryterion. Updated for Winter '26.
Winter '26 Edition
Last Updated: March 2026 | Exam Version: Winter '26
The Salesforce Platform Developer certification validates your ability to build custom solutions using Apex, Lightning Web Components, and Salesforce APIs. This intermediate-level credential is ideal for developers who have hands-on programming experience and want to demonstrate expertise in cloud-native development. You'll need solid fundamentals in Java, C#, or similar languages, plus recommended experience with Salesforce administration or app building.
⚡ What's New in Winter '26
🤖 Enhanced AI Integration Testing
Winter '26 introduces expanded coverage for testing AI-powered features and Einstein Copilot integration patterns within Apex and LWC.
🛡️ Stricter Security Focus
New emphasis on secure coding practices, including field-level encryption testing and enhanced API authentication scenarios.
✨ Modern LWC Patterns
Updated domain content reflects the latest Lightning Web Component best practices and wire decorators for data management.
📊 Exam At a Glance
| Certification Name | Salesforce Platform Developer Certification |
| Level | Developer |
| Prerequisites | Programming experience in Java, C#, or similar language; Salesforce Administrator or App Builder certification recommended |
| Number of Questions | 60 multiple-choice questions |
| Duration | 110 minutes |
| Passing Score | 68% |
| Exam Fee | $200 USD |
| Retake Fee | $100 USD |
| Delivery | Proctored online or at authorized testing center |
🎯 Exam Domains & Weightings
1. Data Modeling and Management
15%This domain evaluates your understanding of Salesforce data architecture, SOQL query optimization, and data manipulation best practices. You'll demonstrate knowledge of relationships, indexes, and how to efficiently retrieve and manage data while respecting governor limits.
🆕 Winter '26: Expanded coverage for multi-cloud data synchronization and real-time data validation patterns.
2. Logic and Process Automation
25%The largest domain on the exam, focusing on Apex programming, trigger logic, and automation frameworks. You'll need to master when to use triggers, flows, and process builder, plus understand asynchronous processing, batch jobs, and scheduled actions to build scalable solutions.
🆕 Winter '26: New content on async Apex patterns and trigger optimization for high-volume scenarios.
3. User Interface
25%This equally weighted domain covers Lightning Web Components, Aura components, and front-end development. You'll be tested on component lifecycle, event handling, data binding, and when to choose between LWC and Aura for specific use cases.
🆕 Winter '26: Enhanced focus on LWC security, shadow DOM interaction, and modern reactive patterns.
4. Testing, Debugging, and Deployment
20%Essential skills for production-ready code, including unit testing with Test.runAs(), code coverage requirements, debugging techniques, and change set or package deployment strategies. You'll demonstrate how to write comprehensive positive and negative test cases.
🆕 Winter '26: Increased emphasis on CI/CD pipelines and automated deployment validation within Salesforce.
5. Integration and APIs
15%This domain tests your ability to connect Salesforce with external systems using REST and SOAP APIs, webhooks, and platform events. You'll need to understand authentication methods, callout best practices, and how to handle asynchronous integration patterns.
🆕 Winter '26: New scenarios covering authentication flows and API rate limit management.
❓ Sample Exam Questions
An organization requires a trigger on the Account object that executes once records are committed to the database during both create and modify operations. Which trigger events should the developer implement?
- A. after insert, after update
- B. before insert, before update
- C. before insert, after update
- D. afterInsert, afterUpdate
During a single synchronous Apex transaction, a developer executes multiple database queries to fetch related records. What is the maximum number of SOQL queries that can be executed before hitting the governor limit?
- A. 75 queries
- B. 100 queries
- C. 125 queries
- D. 250 queries
A developer needs to create a web service that accepts HTTP requests at a custom endpoint. Which annotation must be applied at the class level to make this possible?
- A. @RestResource
- B. @WebService
- C. @HttpPost
- D. @Callable
A Salesforce administrator needs to retrieve all Contact records where the Email field includes the domain 'example.com'. Which SOQL query will achieve this requirement?
- A. SELECT Id, Email FROM Contact WHERE Email LIKE 'example.com%'
- B. SELECT Id, Email FROM Contact WHERE Email LIKE '%example.com'
- C. SELECT Id, Email FROM Contact WHERE Email LIKE '%example.com%'
- D. SELECT Id, Email FROM Contact WHERE Email = '%example.com%'
A developer needs to update 500 account records based on custom logic that evaluates each record individually. What is the recommended pattern to avoid hitting governor limits?
- A. Execute an update statement for each account inside the for loop that processes them
- B. Use a Database.update() call within the loop iteration for immediate persistence
- C. Populate a collection during the loop and execute a single update operation after the loop completes
- D. Create an @future annotated method and invoke it once per record in the loop
📚 Study Resources
🏃 Trailhead
Complete the official Certification Prep trail — free, covers all exam domains, and is updated each release.
Go to Trailhead →📄 Official Exam Guide
Download the official exam guide from Trailhead for the exact domain weightings and topic list for Winter '26.
Official Guide →💬 Trailblazer Community
Join the study group on the Trailblazer Community to share tips, ask questions, and connect with other candidates.
Join Community →💡 Top Exam Tips
- Focus intensely on Logic and Process Automation (25%) and User Interface (25%)—these domains represent half the exam. Master Apex trigger patterns, LWC component lifecycle, and know when to use each technology for different scenarios.
- Memorize critical governor limits: 100 SOQL queries, 150 DML statements, 6 MB heap size, and 120-second timeout for synchronous processes. Practice designing code that stays well below these thresholds.
- Testing is non-negotiable (20% of exam). Know minimum 75% code coverage requirements, write both positive and negative test cases, and understand how Test.runAs() enables testing with different user permissions.
- Distinguish between REST and SOAP APIs, and understand @AuraEnabled and @InvocableMethod annotations. These represent the Integration and APIs domain (15%) and frequently appear in scenarios requiring system connectivity.
- Build real projects in a developer org daily: create a complete Lightning Web Component connected to Apex, write full test coverage, then deploy it. This hands-on experience transforms theoretical knowledge into exam-day confidence.
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