Following on from the post about Salesforce Certifications and along the lines of Marketing Cloud Email Specialist, I’d like to explain a bit more about what the Marketing Cloud Admin exam is all about. This post is written as a guide to help those people who are interested in obtaining this certification and to give details and tips about it.
Who can take the exam?
It is a certification oriented to people who are interested in the configuration of Marketing Cloud products. It is also required in order to obtain the Marketing Cloud Consultant certification. According to Salesforce’s recommendation, it is advisable for those who decide to take this exam to have 3 to 6 months of experience in Marketing Cloud administration and previous experience in Digital Marketing.
As this is a more technical profile, whoever wants to get this profile must be familiar with the data structure, configuration and have agility and ability to solve problems that may arise in the account. They must be able to navigate the tool.
By becoming certified you will become a profile that is currently highly demanded, with the ability to create personalized experiences for each business/user. You will open up new opportunities to help others.
Salesforce recommends you to study using the modules specifically created for this exam, in which all the certification topics are covered. If you are brand new to the Salesforce Marketing Cloud world, I’d recommend you to start with the Trailheads which they offer. The estimated time is approximately 25-35 hours but if you already have experience with other certifications or with Salesforce Marketing Cloud itself you will probably be able to complete them in less time.
However, it is not the only place where you can study. There are other tools such as Udemy, Salesforce Ben, doing practice exams, and most of all with Salesforce Help articles which which you will be able to find complementary information to the Trailheads.
About the exam
In this section of the article I will detail the structure of the exam:
- Content: 60 questions that score + 5 questions that do not score*
These 5 unscored questions are used to evaluate the general level of the candidates taking the exams. They will serve as a guide for the annual updates of the certifications.
- Time: 105 min
- Passing score: 67%
- Location: you can either do the exam online or in a specialized facility
- Language: English
- Pre-requirements: None
- Cost: USD 200, plus applicable fees/ taxes
- Retaking costs: USD 100, plus applicable fees/ taxes*
Take into account that at these costs you might have to add applicable fees or taxes according to local laws.
Topics
- Digital marketing proficiency: 13%
- Subscriber data management: 18%
- Setup: 38%
- Channel management: 16%
- Maintenance: 15%
Digital marketing proficiency
- Know the details of the security of the program (CAN-SPAM, reporting metrics)
- Know with accuracy all the types of permissions and roles, as well as PII (MFA, Users, handling of APIs, tenants, Google Analytics 360º, etc.)
- Best practices
Subscriber data management
- The ability to comprehend and manage the contact models in different situations (Contact Builder,RMM,Data Designer)
- Understand perfectly the concepts of preference y profile center
Setup
- The ability to configure Business Units, roles and permissions, security matters, integrations, etc. (including understanding and using the different Marketing Cloud Packages)
- Know how to use the main Marketing Cloud configuration (this part is of vital importance because it is where most of the program configurations options are managed)
- Know in detail the security configurations, Audit Trail, sinchronizatin, Tokenized Sending.
Channel management
- Know in detail the different products of the tool and its configurations (Mobile Studio and the Super Messages, Email Studio, Social Studio, Advertising Studio, Journey Builder, Marketing Cloud Connect, Interaction Studio, Einstein, etc.)
Maintenance
- Know how to navigate through the different products desenvolverte por los diferentes productos de Marketing Cloud, reports, data extracts, etc.
Tips
Important before starting: you should ensure that all the information you have or will be using is completely uppdated, The certifications are continuously being updated. Let me walk you through on how to prepare:
- Follow the Trailhead modules for preparation
- Read articles from the Salesforce Help where you can can find additional information that can help you understand many of the issues or cases that may arise in the exam questions.
- I’d also recommend you to check out the AMPscript guide
The questions are similar to those from other Salesforce Marketing Cloud exams. As a matter of fact, many questions are based on real situations which test your knowledge and technical problem-solving abilities with the tool.
It is very important to understand that to be able to pass this exam successfully, you cannot simply memorize the topics, as you need to be able to apply what you’ve learned, understanding all the terminology, and apply them in the relevant cases.
Real exam experience
In my case, I decided to certify myself as it is a prerequisite to obtain the Marketing Cloud Consultant certification. It took me about 2 to 3 months to prepare myself for this exam with the help of Trailheads, Salesforce Help Articles and a lot of patience.
It wasn’t my first certification so I already knew the dynamics and the type of exam I was going to face. The process that I usually follow is:
- First of all I search and complete the Salesforce Trailhead which prepares you for the exam, always making a small summary of the most important items which will later on help me when I am doing the first mock tests and I can consult on them in case of doubts
- As a second step, I write down keywords with their definitions that appear in the mock tests that don’t appear in the Trailheads. In this way it is much easier and quicker to consult future doubts.
- Finally: tests, tests, tests. This is what will most help you understand the possible cases which may be raised in the exam.
I would recommend you to go to an examination facility to conduct the test if you can, as if you do it at home or somewhere else, you will have ensure that you comply and follow the technical requirements to conduct the online proctored exam and this might distract you preparing for the exam.
The most important thing, if you have the opportunity, is to practice with the tool itself when you’re studying because it will make it easier to comprehend and remember better than only reading about it.
Don’t worry if you don’t pass on your first try. It is a lot of content and it is very important to get yourself well familiarized with all the questions and topics before attempting the exam, but I encourage you to try again!
