The Salesforce developer path's core programmatic track is Salesforce Certified Platform Developer, followed by Salesforce Certified Platform Developer II. The first exam covers developer fundamentals, process automation and Apex logic, user interfaces, and testing and deployment; the second covers advanced programmatic work, integration, and performance, and requires the first certification. Each exam has 60 multiple-choice questions plus up to five unscored ones: 105 minutes and a 68% pass mark for Platform Developer, 120 minutes and 70% for Platform Developer II. Registration is US$200 (JPY¥30,000) per exam. Study to the published testing areas, use Salesforce's recommended Trailhead materials, and plan for yearly maintenance to keep the credential active.
Two platform credentials form the core track
Salesforce Certified Platform Developer is the entry credential for programmatic work on the Lightning Platform, and Salesforce Certified Platform Developer II is the advanced tier that requires it.
Salesforce's developer credential family includes several specialist certifications, such as Agentforce Specialist, B2C Commerce Developer, JavaScript Developer, MuleSoft Developer, and OmniStudio Developer. The two platform exams are the ones built around Apex and the Lightning Platform itself.
Salesforce describes Platform Developer credential holders as people who develop and deploy custom business logic and custom interfaces using the programmatic capabilities of the Lightning Platform, extending it with Apex and Visualforce. The exam guide also names Flow and Lightning components as part of that scope, and states the exam is a prerequisite for Platform Developer II.
Platform Developer II targets advanced programmatic capabilities and data modeling for complex business logic and interfaces. If you are starting out, plan for the first exam and treat the second as the follow-on goal.
Official sources used: Certification — Salesforce Trailhead developer credentials overview — Developer certifications section; Salesforce Certified Platform Developer Exam Guide — Salesforce Help; Salesforce Certified Platform Developer II Exam Guide — Salesforce Help
Who each exam is written for
Platform Developer assumes roughly one to two years of development experience; Platform Developer II assumes two to four years and design-level work on the platform.
The Platform Developer guide describes its candidate as someone with experience developing, testing, and deploying basic business logic and user interfaces, generally one to two years as a developer with at least six months on the Lightning Platform. Useful background includes object-oriented languages such as Apex, Java, JavaScript, C#, or TypeScript, experience with relational databases, and familiarity with governor limits.
The guide is equally clear about what it does not cover. A candidate is not expected to administer standard Salesforce applications, build mobile apps, publish managed products on AppExchange, perform tuning, or design integrations such as callouts, APIs, and email services.
Platform Developer II raises the bar. Its candidate profile describes two to four years of experience, including at least one year of design, implementation, and deployment on the Lightning Platform, Apex that scales to large data volumes, complex sharing models, and testing that includes Jest for Lightning Web Components.
Official sources used: Salesforce Certified Platform Developer Exam Guide — Salesforce Help; Salesforce Certified Platform Developer II Exam Guide — Salesforce Help
Format, fees, and how the exams run
Both exams are proctored, closed-book multiple-choice tests with 60 scored questions and up to five unscored ones; Platform Developer gives 105 minutes with a 68% pass mark, Platform Developer II gives 120 minutes with 70%.
Each exam guide states the details in the table below. The unscored questions are randomly mixed in to gather performance data and do not affect your result.
You can take either exam at a testing center or online with a proctor, and no hard-copy or online materials may be referenced during the exam. Registration costs US$200 (JPY¥30,000) plus applicable taxes for both exams, and a retake costs US$100 (JPY¥15,000).
| Detail | Platform Developer | Platform Developer II |
|---|---|---|
| Scored questions | 60 multiple-choice | 60 multiple-choice |
| Unscored questions | Up to 5 | Up to 5 |
| Time allowed | 105 minutes | 120 minutes |
| Passing score | 68% | 70% |
| Release alignment | Summer '25 | Winter '24 |
| Registration fee | US$200 / JPY¥30,000 | US$200 / JPY¥30,000 |
| Retake fee | US$100 / JPY¥15,000 | US$100 / JPY¥15,000 |
| Prerequisite | None | Platform Developer certification |
| Delivery | Proctored, test center or online | Proctored, test center or online |
Official sources used: Salesforce Certified Platform Developer Exam Guide — Salesforce Help; Salesforce Certified Platform Developer II Exam Guide — Salesforce Help
What each exam tests
Platform Developer spreads its weight across fundamentals, automation and logic, user interface, and testing and deployment; Platform Developer II adds integration and a dedicated performance area.
For Platform Developer, the outline covers multi-tenant concepts and MVC architecture, choosing between declarative and programmatic customizations, data modeling, Flow and other declarative automation, Apex syntax and control flow, SOQL, SOSL, and DML within Apex scenarios, trigger best practices, governor limits, exception handling, and awareness of AI products such as Agentforce. The user interface area spans Lightning Web Components, Flow, and Visualforce, including preventing UI and data access security vulnerabilities. The final area covers writing tests for triggers, controllers, classes, and flows, using tools like Salesforce DX, the Salesforce CLI, and Developer Console, and deploying code and configuration.
Platform Developer II assumes those fundamentals and goes further. Its outline includes localization and multi-currency effects on code, sharing objects and Apex managed sharing, custom metadata and settings, asynchronous Apex, platform events, dynamic Apex, inbound and outbound integration, choosing among LWC, Aura, and Visualforce, advanced testing with mocks and stubs, source-driven deployment, and a standalone performance area covering large data volumes and code reuse.
The weights below come directly from each guide. Use them to budget study time, but treat every listed objective as examinable, not just the heaviest areas.
| Testing area | Platform Developer | Platform Developer II |
|---|---|---|
| Developer fundamentals | 27% | 15% (advanced topics) |
| Process automation and logic (plus integration in II) | 28% | 27% |
| User interface | 25% | 20% |
| Testing, debugging, and deployment | 20% | 20% |
| Performance | Not a separate area | 18% |
Official sources used: Salesforce Certified Platform Developer Exam Guide — Salesforce Help; Salesforce Certified Platform Developer II Exam Guide — Salesforce Help
Worked practice: turn requirements into tests
The exam outlines include testing application behavior. Practice by defining inputs, expected results and an exception case before choosing how to implement the tests.
This is an original paper exercise about test planning. The application rules are supplied in full; the task does not assume any built-in Salesforce behavior or require running code.
Practice exercise
A fictional order application follows these rules: an order with a total of at least 500 receives a priority flag; an order below 500 does not. A batch may contain several orders, and each must be evaluated independently. Negative totals are rejected and leave that order unchanged. Propose four tests covering the threshold boundary, multiple orders, and invalid input. State the expected result of each.
Show answer
Test 1: an unflagged order with total 499 stays unflagged. Test 2: an unflagged order with total 500 becomes flagged. Test 3: a batch of three unflagged orders with totals 100, 500 and 900 ends with flags false, true and true respectively. Test 4: an existing unflagged order submitted with total −1 is rejected and remains unchanged.
The first two tests distinguish the exact threshold from a nearby value. The third checks independent results for a collection rather than assuming a single-order result proves batch behavior. The fourth checks the supplied invalid-input rule and preservation of the prior state. These examples illustrate behavior to assert; they make no claim about Salesforce transaction defaults or code-coverage requirements.
Official sources used: Salesforce Certified Platform Developer Exam Guide — Salesforce Help; Salesforce Certified Platform Developer II Exam Guide — Salesforce Help
How to prepare and keep the certification
Salesforce recommends combining hands-on experience with Trailhead trails, self-study in the outline areas, and optionally its DEX450 course, then completing a yearly maintenance badge on Trailhead.
For Platform Developer, the guide's recommended materials include the Study for the Platform Developer Exam trail, the Prepare for Your Salesforce Platform Developer Certification trailmix, and the expert-led course Build Applications Programmatically on the Salesforce Platform (DEX450). It also lists documentation such as the Apex Developer Guide, the SOQL and SOSL Reference, the Lightning Web Components Developer Guide, and the governor limits references. The Platform Administrator certification is recommended, not required.
For Platform Developer II, the guide points to its own trailmix plus superbadges including the Apex Specialist superbadge, alongside advanced Apex, API, and component documentation.
Maintenance applies to both credentials: you must complete the certification's maintenance badge on Trailhead once a year. If you miss the due date, the certification expires.
Practical next steps: read the current exam guide for your target credential, work through the outline area by area with a practice org, then schedule the exam through the official Salesforce link when your practice results are consistent.
Official sources used: Salesforce Certified Platform Developer Exam Guide — Salesforce Help; Salesforce Certified Platform Developer II Exam Guide — Salesforce Help
Official sources used
Facts checked against official Salesforce exam guides: