Salesforce Certified Platform Developer Preparation Details
The Salesforce Certified Platform Developer exam validates your ability to build custom business logic and interfaces using Apex, Visualforce, Lightning components, and Flow on the Lightning Platform. This study guide maps every domain and objective from the official exam guide to verified Salesforce documentation, so you can study each topic in order.
Whether you are new to Apex or already building declarative and programmatic solutions, working through each linked resource will help you close knowledge gaps before exam day. You can also explore more Salesforce certification study guides on the Salesforce category to keep building your skills.
Salesforce Certified Platform Developer Materials
| Coursera | Salesforce Certified Apex & LWC Development Bootcamp |
| Udemy | Salesforce Certified Platform Developer 1 Course |
| Whizlabs | Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I |
Developer Fundamentals: 27%
Understand multi-tenant concepts and design frameworks, such as MVC architecture and Lightning Component Framework.
Platform Multitenant Architecture
Get Started | Lightning Web Components Developer Guide
Given a scenario, identify common use cases and best practices for declarative versus programmatic customizations, including governor limits, formula fields, and roll-up summaries.
Apex Transactions and Governor Limits
Calculate Field Values with Formulas
Given a scenario, determine, create, and access the appropriate data model including objects, fields, relationships, and external IDs.
External IDs for External Objects in Salesforce Connect—Custom Adapter
Object Reference for Salesforce and Lightning Platform
Understand use cases and limitations of using Agentforce for Developers.
Get Started | Agentforce Developer Guide
Process Automation and Logic: 28%
Identify the capabilities of the declarative process automation features.
Automate Your Business Processes
Getting Started with Salesforce Flow for Developers
Understand how to declare variables, constants, methods, modifiers, Apex interfaces, and the appropriate use cases for each.
Classes, Objects, and Interfaces
Given a scenario, assess how Apex control flow statements will execute and when to apply different control flow statements.
Given a scenario, write SOSL, SOQL, and DML statements in Apex, and assess what they will return.
Working with SOQL and SOSL Query Results
DML Statements vs. Database Class Methods
Given a scenario, follow best practices to write Apex classes and triggers.
Trigger and Bulk Request Best Practices
Given a scenario, understand governor limits and their implications on Apex transactions.
Apex Transactions and Governor Limits
Running Apex within Governor Execution Limits
Execution Governors and Limits
Set Up Governor Limit Email Warnings
Describe the relationship between Apex transactions, the save order of execution, and the potential for recursion and/or cascading.
Triggers and Order of Execution
DML Operations As Atomic Transactions
Implement exception handling in Apex, including custom exceptions as needed.
Exception Class and Built-In Exceptions
Given a scenario, use declarative functionality and Apex together to automate business logic.
Apex Actions | Actions Developer Guide
Getting Started with Salesforce Flow for Developers
User Interface: 25%
Given a scenario, prevent user interface and data access security vulnerabilities.
Security Tips for Apex and Visualforce Development
Apex Security and Sharing Model
Enforce Object and Field Permissions
SOQL Injection Due to Insecure Database Query Construction
Given a scenario, display and use custom user interface components, including Lightning components, Flow, and Visualforce.
Get Started | Lightning Web Components Developer Guide
Standard Controllers | Visualforce Developer Guide
Custom Controllers and Controller Extensions
Describe the use cases and best practices for Lightning Web Components, including the framework, benefits, and events.
Lightning Web Components | Lightning Web Components Developer Guide
Given a scenario, implement Apex to work with various types of page components, including Lightning components, Flow, and Agentforce.
Call Apex Methods | Work with Salesforce Data | Lightning Web Components Developer Guide
Expose Apex Methods to Components
Create Custom Actions Using Apex InvocableMethod
Testing, Debugging, and Deployment: 20%
Write and execute tests for triggers, controllers, classes, and flows using various sources of test data.
Salesforce Apex Unit Testing Best Practices and Code Coverage Requirements
Given a scenario, know how and when to use the Salesforce Developer tools such as Salesforce DX, Salesforce CLI, and Developer Console.
Quick Start | Salesforce CLI Setup Guide
Salesforce CLI Command Reference
Describe how to approach debugging system issues and monitoring flows, performance, asynchronous, and batch jobs.
Debugging, Testing, and Deploying Apex
Describe the environments, requirements, and process for deploying code and associated configurations.
Sandbox Licenses and Storage Limits by Type
Wrapping Up Salesforce Certified Platform Developer
This guide walked through every domain and objective on the Salesforce Certified Platform Developer exam, from data modeling and Apex fundamentals to Lightning components, Flow, and deployment. Working through the linked documentation for each objective builds the practical knowledge you need to pass with confidence.
Keep practicing in a Developer Edition org as you study, since hands-on repetition with Apex, triggers, and Lightning Web Components is what makes these concepts stick. You can also explore more Salesforce certification study guides on the Salesforce category to keep building your skills. Have a question or tip? Leave a comment below.
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