Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I Study Guide (2026) - Pass on Your First Attempt
📋 2026 Edition  ·  Updated May 2026

Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I
salesforce-platform-developer-1 Study Guide — Pass First Attempt

Complete exam coverage for the Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I. Every domain, every key topic — structured so you study smart, not hard. Built around the official exam blueprint.

60
Questions
105 min
Duration
65
Passing score
8
Domains
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92%
First-attempt pass rate
47K+
Candidates prepared
4.9★
Average rating
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—%
Overall readiness (locked)
Salesforce Fundamentals and Data Model
—
Working with Data in Apex (SOQL and SOSL)
—
Apex (Core Programming)
—
Lightning Web Components (LWC)
—
Testing
—
Visualforce
—
Declarative Tools
—
Debugging and Deployment
—
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Exam at a Glance

Everything you need to know before you start

Key facts about the Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I exam structure, format, and scoring.

🆔
salesforce-platform-developer-1
Exam code
📝
60 questions
Total questions
⏱
105 minutes
Duration
🎯
65
Passing score
📋
8 domains
Exam domains
📅
Valid 3 years
Certification validity
🌐
Online / In-person
Testing mode
🏆
Globally recognised
Credential type
ℹ️
Scoring method: Raw scoring — 65% correct (39/60) required to pass. No negative marking. Some unscored pilot questions may appear.. The exam may include unscored pilot questions — treat every question seriously.
Focus Areas

What should you study for the Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I exam?

To pass the Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I certification exam, you should focus on these core domains. The exam tests your ability to apply concepts in real-world scenarios — not just memorise definitions.

⚠️
Common mistake: Candidates memorise terminology but struggle with scenario-based questions. Focus on when to use what, not just what exists.
🔐
Salesforce Fundamentals and Data Model (23%)
Covers the Salesforce platform architecture, object model (standard and custom objects), relationships, fields, schema, and the record sharing model.
🏗
Working with Data in Apex (SOQL and SOSL) (18%)
Covers querying and manipulating Salesforce data using SOQL and SOSL, DML operations, and governor limit best practices.
⚡
Apex (Core Programming) (17%)
Covers Apex syntax, collections, control flow, classes, interfaces, triggers, exception handling, and governor limits.
💰
Lightning Web Components (LWC) (10%)
Covers the LWC programming model, component communication, lifecycle hooks, and integration with Apex.
🔄
Testing (9%)
Covers Apex test classes, test data creation, assert methods, and the minimum test coverage requirements for deployment.
📊
Visualforce (8%)
Covers Visualforce page and component development, standard and custom controllers, and extensions.
🌐
Declarative Tools (8%)
Covers Salesforce Flow, Process Builder (legacy), approval processes, and when to use declarative vs programmatic solutions.
🛡
Debugging and Deployment (7%)
Covers debugging Apex using logs and the Developer Console, and deploying metadata between Salesforce orgs.
Full Syllabus

Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I Exam Syllabus and Topics

The Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I exam is divided into 8 domains. Each domain tests specific skills and contributes to your overall score. Click any domain to expand topics.

Salesforce Fundamentals and Data Model
Covers the Salesforce platform architecture, object model (standard and custom objects), relationships, fields, schema, and the record sharing model.
23% ▼
Salesforce Platform Architecture
Multi-tenant architecture
Platform limits and governor limits
Metadata-driven development
AppExchange overview
Data Model
Standard objects (Account, Contact, Opportunity, Lead, Case)
Custom objects and fields
Relationship types (Lookup, Master-Detail, Many-to-Many via junction objects)
Schema Builder
Field types and validation rules
Security and Sharing Model
Organization-wide defaults (OWD)
Role hierarchy
Profiles and permission sets
Sharing rules
Record-level and field-level security
~14 questions
14 marks
23% of exam weight
Working with Data in Apex (SOQL and SOSL)
Covers querying and manipulating Salesforce data using SOQL and SOSL, DML operations, and governor limit best practices.
18% ▼
SOQL (Salesforce Object Query Language)
Basic SELECT syntax
Filtering (WHERE, LIKE, IN)
Aggregate functions (COUNT, SUM, AVG)
Relationship queries (parent-to-child, child-to-parent)
Bind variables
SOQL for loops
SOSL (Salesforce Object Search Language)
FIND syntax
Searching across multiple objects
SOQL vs SOSL use cases
DML Operations
Insert, update, upsert, delete, undelete
Database class methods (Database.insert with partial success)
DML governor limits
Avoiding SOQL and DML inside loops
~11 questions
11 marks
18% of exam weight
Apex (Core Programming)
Covers Apex syntax, collections, control flow, classes, interfaces, triggers, exception handling, and governor limits.
17% ▼
Apex Basics
Data types and variables
Collections (List, Set, Map)
Control flow (if/else, for, while, do-while)
String handling
Classes and OOP
Class structure, access modifiers
Inheritance and interfaces
Static vs instance methods
Inner classes
Abstract and virtual classes
Apex Triggers
Trigger syntax and context variables
Before and after triggers
Trigger best practices (one trigger per object, handler pattern)
Trigger order of execution
Asynchronous Apex
Future methods (@future)
Batch Apex (Database.Batchable)
Queueable Apex
Scheduled Apex
Platform Events
~10 questions
10 marks
17% of exam weight
Lightning Web Components (LWC)
Covers the LWC programming model, component communication, lifecycle hooks, and integration with Apex.
10% ▼
LWC Fundamentals
LWC file structure (HTML, JS, CSS, meta.xml)
Data binding (@track, @api, @wire)
Lifecycle hooks (connectedCallback, renderedCallback)
Event handling (dispatching and receiving events)
LWC and Apex Integration
@wire decorator for Apex calls
Imperative Apex calls
Error handling in LWC
LWC security (LockerService)
~6 questions
6 marks
10% of exam weight
Testing
Covers Apex test classes, test data creation, assert methods, and the minimum test coverage requirements for deployment.
9% ▼
Writing Test Classes
@isTest annotation
Test.startTest() and Test.stopTest()
Creating test data (Test.loadData, TestDataFactory pattern)
System.assert, System.assertEquals, System.assertNotEquals
Test Coverage and Deployment
75% code coverage requirement for production deployment
What counts as coverage
Test isolation and SeeAllData=false
Testing asynchronous Apex
~5 questions
5 marks
9% of exam weight
Visualforce
Covers Visualforce page and component development, standard and custom controllers, and extensions.
8% ▼
Visualforce Pages and Controllers
Visualforce tag syntax (<apex:page>, <apex:form>, <apex:inputField>)
Standard controller (standardController)
Custom controllers and controller extensions
View state and its limitations
Visualforce Best Practices
Reducing view state size
Using with sharing in controllers
Visualforce security considerations
~5 questions
5 marks
8% of exam weight
Declarative Tools
Covers Salesforce Flow, Process Builder (legacy), approval processes, and when to use declarative vs programmatic solutions.
8% ▼
Salesforce Flow
Screen Flows, Record-Triggered Flows, Auto-Launched Flows
Flow elements (Assignment, Decision, Loop, Create Records, Update Records)
Flow variables and formulas
Calling Apex from Flow
Approval Processes
Approval process steps and actions
Approval entry criteria
Automated approval routing
~5 questions
5 marks
8% of exam weight
Debugging and Deployment
Covers debugging Apex using logs and the Developer Console, and deploying metadata between Salesforce orgs.
7% ▼
Debugging
Debug Log levels and categories
Developer Console features
System.debug() usage
Checkpoint inspector
Deployment
Change Sets
Salesforce CLI (sf) and SFDX commands
Metadata API
Deployment validation vs deployment
~4 questions
4 marks
7% of exam weight
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Study Plan

Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I Structured Study Roadmap

Designed for candidates studying 1-2 hours per day. Select your timeline below.

Exam Strategy

Tips to pass Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I on your first attempt

Tactical advice beyond content knowledge — what separates candidates who pass from those who retake.

🗓
Governor limits are tested throughout every domain — memorize key limits: 100 SOQL queries per transaction, 150 DML statements, 6MB heap size, and 10MB async heap.
🔍
Master the trigger order of execution: validation rules, before triggers, duplicate rules, after triggers, assignment rules, auto-response rules, workflow rules, and Flows.
⏭
SOQL in loops is the most common anti-pattern tested — always bulkify by querying outside loops and using Maps for lookups.
📊
Complete the official Trailhead 'Prepare for your Salesforce Platform Developer I Credential' trail — it maps directly to the exam.
🔁
Know LWC @wire vs imperative Apex calls: use @wire for reactive data, imperative for conditional or user-action-triggered calls.
🧪
For testing: understand that System.runAs() changes user context and is commonly tested in governor limit + multi-user scenarios.
📝
The data model domain (23%) is the heaviest — master object relationships (Lookup vs Master-Detail), cascade delete, and roll-up summaries.
🎯
Study asynchronous Apex (Batch, Queueable, Future, Scheduled) — know when to use each and their specific governor limit implications.
🗓
Practice in a free Salesforce Developer Edition org — hands-on experience with triggers, Flows, and LWC is essential.
🔍
Salesforce updates its exams with each major release (Spring, Summer, Winter) — verify your study materials are current before exam day.
Recommended Resources

Official and trusted study materials

Curated resources ranked by usefulness. Quality over quantity — focus on a small set of authoritative sources.

Official
Official Exam Guide
The authoritative blueprint. Know every objective before studying anything else.
→ Vendor website
Practice Tests
Edureify Practice Tests
Full-length Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I simulations with detailed per-domain analysis and explanations.
→ Start free test
Video Course
Structured Video Course
Pick one highly-rated course and complete it end-to-end before switching resources.
With edureify Convert Tutorial to AI Tutor
Reference
Domain Cheat Sheets
One-page summaries for each Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I domain — ideal for last-week revision.
→ Get free Cheat Sheet
Community
Study Groups & Forums
Reddit r/certifications and exam-specific Discord servers for peer support and tips.
→ Reddit / Discord
AI Tutor
Edureify AI Mentor
Get instant answers to Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I concepts, domain-level weak-area coaching, and adaptive questions.
→ Try free
⚠️
Avoid brain dumps. Sites selling "real exam questions" violate most vendor NDAs and are legally risky. Questions rotate regularly — brain dumps lead to overconfidence on outdated material and a higher retake rate.
Reviews

What candidates say after passing

★★★★★
"Passed Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I on my first attempt after 5 weeks. The domain-level diagnostic showed me exactly where my gaps were — I stopped wasting time on topics I already knew."
Rahul S.
Solutions Architect, Bangalore
★★★★★
"The structured study plan kept me on track. I tried studying on my own for 3 months and failed. With Edureify's roadmap I passed in 6 weeks."
Priya M.
Cloud Engineer, Mumbai
★★★★★
"The AI mentor was like having a personal tutor available at 2am. Every concept I didn't understand was explained until I got it. Invaluable for the Salesforce Fundamentals and Data Model domain."
David K.
DevOps Engineer, London
FAQ

Frequently asked questions about Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I

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