Updated for Summer '26
New to this track? Our Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator II exam prep is the recommended first step. See our certification path to understand where this certification fits. The Salesforce Certified Platform Sharing and Visibility Architect exam weights Sharing Model most heavily (30%) — see the full breakdown, study tips, and practice questions below. See our full study guide for deep section coverage. Ready to book? Read our exam tips and study plan.
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Who is the Sharing and Visibility Architect exam for?
- Security-Focused Admins: Administrators who design and troubleshoot complex sharing models, OWD configurations, and record access for large orgs with multiple user populations.
- Platform Architects: Architects who need to prove deep expertise in Salesforce’s layered security model as part of the Application Architect or CTA path.
- Compliance Specialists: Professionals responsible for ensuring record-level data access meets regulatory and internal audit requirements across internal and external users.
Exam Fees & Registration
Exam Fee
$400
One-time registration fee
Retake Fee
$200
If you need to retake the exam
Comparing certs? View all Salesforce exam fees in one place →
Certification Validity
Your Salesforce Certified Platform Sharing and Visibility Architect certification is valid for 3 years from the date you pass the exam. You'll need to maintain your certification through continuing education or retake the exam.
How to Register
Register for the Salesforce Certified Platform Sharing and Visibility Architect exam through the official Salesforce certification portal.
Register for ExamExam data verification: questions, duration, passing score, fees, and section coverage were checked against official source references on .
Official sources: Exam guide·Salesforce exam pricing·Independent prep resource; no braindumps or leaked exam questions.
Salesforce Certified Platform Sharing and Visibility Architect – Complete Summer '26 Guide
This architect-level exam tests your ability to design record access models at scale, covering OWDs, role hierarchies, sharing rules, Apex managed sharing, and field-level security across internal and external users.
Recommended Prerequisites
We recommend completing this certification first to prepare you better.
Salesforce Certified Platform Sharing and Visibility Architect Exam Weightage by Section
Exam Topics
Exam Tips
- 1Sharing Model and Visibility/Security are 60%—know OWD, sharing rules, and data access patterns.
- 2Understand when to use private, public read-only, public read/write, and controlled by parent.
- 3Know sharing calculation and performance implications of complex sharing models.
- 4Be ready for "how would you design sharing for X requirement?" questions.
Prerequisites
- •Application Architect
- •System Architect
- •Deep security and sharing experience
Focus Areas
- •Sharing Model
- •Visibility and Security
- •Data Access Patterns
- •Best Practices
Study Strategy
Design sharing models for complex scenarios.
Understand performance implications and best practices.
Practice explaining trade-offs between different sharing approaches.
Exam Format and First-Attempt Readiness
The Salesforce Certified Platform Sharing and Visibility Architect exam has 60 questions in 120 min, passing score 58%. Most Salesforce exams test scenario-based decisions — focus on when to use each feature, not just terms.
- Study Sharing Model and Visibility and Security first — together they carry 60% of the exam.
- Do timed question sets. Build pacing and confidence.
- Review why wrong answers are wrong. It improves scenario reasoning.
- Book the exam once your mock scores are steady above 58%.
Is the Sharing and Visibility Architect Exam Hard?
Is the Sharing and Visibility Architect Exam Hard?
The Sharing and Visibility Architect exam is deceptively challenging because every question tests how multiple security layers interact. You need to evaluate OWD settings, role hierarchy, sharing rules, and Apex managed sharing together — not in isolation. Many candidates underestimate this exam because they are comfortable with individual sharing concepts but struggle when the exam combines them in a single scenario.
- 60 questions in 120 minutes — questions require you to trace record access through multiple sharing layers simultaneously.
- ~68% passing score — about 41 correct answers needed, with many questions containing two plausible answers that differ by one sharing layer.
- External sharing complexity — Community and portal user sharing models (Sharing Sets, external OWD, Guest User rules) trip up candidates who only study internal sharing.
- Performance implications — the exam tests your understanding of sharing recalculation cost and how deep role hierarchies impact org performance.
Pass Rate Guidance
Book the exam when you can whiteboard the complete access evaluation order from OWD through Apex Managed Sharing, and confidently explain external sharing for Community licence types.
Sharing and Visibility Architect Exam Format Explained
Sharing and Visibility Architect Exam Format Explained
The exam is proctored online or in-person. Here is the format:
Total Questions
60 scored questions
Time Limit
120 min
Passing Score
58%
Question Type
Multiple-choice & multiple-select
How Many Questions Are Scenario-Based?
Nearly every question is scenario-based, describing a specific access requirement and asking you to select the correct combination of sharing mechanisms to achieve it.
Best Way to Pass on Your First Attempt
- Memorize the access evaluation order: OWD, role hierarchy, sharing rules, manual sharing, teams, Apex managed sharing — know exactly which layer is additive and which sets the floor.
- Study external sharing deeply: Sharing Sets for Customer Community, roles and sharing rules for Customer Community Plus, and External Account Hierarchy for Partner Community are frequently tested.
- Understand performance trade-offs: Know when sharing recalculation is triggered, how to defer it, and how role hierarchy depth affects query performance in large orgs.
- Practice Apex Managed Sharing: Know how Share objects work, how to set the rowCause field, and when programmatic sharing is the only option for a business requirement.
Sharing and Visibility Architect: Key Concepts for the Exam
OWD and the Security Baseline
Organisation-Wide Defaults set the baseline record access: Private (only owner and above in role hierarchy), Public Read Only (all users read, only owner writes), Public Read/Write (all users read and write), Controlled by Parent (detail records follow master). OWD is the minimum — it can only be opened wider by other mechanisms, never restricted further. The exam tests which OWD setting applies to a given scenario and what the downstream implications are for sharing mechanisms.
Record Sharing: Role Hierarchy, Rules, and Manual Sharing
Role Hierarchy automatically grants managers access to their subordinates' records — this is implicit sharing. Sharing Rules extend access beyond OWD to specific roles, groups, or territories — either ownership-based or criteria-based. Manual Sharing allows record owners to grant access to specific users for individual records — not scalable. Apex Sharing (using Share objects) enables programmatic sharing for complex business rules. The exam tests which sharing mechanism is appropriate for each access requirement.
External User Sharing: Communities and Partner Portals
External users follow a different sharing model. Sharing Sets grant external users (Customer Community licence) access to records related to their Account or Contact — without roles or sharing rules. External Account Hierarchy enables partner users to see records owned by users below them in the partner account hierarchy. Guest User sharing rules grant unauthenticated visitors access to specific records. Know the licence-to-sharing mechanism mapping: Customer Community → Sharing Sets, Customer Community Plus → Sharing Rules & Roles, Partner Community → External Account Hierarchy.
Field and Object Security: Profiles vs Permission Sets
Object permissions (CRED: Create, Read, Edit, Delete) are set on Profiles and Permission Sets. Field-Level Security controls which fields a user can see and edit — also set on Profiles and Permission Sets. The effective permissions are the union of the profile and all assigned permission sets. View All and Modify All object permissions bypass the sharing model for that object. The exam tests layered permission evaluation and when to use Profiles vs Permission Sets for access management.
Sharing Performance and Audit
Sharing recalculation runs automatically when OWD or sharing rules change — this can be a long-running operation for large orgs. Sharing recalculation can be deferred using the Defer Sharing Recalculation feature. The Sharing Hierarchy viewer shows which mechanisms grant access to a specific record. Shield Platform Encryption encrypts data at rest for fields configured with encryption — this interacts with sharing and SOQL performance. The exam tests when to use audit tools (Setup Audit Trail, Field History Tracking) and the performance implications of sharing configurations.
A user’s access to a record is the union of every path shown below. If any one path grants access, the record is visible — this is why architects trace all four sources when diagnosing a visibility issue.
How to Pass the Salesforce Sharing and Visibility Architect Exam
The Sharing & Visibility Architect exam focuses entirely on Salesforce's record access model. Every question tests your ability to design and troubleshoot complex sharing configurations — from OWDs to Apex Managed Sharing.
Access Evaluation Order
Understand the exact order in which access is evaluated: OWD → Role Hierarchy → Sharing Rules → Manual Sharing → Teams → Apex Managed Sharing → Profile/PermSet object permissions. Know which layers are additive.
Criteria-Based Sharing Rules
Know the difference between Owner-Based and Criteria-Based Sharing Rules. Understand when criteria-based rules fire, their limits (300 per object), and how they interact with other sharing mechanisms.
External Sharing Model
The external sharing model (OWD for portal users) is separate from the internal model. Know how to configure Sharing Sets for portal users and how Account Teams extend access to Experience Cloud contacts.
Performance Considerations
Complex sharing configurations (large sharing rule counts, deep role hierarchies) cause sharing recalculation performance issues. Know how to use defer sharing calculation and design for recalculation efficiency.
Apex Managed Sharing
Apex Managed Sharing uses Share objects (AccountShare, etc.) with a specific Cause value. Know how to grant, revoke, and maintain programmatic shares and how they persist through OWD changes.
Is the Salesforce Certified Platform Sharing and Visibility Architect Exam Hard?
DifficultyChallenging; plan about 8-16 weeks of focused prep.
Book When ReadyScore 85%+ on three timed mocks before scheduling.
Use Practice, Not DumpsOriginal practice questions build skill without risking your credential.
Exam format: 60 questions, 120 min, 58% passing score.
Get the Full Question Bank
Most candidates book the exam after scoring 75%+ on full mocks.
If you’re planning to test this quarter, aim to complete full mocks at least 10–14 days before your exam date.
Want to ensure you pass on your first try? Contact us for more information on our full 60-question mock exams and a personalized study plan. You can also reach out to km.krishnamohan25@gmail.com.
Request Mock Exams & Study PlanSalesforce Certified Platform Sharing and Visibility Architect Exam FAQs
- What is covered on the Salesforce Certified Platform Sharing and Visibility Architect exam?
- The Salesforce Certified Platform Sharing and Visibility Architect exam—formerly Salesforce Certified Sharing and Visibility Architect— covers section-wise weightage as shown above. Use the exam topics and practice questions on this page to align your study with the official outline.
- What is Sharing and Visibility Architect?
- Sharing and Visibility Architect designs secure, scalable sharing models, understands data access patterns, and ensures proper visibility and security in Salesforce orgs.
Next Architect Certifications
After this architect certification, progress toward CTA or other architect domains: