Salesforce Certification Passing Score by Tier (Summer '26)
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Salesforce publishes an exact passing score in each official exam guide, and this page lists the verified figure for every credential we hold a guide for. They range from 48% to 78%, so the tier generalisations you will find elsewhere are not much use. Accredited Professional and board-reviewed exams are the exception: those cut scores are not published publicly.
Note: the figures below come from each credential's official Salesforce exam guide, not from estimates. Accredited Professional and board-reviewed exams are the exception: Salesforce does not publish a numeric cut score for those. Aim roughly ten points above your own exam's mark on practice tests to leave a margin.
Passing Scores by Certification Tier
| Tier | Exam Fee | Typical Passing Score | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Associate | $75 | 62-70% | Platform Foundations, MuleSoft Integration Foundations, AI Associate (retired Feb 2026s |
| Specialist | $200 | ~62–65% | Email Specialist, Pardot Specialist, Platform Developer I |
| Professional / Consultant | $200 | ~63–68% | Administrator, Sales Cloud Consultant, Service Cloud Consultant |
| Architect | $400 | 58-70% | Integration Architect, Data Architect, Sharing & Visibility Architect |
| Technical Architect (CTA) | Board Review | N/A: Board evaluation | Live presentation, no multiple-choice score |
How to Use This When Studying
- Target 75%+ on practice exams. This gives you a buffer above your exam’s own threshold, which ranges from about 60% to 78%.
- Do not rely on "just passing." Exam difficulty varies by sitting; a 66% on one practice run may not translate to a pass on the real exam.
- Take multiple full mock exams. Consistently hitting 75%+ across 2–3 full mocks is a strong readiness indicator.
- Review every wrong answer. Understanding why you missed questions matters more than the raw percentage.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the passing score for Salesforce Administrator exam?
- The Platform Administrator (ADM-201) exam requires 68%, which is 41 of the 60 scored questions. That figure comes from the official Salesforce exam guide, not from candidate reports.
- Do all Salesforce exams have the same passing score?
- No. Associate-level exams ($75) typically require around 70%. Specialist and Professional exams ($200) generally require 62–68% depending on the exam. Architect exams ($400) often require around 67%. Salesforce does not disclose exact thresholds, these figures come from candidate reports and study guide publishers.
- How is the Salesforce exam score calculated?
- Salesforce reports an unweighted percentage: your correct answers out of the scored questions, compared against the passing score in that exam’s official guide. Unscored pilot questions do not count. You receive a pass or fail result plus a section-by-section breakdown showing where you were strong and weak.
- What score should I aim for on practice exams?
- Aim for 75%+ on multiple full-length timed practice exams before booking the real exam. This provides a safety margin, passing thresholds range from about 60%% to 78%% depending on the exam, so practising well above your own exam’s mark gives you buffer for exam-day variability, harder questions, or nerves. Consistently scoring below 70% on practice suggests more study is needed.
- Does the Technical Architect (CTA) exam have a passing score?
- The CTA is not a multiple-choice exam. It is a live Board Review where you present a hypothetical architecture to a panel of CTAs. There is no numerical passing score, the board evaluates you on six criteria (architecture, design, security, scalability, etc.) and makes a pass/fail decision. Preparation focuses on presentation skills and architecture storytelling, not a percentage threshold.
Practice Until You Hit 75%+
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