A realistic six-week plan at roughly 8 hours per week. Keep a free Developer Edition org open and do every task hands-on. Add two to six weeks if you are new to Salesforce.
| Week | Focus | Checkpoint |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Company setup, users, profiles and permission sets | You can create a user and grant access correctly |
| 2 | Security model: OWD, role hierarchy, sharing rules | You can explain why one user sees a record and another does not |
| 3 | Objects, fields, relationships, record types, page layouts | You can build a custom object end to end |
| 4 | Automation: Flow, validation rules, approval processes | You can build a record-triggered flow and a validation rule |
| 5 | Data and analytics, the Sales/Service apps, and Agentforce | You can import data, build a report and dashboard, and explain Agentforce |
| 6 | Free Trailhead practice and full-length timed reviews | You consistently pass timed reviews |
Final tips
The security model (Weeks 1–2) and Automation with Flow (Week 4) are the conceptual core - give them the most time. Get profiles versus permission sets and OWD versus sharing rules straight, and learn Flow rather than the retired Workflow Rules and Process Builder. The Data and Analytics domain is the largest at 17%, so practise importing data and building reports until it is mechanical. Use current eight-domain material that includes the Agentforce domain added in December 2025, and confirm the passing score on the official Salesforce exam guide. Avoid “exam dump” sites - they breach Salesforce policy and will not teach you the platform.