- Why There Is No Fixed Exam Calendar
- What Is Fixed: Format, Fees, and Passing Score
- Online vs. Testing Center Scheduling
- Working Backward From the Prerequisite
- The Summer '22 Version Caveat and Timing
- Sequencing Domains Before Your Test Date
- The Maintenance Calendar After You Pass
- Booking-Day Checklist
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator II is scheduled on demand through Trailhead Academy and Pearson VUE, not on fixed national test dates.
- The exam is 60 scored questions plus up to five unscored, 105 minutes, with a 65% passing score.
- Registration costs US$200 plus tax; a retake costs US$100 plus tax, so schedule when you are ready.
- You must already hold the Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator credential before you can sit this exam.
Why There Is No Fixed Exam Calendar
Candidates searching for "SCAA exam dates 2026" often expect a published schedule like a spring and fall testing window. For Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator II, that is not how scheduling works. Salesforce delivers its certification exams through the current Trailhead Academy and Pearson VUE experience, which means you choose a date and time that fits your calendar, subject to appointment availability.
There are two delivery paths: Pearson OnVUE online proctoring from your own space, or an in-person appointment at a Pearson VUE testing center. In both cases the exam is proctored, and you cannot use hard-copy or online reference materials. The practical result is that your "exam date" is whatever slot you book, and the real planning question is not "when is the window?" but "when will I be ready?"
If you are still deciding whether this credential is worth pursuing at all, our ROI analysis of the SCAA certification covers that question before you spend money on a booking.
What Is Fixed: Format, Fees, and Passing Score
While dates are flexible, the exam's structure is not. Knowing these constants helps you decide how much preparation time to build around your appointment.
| Item | Platform Administrator II Detail |
|---|---|
| Question count | 60 multiple-choice/multiple-select questions, plus up to five unscored questions |
| Time limit | 105 minutes |
| Passing score | 65% |
| Registration fee | US$200 plus applicable taxes |
| Retake fee | US$100 plus applicable taxes |
| Prerequisite | Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator |
| Reference materials | Not permitted, online or hard copy |
| Pass rate | Not publicly disclosed |
Because the unscored questions are mixed in and not labeled, treat every item as if it counts. For a deeper look at how the threshold translates into real answers, see our guide to the SCAA passing score, and for the full money picture, the SCAA certification cost breakdown.
Online vs. Testing Center Scheduling
Pearson OnVUE (online proctored)
Online delivery gives you the widest range of dates because you are not constrained by a physical site's hours. You test from your own location under remote proctoring. The tradeoff is that you are responsible for a clean, quiet environment and a stable connection for 105 minutes, with no references of any kind within reach.
Pearson VUE testing center
An onsite appointment removes home-technology risk. Availability depends on the centers near you, so popular slots, such as weekends and times near the end of a quarter, can fill up. If you prefer a testing center, look at availability early and book with some buffer so a conflict does not push you out by weeks.
Choosing a Delivery Mode
Match the mode to your risk tolerance, not just convenience.
- Choose OnVUE if you want flexibility and have a distraction-free room.
- Choose a testing center if home internet or interruptions are a concern.
- Either way, plan for the same 60 scored questions and 105-minute clock.
Working Backward From the Prerequisite
The single most common scheduling mistake is treating the date as the starting point. The real starting point is eligibility. Salesforce requires the Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator certification as a prerequisite, so if you do not hold it yet, your Platform Administrator II date cannot come before the foundational exam is passed and on your record.
Salesforce also describes the target candidate as someone with significant hands-on Administrator experience who has completed Administer, Extend, and Automate Salesforce (ADX211) or has equivalent experience and knowledge. That is a readiness signal, not a calendar gate, but it should influence how far out you book. Our SCAA requirements guide walks through eligibility in more detail.
- Confirm the Platform Administrator credential is active and in good standing.
- Honestly assess your hands-on time with the topics in all seven domains.
- Estimate how many weeks you need for your weakest domains.
- Only then choose a booking date and work backward from it.
The Summer '22 Version Caveat and Timing
One detail worth understanding before you pick a date: the current official Platform Administrator II exam guide still states that exam questions align to the Summer '22 release. Salesforce's 2026 materials continue to list the credential as active, and the seven domains and weights remain the authoritative outline. No newer public exam-outline version was located in the official sources reviewed.
What this means for you in practice: study with a current org, because that is what you will use on the job, but anchor your exam preparation to the official exam guide's objectives rather than to the newest release notes. Newer product areas, including Agentforce Sales and Agentforce Service capabilities named in the broader official objectives, are worth knowing, but the guide's stated scope remains your map. Always re-check the official exam guide shortly before you book, since Salesforce can revise it.
Sequencing Domains Before Your Test Date
A booked date turns your study plan into a countdown, and the exam's weighting should dictate the order. Security and Access and Process Automation are tied at 20% each, and Objects and Applications follows at 19%. Together those three account for 59% of the exam, so they deserve your earliest and most repeated attention. Our complete guide to the seven SCAA domains expands on each area.
Security and Access (20%)
- Record and field access, profiles, permission sets, and delegated administration
- Authentication options and how they interact with access decisions
- Scenario practice: choosing the least-privilege solution
Process Automation (20%)
- Declarative automation choices and the order of execution
- Where automations conflict, and how to diagnose which fired first
Objects and Applications (19%)
- Account/contact models, object relationships, and UI/UX configuration
Data and Analytics Management (13%) and Cloud Applications (11%)
- Data quality, reporting and analytics, external data access, and imports
- Sales, Forecasting, Territory Management, Knowledge, entitlements, and Experience Cloud
Auditing and Monitoring (10%) and Environment Management and Deployment (7%)
- Audit and monitoring tools and sensitive-data controls
- Sandboxes, change sets, and AppExchange deployment
- Then full timed practice before your appointment
This is only a template: shorten or extend each block based on your day-to-day experience. A long-time administrator who lives in automation may compress Weeks 3-4, while someone who rarely touches deployment should not skip Week 7 simply because it is only 7% of the exam. Our SCAA study guide offers a fuller approach, and the difficulty guide can help you judge how much runway you need.
The Maintenance Calendar After You Pass
Your exam date is not the last date that matters. Salesforce certifications require ongoing maintenance, and the current exam guide states the Administrator certification maintenance badge must be completed three times a year. If required maintenance is not completed, the certification expires.
The cleanest way to avoid a lapse is to put maintenance deadlines on your calendar the day you pass. Treat them like a recurring release cycle rather than a surprise. Keeping the credential active protects the investment you made in the exam and keeps it useful when you pursue roles listed in resources like our overview of SCAA jobs, or when you evaluate pay using our salary guide.
Booking-Day Checklist
- Prerequisite confirmed: the Platform Administrator credential is on your record.
- Practice results stable: you are consistently clearing the 65% line on timed, full-length practice, ideally with margin. Start with the SCAA practice tests to benchmark yourself.
- Delivery mode chosen: OnVUE or testing center, with your room or location sorted.
- Budget set: US$200 plus taxes for the attempt, with US$100 plus taxes held in reserve in case you need a retake.
- Official sources rechecked: exam guide, credential page, and certification overview all reviewed this week.
- Maintenance reminders ready: three-times-a-year deadlines noted for after you pass.
Key Takeaway
Book your appointment last, not first. Confirm eligibility, finish a full run of timed practice from the practice test site, then pick a slot with a few weeks of buffer so a scheduling conflict never forces a rushed attempt.
Frequently Asked Questions
No fixed national dates apply. Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator II is scheduled on demand through Trailhead Academy and Pearson VUE, via either OnVUE online proctoring or a Pearson VUE testing center, depending on appointment availability.
Registration is US$200 plus applicable taxes, and a retake is US$100 plus applicable taxes. See our certification cost breakdown for the full picture.
Yes. The Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator certification is the prerequisite. Salesforce also describes candidates as having significant hands-on administrator experience and ADX211 or equivalent knowledge.
You get 105 minutes to answer 60 scored multiple-choice/multiple-select questions, with up to five additional unscored questions mixed in. The passing score is 65%.
It can. Salesforce requires maintenance, and the current exam guide states the Administrator certification maintenance badge must be completed three times a year, or the certification expires.