The Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I exam, coded CRT-450, tests whether you can build custom business logic and user interfaces on the Salesforce Lightning Platform using Apex, SOQL, Lightning Web Components and Visualforce. It is aimed at developers and technically minded administrators who write code on Salesforce, and it is the entry credential in Salesforce’s developer track. This page summarizes the exam’s format, fee, domains, renewal rules and preparation approach, based on Salesforce’s published exam guide and Trailhead study material.
Salesforce describes the credential as designed for people who develop and deploy basic business logic and user interfaces using the programmatic capabilities of the platform. The exam guide’s typical candidate has one to two years of general developer experience and at least six months working on Salesforce itself.
A large part of the exam is judgment rather than syntax. You are repeatedly asked whether a requirement should be solved with a declarative tool such as Flow or an approval process, or with Apex code, and how to write that code so it behaves under platform limits. Passing also unlocks the next step in the developer track, since Platform Developer I is a prerequisite for the Platform Developer II multiple choice exam.
Salesforce lists no formal prerequisite for CRT-450. Anyone can register. The experience guidance above is a recommendation, not a gate. Salesforce suggests combining hands on practice, training courses and self study. Candidates from a non coding background do pass, but they should expect to spend time writing Apex and queries in a Developer Edition org, because many questions present code and ask what it does or how to fix it.
Questions: 60 scored questions in multiple choice and multiple select format, plus up to 5 unscored questions mixed in. Unscored items are not identified and do not affect your result.
Time: 105 minutes.
Passing score: 68 percent, which works out to roughly 41 of the 60 scored questions.
Delivery: Proctored, either at a testing center or online.
References: No printed or online materials may be used during the exam.
Multiple select questions matter here. Knowing one correct option out of several is not enough, so partial recall tends to hurt more on this exam than on a purely single answer test.
The study guide on Trailhead splits the exam into four areas:
Developer Fundamentals (27%): how the multitenant platform works, mapping platform features to the MVC pattern, data modeling, object relationships, and moving data in and out of development environments.
Process Automation and Logic (28%): declarative automation options, Apex classes and triggers, SOQL, SOSL and DML, exception handling, governor limits, bulkification and asynchronous Apex.
User Interface (25%): building and extending interfaces with Lightning components, including Lightning Web Components, and Visualforce, along with how Apex connects to them.
Testing, Debugging and Deployment (20%): writing Apex unit tests, using debugging tools such as the Developer Console, and understanding development environments and deployment options.
Weightings have been revised more than once in the past, so confirm the current percentages in the official exam guide before you plan your study time.
Salesforce handles scheduling through its certification program. You choose between an onsite testing center and an online proctored session. The fee is USD 200 plus applicable taxes, and a retake costs USD 100 plus applicable taxes. Salesforce publishes retake waiting rules and identity and system requirements for online sessions, and these can change, so read the exam logistics and policies on the official Trailhead pages before you book instead of relying on a third party summary.
Salesforce certifications do not carry a fixed multi year expiry. Instead, certified professionals complete a maintenance module on Trailhead once a year, tied to the current platform releases. Miss the deadline and the certification expires. Salesforce has stated that completing the Platform Developer I maintenance module also maintains Platform Developer II for people who hold both, so one lapse can affect both credentials.
CRT-450 is recognized in the Salesforce partner and customer ecosystem as proof that someone can write Apex that respects governor limits, build interfaces with Lightning Web Components, and ship code with proper test coverage. It is commonly relevant for Salesforce developer, technical consultant and administrator to developer transition roles. It also serves as the base for Platform Developer II, which adds further requirements beyond a multiple choice exam. Because the credential is verified through Trailhead and Salesforce certification records, employers can confirm it directly.
Practice questions are most useful once you have written some Apex and built a few components. Timed sets on AllExamQuestions.com help you get used to multiple select wording and code reading under the 105 minute limit, and reviewing the explanations for questions you miss shows which of the four domains needs more hands on time. They work best alongside Trailhead modules and the official exam guide, not as a replacement for them.
Last updated on Oct, 28 2026
