Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I Practice Exam

What the Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I exam covers

• Developer Fundamentals166 questions
• Process Automation and Logic232 questions
• User Interface180 questions
• Testing, Debugging, and Deployment160 questions

Free Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I sample questions

A sample of 10 questions with answers and explanations. Sign up free to practice all 738.

1. Question 1Testing, Debugging, and Deployment

   A developer wants to quickly test a SOQL query and view the returned records in a grid, without writing any Apex code. Which Developer Console feature should be used?

   • ALog Inspector
   • BQuery EditorCorrect
   • CCheckpoints
   • DExecute Anonymous window
   ✓ Correct answer: B

   Developer Console's Query Editor pane lets a developer type a SOQL or SOSL statement and immediately see the matching records without writing or deploying any Apex. It is meant for ad hoc data lookups, not for running procedural logic.

   Why the other options are wrong

   • ALog Inspector is for stepping through an existing debug log, not for running a query.
   • CCheckpoints capture variable state at a line of executing Apex; they do not run standalone queries.
   • DExecute Anonymous runs Apex code blocks; a raw SOQL statement is not valid Apex on its own.
2. Question 2Developer Fundamentals

   What is the main purpose of the 50,000-row SOQL query limit per transaction?

   • ATo cap the number of custom objects per org
   • BTo restrict daily API call volume
   • CTo enforce org-wide test coverage minimums
   • DTo prevent one transaction retrieving excess rowsCorrect
   ✓ Correct answer: D

   This limit works alongside the 100-query limit to bound how much data one transaction can retrieve via SOQL, which is important for keeping the shared multi-tenant platform responsive for all customers.

   Why the other options are wrong

   • AThe number of custom objects is a separate metadata limit.
   • BDaily API call volume is tracked independently of query row limits.
   • CTest coverage requirements are unrelated to SOQL row retrieval limits.
3. Question 3Developer Fundamentals

   In Apex, how does a developer reference a custom lookup relationship field to traverse from a child record to its parent, rather than referencing the raw foreign key Id?

   • AAppend __c to the relationship name
   • BAppend __r to the relationship nameCorrect
   • CAppend __pc to the field name
   • DUse the field label directly
   ✓ Correct answer: B

   A custom lookup or master-detail field named Account__c stores the parent Id, but to walk to the parent record's fields in Apex or SOQL, the developer uses the relationship name, which for custom fields ends in __r (e.g., Account__r.Name).

   Why the other options are wrong

   • A__c is the suffix on the field that stores the parent Id itself, not the traversal relationship name.
   • C__pc is not a valid Salesforce suffix.
   • DLabels cannot be used in Apex or SOQL; only API names are valid identifiers.
4. Question 4Developer FundamentalsSelect all that apply

   Which two statements describe Data Loader's ability to relate imported child records to existing parents via external ID during a load? (Choose TWO)

   • ARequires the Data Import Wizard instead
   • BMaps the child field to the parent external IDCorrect
   • CRelates records without needing the parent IdCorrect
   • DOnly works if the parent has zero records
   • EBypasses all field-level security checks
   ✓ Correct answer: B, C

   Instead of requiring the 18-character Salesforce Id in the CSV, a developer can map a relationship field to the parent's external ID column, letting Data Loader resolve the correct parent record during the load.

   Why the other options are wrong

   • AThis external-ID-based relating capability during CSV field mapping is a Data Loader feature; it is not exclusive to the Data Import Wizard.
   • DThe parent object can already contain many existing records; matching still works via the external ID value present on each row.
   • EField-level security is still enforced for the running user during any data load operation.
5. Question 5Process Automation and Logic

   Given a Set<String> named validStages populated in Apex, which SOQL clause correctly filters Opportunities to only those stages?

   • AWHERE StageName IN validStages
   • BWHERE StageName = :validStages
   • CWHERE StageName CONTAINS :validStages
   • DWHERE StageName IN :validStagesCorrect
   ✓ Correct answer: D

   The IN operator compares StageName against every value inside the bound Apex collection, and the colon before validStages is required to reference the Apex variable from inline SOQL.

   Why the other options are wrong

   • AReferencing an Apex variable inside inline SOQL requires the colon bind syntax, without it the query will not compile.
   • BThe equals operator expects a single value, not a collection of possible values.
   • CCONTAINS is not the correct operator for matching against a set of discrete values.
6. Question 6Process Automation and LogicSelect all that apply

   Which TWO statements about try/catch/finally in Apex are correct? (Choose TWO)

   • AA try block can exist without any catch block and without a finally block
   • BAt least one catch block is required whenever a try block is used
   • CIf an exception is thrown and no matching catch block exists, the finally block is skipped entirely
   • DThe finally block executes whether or not an exception was thrown, and whether or not it was caughtCorrect
   • EMultiple catch blocks can be chained to handle different exception types differentlyCorrect
   ✓ Correct answer: D, E

   A try statement can be followed by one or more catch blocks targeting different exception types in order from most specific to most general, and by a finally block that runs no matter how the try or catch blocks exit, including when an exception propagates uncaught.

   Why the other options are wrong

   • AA try block in Apex must be followed by at least one catch block, a finally block, or both; it cannot stand completely alone.
   • BA try block only needs a finally block to be valid; a catch block is not strictly required if finally is present.
   • Cfinally still executes even when an exception is not caught by any block; it runs before the exception continues propagating.
7. Question 7Process Automation and Logic

   A batch data load inserts 200 Account records in a single DML operation. How many separate times does the order of execution, from before triggers through after triggers, run for this one operation?

   • A200 times, once per individual Account record
   • BOnce, with all 200 records processed together as one batchCorrect
   • CTwice, since inserts are always processed in two passes
   • DOnce per unique field value present across the records
   ✓ Correct answer: B

   This is the same underlying reason bulkification matters: a single before-trigger execution receives all 200 records in Trigger.new at once, rather than being invoked 200 separate times, so any SOQL or DML in the trigger must be written to handle the full collection in one pass.

   Why the other options are wrong

   • AThe order of execution is not repeated per record; it runs once for the batch as a whole.
   • CThere is no rule that inserts are always split into exactly two passes.
   • DThe order of execution has nothing to do with the number of distinct field values in the data.
8. Question 8Testing, Debugging, and Deployment

   Is the 75 percent org-wide code coverage requirement enforced when deploying components into a sandbox rather than production?

   • AYes, sandboxes enforce a stricter 90 percent requirement
   • BYes, the identical 75 percent requirement applies to sandboxes
   • CNo, sandboxes instead require full 100 percent coverage
   • DNo, sandboxes do not enforce the 75 percent requirementCorrect
   ✓ Correct answer: D

   Deploying to most sandbox types does not require meeting the 75% coverage threshold, which makes sandboxes convenient for iterative development before code must clear the stricter production deployment gate.

   Why the other options are wrong

   • AThere is no stricter 90 percent enforcement applied specifically to sandbox deployments.
   • BSandboxes do not enforce the same mandatory coverage gate that production deployments do.
   • CThere is no 100 percent coverage requirement imposed for sandbox deployments.
9. Question 9User Interface

   A component needs to call a third-party JavaScript library that manipulates the rendered DOM after the template is drawn. Which lifecycle hook is appropriate?

   • Aconstructor()
   • BdisconnectedCallback()
   • CrenderedCallback()Correct
   • DconnectedCallback() only
   ✓ Correct answer: C

   Third-party libraries that need to attach to or read actual DOM nodes should be initialized here, typically with a guard flag so the setup only happens once even though renderedCallback can fire repeatedly.

   Why the other options are wrong

   • AThe constructor runs before any DOM exists for the component, so it cannot safely manipulate rendered output.
   • BdisconnectedCallback fires on removal, not after rendering, so it is the wrong time for this.
   • DconnectedCallback runs before the template has necessarily finished rendering, so DOM elements may not yet exist.
10. Question 10User Interface

    Which merge field returns the current logged-in user's first name on a Visualforce page?

    • A{!$User.FirstName}Correct
    • B{!User.FirstName}
    • C{!$Profile.FirstName}
    • D{!$CurrentUser.FirstName}
    ✓ Correct answer: A

    Global variables are always prefixed with a dollar sign inside the expression braces, distinguishing them from record or controller property references.

    Why the other options are wrong

    • BWithout the dollar sign this would look for a User field on the current record's controller rather than the logged-in user global.
    • C$Profile exposes profile-related information, not the running user's name.
    • D$CurrentUser is not a valid Visualforce global variable name; the correct one is $User.

Who this Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I practice exam is for

This practice set is for anyone preparing for the Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I exam at the intermediate level - from first-time candidates building a foundation to experienced Salesforce practitioners doing a final review before test day. If you learn best by working through realistic questions and reading why each answer is right or wrong, it is built for you.

How to use this Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I practice exam

1. Start with the free sample questions above to gauge your current baseline.
2. Read the full explanation on every question, including why each wrong option is wrong.
3. Track your weak domains and focus your study where you are losing the most marks.
4. Once you are scoring consistently well, take a timed, full-length mock exam.
5. Use your readiness score to decide when you are ready to book the real Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I exam.

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