Refreshed and republished on January 20, 2022
This post was originally published on March 26, 2021 and has been revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.Do you have around 6-12 months of experience building and executing marketing workflows with the Pardot platform? Is one of your 2022 goals to become a Salesforce Certified Pardot Specialist? I’ve got you covered! In this post, I will share some tips on how to prep for the exam and recommended resources, broken down by topic in the study guide.
Studying tips
- Review the exam outline and highlight the topics you aren’t familiar with. Focus the majority of your studying efforts on those topics.
- Create a list of resources (blog posts, help docs, Trailhead modules, videos, etc) that cover each topic. See my list of resources below.
- Create your own set of flashcards to study. Quizlet is great for this.
- Review all modules within the Prepare for your Pardot Specialist Credential Trailmix – even the topics you’re familiar with.
- Review the Pardot Help Docs.
- Take a practice test to test your knowledge, but DO NOT memorize the questions.
Resources
Here is a list of resources I recommend reviewing, broken down by topic in the study guide.
Visitors and Prospects: 8%
- Describe the relationship between visitors and prospects.
- Managing Pardot Visitors and Prospects Help Doc
- Learn How Pardot Handles Prospects and Visitors Trailhead module
- Converting Visitors to Prospects Help Doc
- Pardot Visitors and Prospects Tutorial – Datarati – Implementation Guru YouTube Channel
- Given a scenario, apply the appropriate plan of action using Prospect Audits.
- Prospect Audits Blog Post
- Prospect Audits Help Doc
- Prospect Audits: Behind the Scenes by Nebula Consulting
Administration: 11%
- Illustrate how to create, edit, and map fields.
- Create Custom Prospect Fields Help Doc
- Custom Fields in Pardot
- The Beginner’s Guide to Pardot Field Definitions by MarCloud Consulting
- How To Map Pardot and Salesforce Custom Fields and Avoid the API Field Name Trap! by Salesforce Ben (The Drip)
- Explain the relationship between Pardot and Salesforce.
- Connecting Pardot and Salesforce Help Doc
- Salesforce & Pardot Integration Trailhead Module
- The Basics of the Salesforce-Pardot Integration bu Idealist Consulting
- How Pardot & Salesforce Work Together by Salesforce Ben (The Drip)
- Describe the capabilities of the Pardot Recycle Bin.
- Pardot Recycle Bin Help Doc
- Pardot Prospects and the Recycle Bin by MarCloud Consulting
- Go Green with Pardot’s Recycle Bin by Nebula Consulting
Pardot Forms, Form Handlers and Landing Pages: 20%
- Given a scenario, identify the capabilities, use cases and interpret metrics of Pardot forms.
- Introduction to Forms by Pardot
- Use Pardot Forms and Form Handlers Trailhead module
- Pardot Forms: 5 Steps You Really Need to Know by TransFunnel Consulting
- Pardot Form ‘Gotchas’ – 7 Things Should Know About Pardot Forms by Salesforce Ben (The Drip)
- Benefits of using Pardot Forms over Pardot Form Handlers by Marcloud Consulting
- Identify the capabilities, use cases and interpret reporting metrics for landing pages.
- Use Pardot Landing Pages Trailhead module
- Landing Page Overview by Pardot
- Landing Pages: Building Using a Custom Layout Template by Pardot
- Landing Page Report Statistics Help Doc
- What’s the difference between a submission and a conversion? Help Doc
- How to Build a Pardot Landing Page Overview Report in Salesforce by Salesforce Ben (The Drip)
Lead Management: 24%
- Explain the components and use cases of an automation rule.
- Automation Rules Blog Post
- Automation Rules Help Doc
- Use Automation Rules Trailhead module
- Automation rules examples
- Choose the Right Pardot Automation: Ask These 4 Questions by Salesforce Ben (The Drip)
- Distinguish between the capabilities of, use cases for, and how to create different types of lists.
- Getting Started with Pardot – Part 12 (Understanding The Different Types of Lists) by Automation Champion
- Pardot Blog on Lists
- Pardot Blog on Dynamic Lists
- Static and Dynamic Prospect Lists Help Doc
- Pardot List Types by Learning Curv
- Pardot Campaigns vs. Pardot Lists Help Doc
- Segmentation Help Doc
- Define the capabilities of a completion action.
- Pardot Completion Actions Blog Post
- Completion Actions Help Doc
- Pardot Completion Actions by Learning Curv
- 4 Use Cases for Pardot Completion Actions by Nebula Consulting
- Define the capabilities of a segmentation rule.
- Pardot Segementation Rules blog post
- Automation vs. Segmentation Rules Pardot training video
- Use Segmentation Rules Trailhead module
- Segmentation Rule Criteria Help Doc
- Choose the Right Pardot Automation: Ask These 4 Questions by Salesforce Ben (The Drip)
- Define the capabilities of page actions.
- Page Actions Help Doc
- Page Actions: Inject Action into your Page Views by Salesforce Ben (The Drip)
- Explain what a Score measures and how scoring is managed.
- A Look at Automated Lead Qualification by Pardot
- Pardot Lead Scoring and Grading for Salesforce Classic Trailhead module
- Scoring Prospects Help Doc
- Pardot Lead Scoring: Best Practices for Enterprises by Cloud Kettle
- The Complete Guide to Automated Lead Scoring & Grading Pardot whitepaper
- Explain what a Grade measures and how grading is managed.
- Pardot Grading 101: How to Rate The Quality of Your Prospects by The Spot for Pardot
- Grading Prospects Help Doc
- Grading Trailhead Module
- Guide to Grading (Part 1): What is Pardot Grading? by Salesforce Ben (The Drip)
- Identify the capabilities and use cases of custom redirects.
- Custom Redirects Pardot blog post
- 5 Use Cases for Pardot Marketing Links (Custom Redirects) by Salesforce Ben (The Drip)
- Custom Redirects showing clicks and no prospects Help Doc
- 5 Pardot Custom Redirect Use Cases by Cloud on Tap
- How Can Custom Redirects Help You? by Nebula Consulting
Email Marketing: 20%
- Distinguish between an Email and an Email Template.
- Pardot List Emails Vs. Email Templates Help Doc
- Difference Between Email Templates and List Email Drafts Help Doc
- When to Use a Pardot List Email vs. Email Template (and What to Do if You Build the Wrong One) by The Spot for Pardot
- Pardot Support Series: Email Template or List Email by Invado Solutions
- Given a scenario, identify the capabilities and use cases for email.
- Distinguish between the metrics collected in Pardot email reporting.
- Pardot Email Reporting: Key Metrics and Where to Find Them [Infographic] by Salesforce Ben (The Drip)
- List Email Report Help Doc
- Track and Report on Email Engagement Trailhead module
- List Email Report Blog Post
Engagement Studio: 17%
- Distinguish between the components of an engagement program.
- Explain the process of updating an engagement program including its assets.
- Engagement Studio User Guide
- 6 Common Use Cases for Engagement Studio
- Create an Engagement Studio Program Trailhead module
- 10 Engagement Studio “Gotchas” to Watch Out For by The Spot for Pardot
- Q&A: Everything You Need to Know about Pardot Engagement Studio by The Spot for Pardot
How did you study for the Salesforce Certified Pardot Specialist Exam?
Leave a comment below to share your tips and resources.
Hi Jenna! Thank you for putting this all together! I am taking the Pardot Specialist exam in two weeks and this has been super helpful. Just wanted to inform you that some links lead to a 404 error 🙂
Hi Brooke, thanks so much for letting me know! Best of luck with your exam. You got this!