Quick guide to prepare for CPQ Specialist !

I recently passed the CPQ specialist exam and wanted to share my plan of action which helped me to prepare for this cert !

First things first :

Get to know the cert :

Check out the guide and section wise topics to understand what all things you need to prepare for.
Guide Link : click here.

Start with the basics :

Now if you are familiar with Sales cloud, you would be aware about the objects like Opportunity, Quotes, Contracts, Orders,etc.
Think of CPQ like a extension to the Sales cloud.
So to get started first you will need a dev org with CPQ installed : Sign up for a free Developer Edition org with Salesforce CPQ.

You can checkout the initial steps to follow here : click here. (Jump to “Sign Up for a Developer Edition Org with Salesforce CPQ” section.)
Now with the org ready, you need to know the basics.

Preparation:

- You can initially start with the Apex hours series : Youtube link.
- Try to perform the same steps which are done by Sudha or Prashant.
After 2 or 3 videos, revisit the old videos for a quick revision.

After you are confident after completing almost half the video series, now jump on to the Trailmix and start solving those specific modules for which you have already watched the videos.
OR
You can also first finish watching all the videos and then jump on to trail mix. (CPQ Trail mix)

Referring online resources and some recommendations :

1. You can check out this blog by
   Justin Dixon
   for a quick go through for all the sections. You can use his blog as a quick revision notes before your exam as well. He has provided with some links for studying.
2. In case you need to install Advanced Approval package : Click here So that you can try out for yourself in your own org.
3. Apart from Apex Hours videos, you can refer
   Pramod Dhokane
   ’s videos as well. His YT channel link is : click here. His videos are short and precise and would be really good for a quick CPQ knowledge bite.
4. The holy grail for all your doubts: So just like we have guides for Sales and Service cloud, always refer the CPQ official doc : click here.
5. A good video on Advanced Approval : click here.
6. If you need to deep dive into CPQ and have enough time to prepare you can checkout this book by Madhu Ramanujan : Salesforce CPQ Implementation Handbook.
7. Personally the most tricky thing to wrap my head around was (and is 😝)
   THE PRICE WATERFALL.🌊
   Check out this knowledge article for a better understanding: click here. Also try to note down calculations when you are watching the ‘Price waterfall’ video from Apex Hours. Try to calculate on your own as well.
8. Hands on ! Hands on Hands on !
   Try to play around with the features as much as possible !

And with that, I wish you all the best for the exam !
Cheers ! 🍻