The Salesforce Building Applications with Force.com and Visualforce certification has a strong reputation for a reason — the DEV-401 exam tests applied skills, not memorized definitions. Candidates around the world use Actual4Exams practice questions to close knowledge gaps before test day.
Salesforce DEV-401 Exam Overview:
| Certification Vendor: | Salesforce |
|---|---|
| Exam Name: | Building Applications with Force.com and Visualforce |
| Exam Number: | DEV-401 |
| Available Languages: | English, Japanese |
| Related Certifications: | Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I Salesforce Certified Platform Developer II |
| Exam Price: | USD 200 (plus applicable taxes) |
| Passing Score: | 65% |
| Certificate Validity Period: | 2 years |
| Exam Duration: | 105 minutes |
| Real Exam Qty: | 60 (+5 unscored items) |
| Exam Format: | Multiple-choice, Scenario-based, Multiple-select |
| Recommended Training: | Salesforce Trailhead Force.com Developer Workbook |
| Exam Registration: | Webassessor Registration Salesforce Certification Portal |
| Sample Questions: | ![]() |
| Exam Way: | Online proctored or on-site at authorized testing centers |
| Pre Condition: | No official prerequisites; recommended: 6+ months hands-on experience with Force.com, familiarity with Salesforce Admin concepts |
| Official Syllabus URL: | https://web.archive.org/web/20180319001632/https://certification.salesforce.com/exams/dev-401 |
Salesforce DEV-401 Exam Syllabus Topics:
| Section | Weight | Objectives |
|---|---|---|
| Topic 1: User Interface | 15% | - Visualforce pages, components, and controllers - Page layouts, record types, Lightning experience - Custom buttons, links, and actions |
| Topic 2: Business Logic & Process Automation | 23% | - Apex classes, triggers, and DML operations - Process Builder and Flow - Error handling and exception management - Workflow rules, approval processes |
| Topic 3: Overview of Force.com Platform | 5% | - Multitenant architecture - Declarative vs programmatic development - Platform limits and governor considerations |
| Topic 4: Application Design | 5% | - Design for scalability and maintainability - Best practices for declarative first |
| Topic 5: Testing, Debugging & Deployment | 10% | - Apex unit tests and code coverage - Change sets and deployment tools - Debug logs and developer console |
| Topic 6: Data Modeling & Management | 32% | - Relationships (lookup, master-detail, self) - Field types, validation rules, formulas - SOQL and SOSL queries - Standard and custom objects - Data access and security model |
| Topic 7: Reporting & Analytics | 10% | - Report sharing and security - Dashboards and filters - Custom report types |
DEV-401 Exam FAQ: What Candidates Ask About Salesforce Building Applications with Force.com and Visualforce
The DEV-401 exam, officially known as Salesforce Building Applications with Force.com and Visualforce, is the Salesforce test that leads to the Salesforce Certified Force.com Developer certification at the Intermediate / Associate level. Passing it validates the skills employers expect from a certified professional. It is also associated with related credentials such as Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I, Salesforce Certified Platform Developer II.
The DEV-401 exam contains 60 (+5 unscored items) questions, and you have 105 minutes to complete them. Work out your per-question pace before test day, and flag slow items instead of stalling on them — time pressure, not knowledge, sinks many first attempts. Timed mock exams in the Actual4Exams test engines are the most reliable way to build that rhythm.
The passing score for the DEV-401 exam is 65%, and the official registration fee is USD 200 (plus applicable taxes). If you miss the mark, a retake means paying the full fee again, so book your seat only when you are ready. A practical benchmark: score consistently above the passing line on timed practice tests before scheduling the real exam.
No official prerequisites; recommended: 6+ months hands-on experience with Force.com, familiarity with Salesforce Admin concepts
Entry requirements can change, so confirm the latest conditions on the official exam page: https://web.archive.org/web/20180319001632/https://certification.salesforce.com/exams/dev-401.
You can book the DEV-401 exam through the official registration channels below:
Exam delivery: Online proctored or on-site at authorized testing centers. Seats at popular test centers fill quickly, so schedule early once your preparation is on track.
Salesforce recommends the following training options for Salesforce Building Applications with Force.com and Visualforce candidates:
Pair any course with the 386 practice questions from Actual4Exams to measure how ready you really are before paying the exam fee.
Yes. A free PDF demo of the Salesforce Building Applications with Force.com and Visualforce questions is available, so you can check the question style and answer quality before you pay. Every purchase also includes 365 days of free updates, and if the product expires you can renew the update service at a 50% discount from your member zone.
If you take the corresponding DEV-401 exam within 60 days of purchase and do not pass, you can apply for a full refund under the 100% Money Back Guarantee: submit a scan of your enrollment slip and your official Score Report (PDF) within 2 days of the exam date, and the claim is processed within 7 days. Attempts made within 3 days of purchase, downloads without an actual exam attempt, free materials, and expired orders are not eligible, and the candidate name must match the payer name. Prefer new material instead of a refund? You can exchange your purchase for two free products of equal value and keep the update service on your original product. As for delivery, the files are available for instant download and are also emailed to you within one minute of payment — if nothing arrives within 2 hours, contact customer service. There is no limit on how many computers you can install the product on.
The official Salesforce Building Applications with Force.com and Visualforce outline is organized into 7 domains. The first three are:
- User Interface — 15% of the exam
- Reporting & Analytics — 10% of the exam
- Overview of Force.com Platform — 5% of the exam
See the complete exam topics section above for the full outline and the weighting of every domain.
Salesforce Building Applications with Force.com and Visualforce Sample Questions:
Question 1
CORRECT TEXT
A picklist called Section on Account has these 2 values A, B.
How would you write a validation rule
on this picklist to ensure that user selects either A or B while creating an account?
Question 2
What happens if 1 component of a change set fails to deploy?
A. The entire change set fails to deploy
B. Except the failed component, all other components of the change set get deployed
C. The entire change set gets deployed
D. The deployment time increases
Question 3
CORRECT TEXT
Which object allows creation of a hierarchical relationship with itself? (Data type: Hierarchy)
Question 4
What are the 4 Declarative Application building blocks of the User Interface? (Select all that apply)
A. Workflow
B. Record Types
C. Applications
D. Page Layouts
E. Visualforce Pages
F. Tabs
Question 5
If the email id of an inactive user in Salesforce is changed then:
A. An email is sent immediately to the new email id for verifying the new email id.
B. An email is NOT sent to the new email id for verifying the new email id as the email id was
changed when the user was inactive. Such a mail would be sent only if the email id of an active
user is changed.
C. An email is sent to the new email id for verifying the new email id only when the user is
activated.
Solutions:
| Question 1 Answer: Only visible for members | Question 2 Answer: A | Question 3 Answer: Only visible for members | Question 4 Answer: B,C,D,F | Question 5 Answer: B |
No help, Full refund!
Actual4Exams confidently stands behind all its offerings by giving Unconditional "No help, Full refund" Guarantee. Since the time our operations started we have never seen people report failure in the Salesforce DEV-401 exam after using our products. With this feedback we can assure you of the benefits that you will get from our products and the high probability of clearing the DEV-401 exam.
We still understand the effort, time, and money you will invest in preparing for your certification exam, which makes failure in the Salesforce DEV-401 exam really painful and disappointing. Although we cannot reduce your pain and disappointment but we can certainly share with you the financial loss.
This means that if due to any reason you are not able to pass the DEV-401 actual exam even after using our product, we will reimburse the full amount you spent on our products. you just need to mail us your score report along with your account information to address listed below within 7 days after your unqualified certificate came out.




