How I Passed the GoHighLevel Certified Admin Exam on My First Attempt

Yesterday, I officially became a GoHighLevel Certified Admin.

I passed the exam on my first attempt and completed the setup in about 36 minutes, with no errors. I used the remaining time to test everything.But the story started long before the exam.

Over the past year, I have been researching GoHighLevel, working with my team to build custom apps, and learning about the problems people face when using the platform. Then, three months ago, I decided it was time to get my hands dirty and learn GoHighLevel from the inside out.

Here’s how it went.

My Journey With GoHighLevel

For the past year, I have been working with my team to research and build custom apps for GoHighLevel. Our goal was to find gaps in the platform, understand user pain points, and build solutions that make life easier for GoHighLevel users.

So far, we have built four custom apps, which have been installed around 600 times.

My role was mainly focused on research, product development, and finding opportunities. I studied the platform, talked about problems we could solve, and shared insights with the team. They worked on building the solutions. However, I wasn’t deeply involved in full GoHighLevel implementations at that time. My other teammates handled most of that work.

I understood the platform and its ecosystem, but I knew there was still a lot to learn about using it to build complete systems for businesses. I wanted to understand those things myself.

Three Months of Focused Learning

About three months ago, I decided to go deeper into GoHighLevel.

I started exploring the platform more seriously. I went through the official certification course materials and purchased another paid GoHighLevel course to improve my knowledge. I also took a few other courses related to AI and automation.

But I didn’t want to spend all my time watching videos. I wanted to build things, test them, and understand how everything worked together. So, I started setting up GoHighLevel for our own businesses from scratch.

I explored different features, built workflows, tested different setups, and tried to understand how businesses could use the platform to solve real problems. The more I learned, the more I realized that knowing what a feature does is only one part of the job. You also need to know when to use it, how to connect it with other features, and how to make the entire system work for a business.

That brings me to the next part of my journey.

Learning Through Real Client Projects

Over the past three months, I also helped three clients with their GoHighLevel setups, troubleshooting, and offers. I found these clients through the communities I joined, offering my services for free or at a low rate to build my portfolio and gain hands-on experience solving real business problems.

They came from different business backgrounds:

• Real estate (Realtor): Account cleanup, fixing broken automations, and adding new workflows.
• Home services (Roofing): Building complex automations and connecting third-party tools with Make and n8n.
• Accounting firm SaaS reseller: Offer packaging, positioning, and website setup.

Each business had different needs and challenges. Working on these projects helped me understand how GoHighLevel fits into real business operations. It also gave me a chance to apply what I had learned instead of keeping it limited to courses and practice sessions.

Sometimes, you need to work on a real problem to understand why a particular feature matters.

You can watch a tutorial about automation and understand every step. But when you need to build a workflow for a real business, you start thinking about the whole process, possible problems, and what happens when something goes wrong. That kind of experience helped me prepare for the certification exam.

How I Prepared for the GoHighLevel Certification Exam

I didn’t prepare for the exam by studying alone. I also joined the weekly community calls where the GoHighLevel certification team and certified team members shared tips and guidance for preparation. I spoke with few certified admins to understand how the exam worked and what I should expect. I followed their suggestions and practiced based on their advice.

My preparation focused on a few key areas.

1. Completing the Course Materials

I went through the official certification course materials to understand the platform and its features.

2. Practicing What I Learned

I tried to apply the lessons instead of simply watching the videos and moving to the next module.

3. Exploring the Platform

I spent time learning where different features were located and how they worked. This was important because the exam had a time limit.

4. Building Real Systems

I continued working on setups and automation for our businesses and clients. This helped me connect what I was learning with real business needs.

By the time I took the exam, I had spent 3 months learning, practicing, and working with the platform. Still, I knew the one-hour time limit could be a challenge.

My GoHighLevel Certified Admin Exam Experience

The exam gave me one hour to set up a GoHighLevel sub-account for an example client who was a dentist.

Honestly, the tasks themselves felt easier than some of the automation challenges I had already worked through for clients. But completing everything within one hour was a mental pressure.

When you’re working on a real project, you can take your time to explore options, think through problems, and make improvements. In an exam, you need to know what to do and where to go without wasting too much time.

I started working through the required setup and focused on completing each task carefully. I finished the setup in about 36 minutes. That left me with roughly 24 minutes to test everything. I used that time to review the setup and make sure everything was working as expected.

The best part? I completed the setup without any errors. And just like that, I passed the exam on my first attempt.

For me, it was a great feeling. Not just because I earned the certification, but because I could see how much I had learned over the previous three months.

What I Learned From This Experience

Looking back, a few things stand out.

Understanding a Platform and Using It Are Two Different Things

I had spent a year researching GoHighLevel and building apps around it. That gave me a good understanding of the ecosystem, but hands-on implementation taught me a different set of skills.

Real Projects Make a Big Difference

Courses are useful, but working on real business problems helps you understand how everything fits together.

Automation Is a Core Skill

You need to understand how workflows work, how different features connect, and how to build systems that solve actual problems.

Time Management Matters

Even when you know how to complete a task, you need to work efficiently when there’s a deadline. These lessons are useful for the exam, but they matter even more when working with clients.

Tips for Anyone Preparing for the GoHighLevel Certified Admin Exam

If you’re planning to take the exam, here are a few things I would recommend based on my experience.

1. Explore GoHighLevel Deeply

Don’t limit yourself to the features you already know. Explore the platform and learn where its main features are located. Understand what they do and how they work. You don’t need to use every feature in every project, but knowing where to find things can save you a lot of time.

2. Complete the Course Materials

Go through the official certification course materials. Don’t just watch the videos and move on. Practice after each module and try to apply what you learned. You’ll remember things much better when you actually use them.

3. Focus on Automation

I believe automation is one of the most important skills to develop when learning GoHighLevel. Learn how workflows work and practice building them yourself. The automation tasks in the exam may not be extremely complicated, but understanding these fundamentals is important for real business implementations too.

4. Practice With a Timer

This is something I would strongly recommend. When practicing your setup, use a timer. Try to complete it within 40 to 45 minutes. This gives you extra time to test your work and fix any problems before you run out of time. Don’t wait until the actual exam to find out how quickly you can work.

5. Learn From People Who Have Already Passed

Connect with other people preparing for the exam and talk to certified admins. Community calls can be helpful because you get advice from people who design the exam and have already gone through the process.

I found those conversations useful during my preparation. Of course, everyone learns differently. Use the advice that works for you, but make sure you spend enough time practicing on your own.

What’s Next?

Getting certified is a milestone, but it’s not the finish line.

I want to keep working on real GoHighLevel projects, improve my implementation skills, and build more complex automation systems. I’ll also work toward earning more relevant certifications and badges inside the certification program.

Another thing I want to do is stay active in the GoHighLevel community. I believe sharing what you learn, helping other people, and learning from their experiences are all important parts of growing in this space.

And there’s one question I can’t answer yet.

Does becoming a GoHighLevel Certified Admin actually help you attract more clients?

I got certified yesterday, so it’s too early to say. I’ll keep working, sharing my experience, and see how things develop over time. For now, I’m happy to have reached this milestone. More importantly, I’m excited to keep learning and building.

If you’re preparing for the GoHighLevel Certified Admin exam, I hope my experience helps you.

Keep practicing, build real things, and don’t just learn how the features work. Learn how to use them to solve real business problems. That’s where the real value is.

If you have any questions or need help with GoHighLevel, feel free to reach out. You can send me a message on Facebook or find me on the GoHighLevel Certified Directory. I am always happy to chat and help!