Claude Certified Architect: 10 questions, answered
Independent study resource, not affiliated with Anthropic · registration facts verified against Anthropic's portal
What is the Claude Certified Architect (CCA-F)?
Anthropic's certification for people who build with Claude. The Foundations exam tests design judgment across Claude Code, the Agent SDK, the Claude API, and MCP — not product trivia.
Who can take the exam?
Access goes through the Claude Partner Network, Anthropic's free-to-join partner program. Companies of any size can apply — including solo owner companies — and once accepted, you can register for the exam.
How much does it cost?
$125 per attempt. Partner discounts are applied automatically at checkout, and the prep courses on Anthropic Academy are free for everyone.
How do I register?
Once you're in the partner network, register and pay on Anthropic's certification portal. Pearson VUE then emails you credentials, and you schedule your sitting — online proctored or at a test center.
What's the exam format?
60 multiple-choice questions in 120 minutes, delivered by Pearson VUE. Scoring is scaled out of 1000; 720 passes.
What does it cover?
Five domains: agentic architecture (27%), Claude Code workflows (20%), prompt engineering (20%), tool design & MCP (18%), and context management (15%). The full breakdown is on the exam overview.
What are the questions like?
Scenario-based: each sitting frames its questions inside 4 of six working scenarios (a support agent, a CI/CD pipeline, a data-extraction job…). You're dropped into a situation and asked which design choice fits it best — several options are plausible, one is right for that situation.
How long does it take to prepare?
Less about calendar time, more about hands-on time. It's an applied exam, and people who use Claude in their day-to-day work fare much better than people who cram. The free diagnostic tells you where you stand in about ten minutes.
What's the best way to study?
Build things — real projects with Claude Code, the API, and MCP teach the judgment the exam tests. Anthropic's learning path on Academy has solid lessons, and when you're ready to check yourself there are 150 free practice questions and a timed mock here.
Is it worth it?
If you build with Claude professionally, it's currently the only vendor credential for those skills — and interest is climbing as access expands. It's also brand new, so it lands strongest paired with real project work.
Access rules have been changing as Anthropic widens the program — the official portal is the source of truth.