Claude certification exam format, all four exams.
Every exam uses multiple-choice and multiple-response items, and each item tells you how many answers to pick. Pearson VUE proctors them online or at a test center.
| Exam | Code | Items | Time | Passing score | Recommended experience |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Certified Associate – Foundations | CCAO-F | 60 | 120 minutes | 720 of 1,000 | Regular hands-on use of Claude at work. No coding needed. |
| Claude Certified Developer – Foundations | CCDV-F | 53 | 120 minutes | 720 of 1,000 | 1 to 5 years of software engineering and 6+ months with Claude or similar LLM systems. |
| Claude Certified Architect – Foundations | CCAR-F | 60, across 4 scenarios drawn from a bank of 6 | 120 minutes | 720 of 1,000 | 6+ months building with the Claude API, Agent SDK, Claude Code and MCP. |
| Claude Certified Architect – Professional | CCAR-P | 63 | 120 minutes | 720 of 1,000 | 3+ years in systems architecture and 6+ months with LLM systems in production. |
Source: Anthropic's official exam guides, version 1.0, effective July 2026, linked from the Partner Academy certification page and checked November 2, 2026. The experience is recommended, and none of the exams has a required prerequisite. Exam fees differ by exam and are listed in Anthropic's certification FAQ.
Testing on or after December 7, 2026?
Pearson VUE says three of the four exams get updated content on December 7, 2026, and their updated exam guides come out November 17, 2026. Architect – Foundations is the one that stays the same. If you sit any other exam on December 7 or later, study from the updated guide. Source: Pearson VUE's Anthropic page, last updated October 16, 2026.
There's no official practice exam right now
Anthropic retired its old practice exam when certification moved to Pearson on June 30, 2026. The sample questions inside each exam guide are the official preview of item style. Our free study checklist helps you track your gaps against the blueprint.
Where the points are, exam by exam.
Each exam guide lists its domains with a weight, which is the approximate share of scored items. Spend your study hours in roughly the same proportion, then add time to whatever you've never done hands-on.
Claude Certified Associate – Foundations (CCAO-F)
Output Evaluation and Validation 21%, Workflow Integration and Solution Design 16%, Governance, Risk, and Responsible Use 15%, Prompting and Task Execution 14%, Product and Model Selection 12%, Configuration and Knowledge Management 12%, Troubleshooting and Optimization 10%. The biggest domain is judging what Claude gives you. Practice checking outputs for accuracy and deciding when a person needs to review the work. Build a Project with instructions and knowledge files, since the guide names Projects, Artifacts, Memory, Skills and Code Execution as features to know.
Claude Certified Developer – Foundations (CCDV-F)
Applications and Integration 33.1%, Model Selection and Optimization 16.8%, Agents and Workflows 14.7%, Prompt and Context Engineering 11.0%, Tools and MCPs 10.6%, Security and Safety 8.1%, Claude Code 3.1%, Eval, Testing, and Debugging 2.6%. A third of the exam is building on the API and SDKs, so most of your time belongs there. Ship one small Claude application that calls a tool, then tune its model choice and token cost. That work touches about half the points.
Claude Certified Architect – Foundations (CCAR-F)
Agentic Architecture & Orchestration 27%, Claude Code Configuration & Workflows 20%, Prompt Engineering & Structured Output 20%, Tool Design & MCP Integration 18%, Context Management & Reliability 15%. You'll see 4 of the guide's 6 production scenarios, picked at random, so prepare for all six. The guide's own prep list starts with building an agent on the Claude Agent SDK and configuring Claude Code for a real project with CLAUDE.md and at least one MCP server.
Claude Certified Architect – Professional (CCAR-P)
Integration 19%, Solution Design & Architecture 17%, Evaluation, Testing & Optimization 16%, Governance, Safety & Risk Management 14%, Stakeholder Communication & Lifecycle Management 14%, Claude Models, Prompting & Context Engineering 13%, Developer Productivity & Operational Enablement 7%. This one tests how you design and govern a whole Claude solution. The guide asks you to build and run at least one end-to-end Claude solution with retrieval and evaluation built in. Foundations isn't required first, though Anthropic calls it the natural place to start.
Not sure which exam fits your work? How to get Claude certified walks through who each one is for.
A study plan that follows the exam guide.
This is the order we recommend. Move faster through anything you already do at work.
Download the guide for your exam from the Partner Academy certification page. Anthropic calls it the authoritative source for what the exam covers. Mark every task statement you couldn't do today without looking it up.
A gap in a 27% domain costs far more than one in a 7% domain. Put the heavy domains with the most marks at the top of your list. Our free study checklist keeps the list in one place.
Every exam guide tells you to practice hands-on. Items are written as scenarios, so you need to have watched something fail and fixed it. Developers and architects should build on the API or the Agent SDK. Associates should set up a Claude Project for a real workflow at work.
Each guide ends with sample questions and explanations. Read why each wrong answer is wrong. That's the closest thing to the real exam you can see before test day.
Anthropic's certification policies set no deadline to sit the exam after you register, so book once the heavy domains feel solid. You'll need to register with a Claude Partner Network email. If your employer isn't a partner, here's how it works without one.
What to expect on exam day.
- Plan for about 135 minutes in the seat. That's the 120-minute exam plus check-in time and a short survey.
- The exam is closed book. Notes, documentation, AI assistants and browser translation tools aren't allowed.
- Your government ID has to match your Pearson profile name exactly, and you must be at least 18.
- Testing online, you stay in view of the webcam the whole time, and your desk has to be clear.
- Your score shows on screen when you finish. If you pass, Credly emails you to claim the badge.
- Source: Anthropic's certification FAQ and the official exam guides (v1.0), checked November 2, 2026.
If you don't pass
Your score report shows the percent you got right in each domain. Use it to rebuild your gap list before you rebook.
Retakes cost the full exam fee. You wait 14 days after a first fail, 30 days after a second and 90 days after a third, with up to four attempts per exam in any 12 months. Source: Anthropic's certification FAQ, checked November 2, 2026.
Preparing a whole team?
If several people need the cert, or your company wants Claude used well after the exam too, start with the free AI assessment. It's a 30-minute call with Mitchell, and you leave with your next actions in priority order.
Prep can run alongside a hands-on team workshop, from $950. The call is where we figure out whether that fits.
Want a study plan built around your exam?
| Detail | Prep | Prep plus a live session |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $150, one time | $300, one time |
| What you get | Prep resources for any of the four exams. Exam access is part of it. | Everything in the $150 prep, plus a live 1:1 session with Mitchell on Claude in your own work. |
| Exam fee | Separate, paid when you register | Separate, paid when you register |
| Checkout | Start prep with Mitchell, $150 | Get cert plus training, $300 |
Full refund if you can't be registered. See what a Claude certification costs in total.
Questions.
Getting a whole team ready? Bring it to the free AI assessment call.
How do I prepare for a Claude certification exam?
Start with the official exam guide for your track and rank your gaps by the domain weights it lists. Then build one real project with Claude and finish with the guide's sample questions. Anthropic says no single course is required.
What is the Claude certification exam format?
Per Anthropic's exam guides (v1.0), each exam has multiple-choice and multiple-response items with a 120-minute limit and a passing scaled score of 720 out of 1,000. Developer has 53 items and Architect – Professional has 63. The other two have 60. Pearson VUE proctors every exam online or at a test center.
How many questions are on the Claude Certified Architect – Foundations exam?
60 items. They're grouped under 4 production scenarios picked at random from a bank of 6 listed in the exam guide, so prepare for all six.
Is there an official Claude certification practice exam?
Not right now. Anthropic retired the old practice exam when certification moved to Pearson on June 30, 2026. Each exam guide includes sample questions that show the format and style. Use the free study checklist.
Can I register for a Claude certification with a personal email?
No. Anthropic requires a partner email on a recognized Claude Partner Network company domain. If your employer isn't a partner, OperatorZero's $150 prep covers all four exams and includes the registration email. You sit the exam under your own name. How it works without a partner company.
Is the Claude certification exam open book?
No. Anthropic's certification FAQ says it's closed book, so notes and AI assistants aren't allowed. The free renewal assessment you take before your certification expires is open book, per Anthropic's certification policies.
What happens if I fail a Claude certification exam?
Per Anthropic's certification FAQ, you can retake it after 14 days, then 30 days after a second fail and 90 days after a third, up to four attempts per exam in 12 months. Each retake costs the full exam fee. Your score report shows your percent correct by domain, so you know what to study.
How long is a Claude certification valid?
12 months from the day you earn it, per Anthropic's certification FAQ. Renewing before it lapses is free through an online assessment on Anthropic Partner Academy. If it lapses, you sit the full exam again at the full fee.
Ready to start prepping?
$150 one time covers prep for all four exams, with exam access included. The exam fee is separate. See the full cert prep page.