ClassMetric

Claude certification

Anthropic’s Claude certifications are proctored exams open to people at Claude Partner Network firms. The Architect exam tests building with Claude.

Claude Certified Architect PrepThe tool-use loop An agent is a loopAn agent is a loop. You send a prompt, Claude decides what to do, and it can call your tools.PromptYour prompt joins the system prompt and the tool definitions in the context window.tool_useFor a client tool, Claude returns stop_reason "tool_use" and a tool_use block with an id, the tool's name, and its input.
60questions in 120 minutes
720to pass, scaled 100–1,000
$125exam fee per attempt
PartnersClaude Partner Network only

How to get it, step by step

  1. Check that your firm is a Claude partner

    The exams are open only to people at Claude Partner Network organizations, signing in with a company email. Any firm bringing Claude to market can apply, and membership is free.3,4,6

  2. Pick one of the four certifications

    Associate, Developer – Foundations, Architect – Foundations or Architect – Professional. Architect – Foundations is for solution architects who design and build agent systems with Claude.4,5

  3. Study the five exam domains

    Agents and orchestration (27%), tools and MCP (18%), Claude Code (20%), prompts and structured output (20%), context and reliability (15%). Our class covers every domain.1

  4. Register through Partner Academy

    Open the certification in Anthropic Partner Academy and select Register; you go to Pearson to schedule and pay. You test online with a proctor or at a Pearson test center.4

  5. Pass the proctored exam

    60 questions in 120 minutes, set in 4 scenarios drawn from 6 in the exam guide. You need 720 on a 100–1,000 scale; passing earns a Credly badge.1,5

  6. Renew every 12 months

    On-time renewal is a free, non-proctored assessment on Anthropic Partner Academy. If your credential lapses, you retake the full exam at the full fee.1,4

Claude Certified Architect Prep: lesson plan and practice →

The exam, and the money

The exam

Questions
60, multiple choice and multiple response1
Time
120 minutes (about 135 with check-in)4
Passing score
720 on a 100–1,000 scale1
Format
4 scenarios drawn from a bank of 6; closed book1,4
Where you test
Online with a proctor or at a Pearson test center4,2
Fee
$125; 50% off for Select, Preferred and Global Premier partners1,4
Retakes
Wait 14, then 30, then 90 days; up to 4 tries in 12 months1

The money

Architect – Foundations exam
$125 per attempt, before partner discounts1,4
Other Claude exams
Associate $99, Developer $125, Architect – Professional $1754
Renewal
Free if on time, every 12 months1,4
Claude Academy courses
Free, with a completion badge (not a certification)7,3

Study for the exam

36 lessons in 6 chapters · about 5 minutes each

  1. 1Agents that loop and delegate8

    Agentic Architecture & Orchestration

    1. The Claude tool-use loop Lesson 1 · free
    2. Coordinators and subagents
    3. Give subagents the full context
    4. Run subagents in parallel
    5. Hooks enforce rules prompts can’t
    6. Handoffs a human can act on
    7. Chain prompts or plan adaptively
    8. Resume, fork, or start fresh
    27%
  2. 2Tools Claude picks correctly6

    Tool Design & MCP Integration

    1. Tool descriptions that route well
    2. Errors an agent can act on
    3. Fewer tools per agent
    4. tool_choice: auto, any, forced
    5. MCP servers: project or user scope
    6. Grep, Glob, Read or Edit?
    18%
  3. 3Claude Code for a team6

    Claude Code Configuration & Workflows

    1. CLAUDE.md: user, project, directory
    2. Skills and slash commands
    3. Path rules with glob patterns
    4. Plan mode or direct execution?
    5. Iterate with examples and tests
    6. Claude Code in CI pipelines
    20%
  4. 4Prompts that return clean data6

    Prompt Engineering & Structured Output

    1. Explicit criteria beat vague rules
    2. Few-shot examples that teach
    3. JSON schemas through tool use
    4. Validate, retry, feed back errors
    5. When to use the Batches API
    6. A second pass catches more
    20%
  5. 5Context and reliability6

    Context Management & Reliability

    1. Keep key facts in long chats
    2. When to escalate to a human
    3. Pass errors up, with context
    4. Explore big codebases, stay focused
    5. Confidence scores and human review
    6. Keep every claim’s source
    15%
  6. 6Scenarios and test day4

    Exam Scenarios

    1. Six scenarios, four on exam
    2. Four Claude certifications, compared
    3. Who can take the exam
    4. Test day

Built on Claude Certified Architect – Foundations (CCAR-F) Exam Guide · 1.0, effective July 2026

The full class, $249 at launch.

Paid once, when it opens. Lesson 1 is free now.

  • Scored hands-on labs
  • Mock exams
  • Lessons on every domain

Only people at Claude Partner Network organizations can sit the exam. Independent prep. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic.

Questions

Is there a free Claude certification?

Not a proctored one. Claude Academy’s courses are free, and passing a course’s quizzes earns a completion badge. The certification exams are a separate paid program.7,3

How much does Claude certification cost?

$99 for Associate, $125 for Developer or Architect – Foundations, and $175 for Architect – Professional, before partner-tier discounts. A retake costs the full fee.4

How long is a Claude certification valid?

12 months from the day you earn it. Renewing on time is a free, non-proctored assessment; if it lapses, you retake the full exam.4,1

Can I take the exam online?

Yes. Pearson delivers it online with a proctor (OnVUE) or at a Pearson test center, in English or Japanese. It’s closed book.4

What is Anthropic Academy?

Anthropic’s free courses, now called Claude Academy. Its courses end in quizzes and a completion badge, not a certification. The old anthropic.skilljar.com site closes in early December 2026.8,7,9

Sources

Read on . Rules change, so check the source before you pay a fee or book a test.

  1. Claude Certified Architect – Foundations Exam Guide (exam code CCAR-F, version 1.0) · Anthropic, Claude Certification Program
  2. Claude Certified Architect – Foundations · Anthropic Partner Academy
  3. Who can take a Claude certification exam · Anthropic Partner Academy
  4. Certification FAQ · Anthropic Partner Academy
  5. Four role-based certifications for the people who put Claude to work for customers (July 23, 2026) · Anthropic (claude.com)
  6. Anthropic invests $100 million into the Claude Partner Network · Anthropic
  7. Claude Academy: Frequently asked questions · Anthropic (Claude Academy)
  8. Anthropic Academy (opens Claude Academy) · Anthropic
  9. Anthropic courses (legacy Anthropic Academy site) · Anthropic

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