Claude Certified Architect Foundations: Prüfungsformat und Lernplan im Überblick

Posted on Oct 26 • Originally published at szymonpaluch.com

Foundations (CCAR-F) tests how you design agentic systems with Claude. This guide covers the exam format and a study plan: what to learn, what to build and how to check your work in each of the five domains.

Claude Certified Architect Foundations is Anthropic’s exam for engineers and architects building with Claude Code, the Agent SDK, the API and MCP. If you can start an agent but struggle when a tool fails or a session grows long, begin with those exercises. The table below connects the CCAR-F scope to resources and practical tasks.

I passed CCAR-F on July 15, 2026 with 833/1000. My account of taking the exam describes that sitting. Here I separate my experience from the organizer’s current rules so you can prepare for your own appointment.

Foundations covers decisions when building a system: dividing work, calling tools, checking results and keeping context. The official guide recommends roughly six months of practical experience with these technologies. That is guidance, not a formal prerequisite or a promise of readiness after six months.

There are four tracks to choose from. The comparison of Claude certifications by role helps you decide whether your work fits Architect, Developer or Associate. Each exam has its own scope.

The five domain weights describe the approximate share of scored items. They come from the official CCAR-F exam guide, July 2026 version 1.0, checked on September 29. Use them to plan study time alongside the gaps in your own experience.

For D1 and D2, see the 12 rules for building agents I wrote during my preparation. Compare them with the exam objectives and test them in a small project.

This scope fits work on agents and tools for clients or your own team. Preparation will be easier if you already:

If you are new to this, build a small system and inspect what happens when it fails. Memorizing mock answers will not replace that work. There is no preparation duration that works for everyone.

Official items can have one or several correct responses, with the number specified in each question. The exam selects four of six scenarios. My sitting used four options and one correct answer, but that describes one particular form. Pearson VUE proctors the exam online or at a test center; scores range from 100 to 1000, with a passing score of 720.

Registration goes through Anthropic Partner Academy for people at Claude Partner Network organizations. Your company domain must be recognized on the partner record. I cover exam fees, retakes and renewal costs separately to help you work out a budget.

Start with objectives you cannot yet demonstrate in practice. The exercises below are my suggested way to use the official resources, not live exam tasks. Keep the code, test result and a short decision rationale. After a mock, return to the row for your weakest domain.

Take the full CCAR-F practice test after the exercises. It has 60 original single-answer questions across all six scenarios. The official exam differs in format, and the mock does not use its scoring formula.

Current registration and exam-day rules checked on September 29, 2026.

If your employer is not a partner, first check the exam access requirements. Paying a fee or scoring well on a mock does not establish registration eligibility.

After an exercise, read the three sample questions with explanations. Try to justify your choice before reading the answer. The separate 60-question tool lets you practise pacing; use its result to choose what to revisit.

Study mode, a 120-minute attempt and results by domain. Unofficial single-answer questions; the tool’s scoring does not predict your Anthropic result.

Take the practice exam → Sample questions with explanations

Preparation helped me organize how I choose tools and constrain an agent’s actions. A certificate does not show the code, tests or delivery outcomes, though. Give the person evaluating your work a project and decisions you can explain as well.

The Claude Code Partner Badge is earned through courses and a capstone. It does not replace passing CCAR-F. Use each credential’s full name in your portfolio.

How will you show this knowledge to a client? In the article on CCA’s value when looking for work, I separate the credential’s signal from the evidence to include in a portfolio. Choose one project that demonstrates your decisions.

Foundations, code CCAR-F, is Anthropic’s exam on designing systems with Claude Code, the Agent SDK, the API and MCP. It assesses decisions across five domains.

60 questions in 120 minutes, with both single-answer and multiple-response items. The exam selects four of six scenarios. Pearson VUE proctors it online or at a test center.

The passing score is 720 on a scale from 100 to 1000. The report also gives percent-correct by domain. The official scaled score is not a simple percentage of correct answers.

Agentic architecture and orchestration 27%, tools and MCP 18%, Claude Code configuration 20%, prompts and structured output 20%, context and reliability 15%. The weights are approximate.

It depends on your experience and gaps in each domain. Complete exercises, inspect your mistakes and then plan your exam date. No validated study duration guarantees a pass.

Yes. This site has a separate tool with 60 original questions, study mode and a 120-minute attempt. It is an unofficial single-answer mock with its own scoring formula and results by domain.

It can demonstrate that you passed an exam covering a defined scope. A client or employer may also require a project, relevant experience and a technical discussion. The certificate alone does not guarantee a job or a contract.

Disclaimer. This guide is independent and unofficial. It is not affiliated with, authorized or endorsed by Anthropic. Exam details are modeled on the publicly available exam guide and my own experience sitting it; check Anthropic's official channels for current specifics. Claude and Claude Certified Architect are names owned by Anthropic.

No partner employer? Anthropic admits to its exams only people from Claude Partner Network organizations. Join our collective of AI consultants and sit all four exams through our partner organization. See the program → · Free practice exam →

Originally published at szymonpaluch.com.