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How to prepare for the CCAO-F exam

CCAO-F, the Claude Certified Associate (Foundations) exam, is for business professionals who use Claude and Claude Projects day to day in operations, marketing, project management, education or communications. No software-development or API experience is needed.

CCAO-F exam at a glance

Questions
60
Time limit
120 minutes
Question format
Multiple-choice and multiple-response
Passing score
720 on a scale of 1,000
Exam fee
$99 USD
Certification valid for
12 months

Domains and weights

Exam details as published when this guide was written. Anthropic can change them, so check the official exam page before you book.

Where to focus

Study in order of weight. The top two domains alone are worth 37% of the exam.

  1. Domain 2: Output evaluation & validation (21%, 6 lessons)
  2. Domain 4: Workflow integration & solution design (16%, 5 lessons)
  3. Domain 6: Governance, risk & responsible use (15%, 4 lessons)
  4. Domain 1: Prompting & task execution (14%, 4 lessons)
  5. Domain 3: Product & model selection (12%, 4 lessons)
  6. Domain 5: Configuration & knowledge management (12%, 4 lessons)
  7. Domain 7: Troubleshooting & optimisation (10%, 3 lessons)

A study plan

  1. Read the study guide domain by domain. The free CCAO-F study guide covers every domain in 30 short lessons, each ending with links to Anthropic's own documentation.
  2. Answer the practice scenario after each lesson. There are 30 scenarios, each with an explanation of why every option is right or wrong (the first domain's are free). Read the explanations even when you get one right.
  3. Take a timed mock exam. The CCAO-F mock has 60 questions in 120 minutes, drawn from a bank of 119, and you pass at 72%. It shows your score per domain. Mock exams are part of Pro.
  4. Go back to your weakest domains, reread those lessons and retake the mock until you pass it comfortably. Then book the real exam.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions are on the CCAO-F exam?
60 questions, with a 120-minute time limit.
What is the passing score for CCAO-F?
720 on a scale of 1,000.
How much does the CCAO-F exam cost?
$99 USD. The certification is valid for 12 months.
Which CCAO-F domains carry the most weight?
Output evaluation & validation (21%) and Workflow integration & solution design (16%).
Is Skillmarked official CCAO-F material?
No. Skillmarked is independent and not affiliated with Anthropic. All lessons and questions are original, written from the public exam outline and Anthropic's documentation.
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