How to prepare for the CCAR-F exam
CCAR-F, the Claude Certified Architect (Foundations) exam, is for solution architects and technical practitioners who design Claude-powered agentic systems. There's no formal prerequisite, but the questions assume roughly six months of hands-on building with Claude.
CCAR-F exam at a glance
- Questions
- 60
- Time limit
- 120 minutes
- Question format
- Multiple-choice and multiple-response, built around 4 scenarios drawn from a bank of 6
- Passing score
- 720 (scaled) on a scale of 100–1,000
- Exam fee
- $125 USD per attempt
- Certification valid for
- 12 months
- Delivery
- Pearson VUE, online proctored or at a test centre
- Retakes
- Waiting periods of 14, 30 and 90 days; at most 4 attempts in a rolling 12 months
Domains and weights
- Domain 1: Agentic architecture & orchestration27%
- Domain 2: Tool design & MCP integration18%
- Domain 3: Claude Code configuration & workflows20%
- Domain 4: Prompt engineering & structured output20%
- Domain 5: Context management & reliability15%
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 47% of the exam.
- Domain 1: Agentic architecture & orchestration (27%, 7 lessons)
- Domain 3: Claude Code configuration & workflows (20%, 6 lessons)
- Domain 4: Prompt engineering & structured output (20%, 6 lessons)
- Domain 2: Tool design & MCP integration (18%, 5 lessons)
- Domain 5: Context management & reliability (15%, 6 lessons)
A study plan
- Read the study guide domain by domain. The free CCAR-F study guide covers every domain in 30 short lessons, each ending with links to Anthropic's own documentation.
- 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.
- Take a timed mock exam. The CCAR-F mock has 60 questions in 120 minutes, drawn from a bank of 134, and you pass at 72%. It shows your score per domain. Mock exams are part of Pro.
- 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 CCAR-F exam?
- 60 questions, with a 120-minute time limit.
- What is the passing score for CCAR-F?
- 720 (scaled) on a scale of 100–1,000.
- How much does the CCAR-F exam cost?
- $125 USD per attempt. The certification is valid for 12 months.
- Which CCAR-F domains carry the most weight?
- Agentic architecture & orchestration (27%) and Claude Code configuration & workflows (20%).
- Is Skillmarked official CCAR-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.