Exam Overview

Version 1.0 · Effective July 2026 · Exam code: CCAR-F

CCAR-F is the entry point to Anthropic’s Architect track. It tests whether you can design a production Claude system rather than prompt one: how an agentic loop terminates, when a subagent earns its context, what belongs in an MCP server, how a CLAUDE.md shapes Claude Code’s behaviour, and what to do when a context window fills mid-task.

Below is the exam on paper: every domain, weight and rule, taken from Anthropic’s guide. Everything needed to pass it is on this site, free and without a sign-up.

Who the exam is for

Solution architects and technical practitioners designing Claude-powered agentic systems. Anthropic sets no prerequisite exam and no formal experience bar, and the credential is awarded on exam performance alone. That doesn’t make it an entry-level paper. The questions assume you’ve built something with Claude and hit the problems the blueprint asks about, which is why every lesson here ends in a build exercise rather than a summary.

Exam facts at a glance

Item	Detail
Exam code	CCAR-F
Number of items	60
Item format	Multiple-choice and multiple-response; each item states how many responses to select
Time limit	120 minutes
Delivery	Through Pearson VUE, online proctored or at a test centre
Passing score	Scaled score of 720 on a scale of 100–1,000
Anthropic’s exam fee	$125 USD per attempt
Validity	12 months from the date the credential is awarded
Result reporting	Pass/fail with scaled score, plus percent-correct by domain on the score report
Retakes	waiting periods of 14, 30, and 90 days after failed attempts, up to four attempts in a rolling twelve months, fee per attempt
Renewal	free on-time renewal via a non-proctored assessment on the Anthropic Partner Academy; a lapsed credential requires the full exam at the full fee

All figures from Anthropic’s Exam Guide v1.0 (July 2026). The exam fee is Anthropic’s charge for the official exam, not a price of this site; nothing here requires payment today.

Exam blueprint

Domain weights are the guide’s own figures. Every task statement below is a written lesson on this site, so the blueprint doubles as the table of contents.

Domain 1: Agentic Architecture & Orchestration

27%

1.1 Agentic Loops
1.2 Multi-Agent Orchestration
1.3 Subagent Invocation and Context Passing
1.4 Workflow Enforcement and Handoff
1.5 Agent SDK Hooks
1.6 Task Decomposition Strategies
1.7 Session State and Resumption

Domain 2: Tool Design & MCP Integration

18%

Domain 3: Claude Code Configuration & Workflows

20%

Domain 4: Prompt Engineering & Structured Output

20%

4.1 System Prompts with Explicit Criteria
4.2 Few-Shot Prompting
4.3 Structured Output with Tool Use
4.4 Validation, Retry, and Feedback Loops
4.5 Batch Processing Strategies
4.6 Multi-Instance and Multi-Pass Review

Domain 5: Context Management & Reliability

15%

How to prepare for it here

Take the diagnostic first. Finding out which of the 5 domains you can move through quickly beats starting at domain 1 by default. Then work the curriculum in blueprint order and sit the timed mock once the heavier domains are behind you. 30 lessons and 250+ practice questions, all free, no sign-up.

Take the diagnostic · Browse the curriculum · Quick reference

Frequently asked questions

What does the CCAR-F exam cover?

60 items in 120 minutes across 5 domains: Agentic Architecture & Orchestration (27%), Tool Design & MCP Integration (18%), Claude Code Configuration & Workflows (20%), Prompt Engineering & Structured Output (20%), Context Management & Reliability (15%). Scoring is scaled from 100 to 1,000, and you need 720 to pass.

Who is the CCAR-F exam for?

Solution architects and technical practitioners designing Claude-powered agentic systems. That’s Anthropic’s stated audience, and the full profile sits in section 3 of the official exam guide. There’s no prerequisite exam and no formal experience requirement; the credential is awarded on exam performance alone.

Is the preparation on this site really free?

Yes, and there’s no sign-up. All 30 lessons, 250+ practice questions, the quick-reference cards, the glossary and the full timed mock exam are open to everyone. The only money involved anywhere is Anthropic’s own $125 exam fee, which is paid to Anthropic when you sit the real thing.

How long does preparation take?

It depends on how much production Claude work you’ve already done. The curriculum is 30 lessons weighted to match the blueprint, so the 27% domain carries more of them than the 15% one. Most people work through a domain at a time, using the diagnostic first to find out which ones they can move quickly through.

How do I register for the official exam?

Registration runs through Anthropic’s Partner Academy, which is currently open to people at organisations in the Claude Partner Network and needs a company email on that domain. That access gap is exactly why this site exists: complete preparation for people who can’t get through the partner door.

What happens if I fail?

Waiting periods of 14, 30, and 90 days after failed attempts, up to four attempts in a rolling twelve months, fee per attempt. Your score report breaks the result down by domain, so you can see which areas cost you the attempt before booking another.

Is this site affiliated with Anthropic?

No. This is an independent community resource, not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Anthropic. Every exam fact on this page comes from Anthropic’s published exam guide and is attributed to it.

An independent community resource — not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic. Request access to the official exam.