Month 01
Foundation
Output: Diagnostic + first concept mastered
Take the 10-Q diagnostic to find your weakest domain. Master one concept end-to-end so you know what "mastered" means here (dwell 2 min + 3 correct practice Qs).
Curriculum
A six-month path, not a 138-route maze.
A six-month study plan for the CCA-F (Claude Certified Architect - Foundations) exam. Most candidates lose to the syllabus, not the exam. This page tells you exactly what to do for six months - month by month, with the pillar links where the actual work happens. New here? Take the free 10-minute diagnostic first.
27 concepts14 scenarios30-Q mock720 to pass
CCA-F blueprint
Five domains, weighted.
The exam isn't evenly distributed. Domain 1 alone is 27%. Spend your prep proportionally.
D1Agentic Architectures27%
D2Tool Design + Integration18%
D3Agent Operations20%
D4Prompt Engineering20%
D5Context + Reliability15%
Six-month plan
Month by month.
Each month has one focus, one primary output, and the pillar links to use. Diagnostic first - everything else routes from there.
Month 02
Concept primitives
Output: Agentic loops, MCP, tool_choice
Domains 1 + 2 carry 45% of exam weight combined. Master subagent context isolation, tool description quality, and the 18-tool degradation cliff first.
Month 03
Production scenarios
Output: Component + failure-mode reading
Scenarios make abstract concepts concrete. Walk through 4-6 of the 14 - especially conversational-ai-patterns and agent-skills-for-enterprise-km.
Month 04
Reference layer
Output: Anti-patterns + cheatsheets
The Reference pillar consolidates the 8 anti-patterns, the 2 distractor patterns, and 3 downloadable posters. Print them; reread 24 hours before the exam.
Month 05
Practice loops
Output: Weekly mocks + targeted drills
Take the 30-Q mock. Score below 720? The result page builds a 4-week adaptive plan keyed on your specific misconceptions, not a generic syllabus.
Month 06
Exam readiness
Output: Adaptive plan closes weak areas
Re-run mocks weekly. Watch readiness score climb toward 720+. The Exam Guide pillar covers logistics, registration, and day-of distractor patterns.
How to use this
Three rules.
- Take the diagnostic first. It scopes the work. No sign-up needed.
- Master one concept before you start the next. Mastered means dwell 2 min + 3 correct practice Qs. Server-tracked.
- Mock weekly from month 5 onward. Each mock builds a fresh adaptive plan. Three lifetime attempts on the 30-Q mock; the 10-Q diagnostic is unlimited.
FAQ
6 questions about the CCA-F curriculum
Every Q is phrased as a real Google search query. Answers cite the same evidence-tagged sources used elsewhere on the site.
What topics does the CCA-F curriculum cover?
Five domains weighted at D1 Agentic Architectures (27%), D2 Tool Design + Integration (18%), D3 Agent Operations (20%), D4 Prompt Engineering (20%), and D5 Context + Reliability (15%). Each domain has 4-6 technical primitives - agentic loops, tool calling, MCP, hooks, prompt caching, structured outputs, and others - covered across 27 concept pages.
How is the curriculum organized?
Three layers. Concepts (27 pages) define each technical primitive - what it does and why it matters. Scenarios (14 pages) show how primitives combine in production systems like multi-agent research or customer support resolution. Knowledge (13 pages) summarizes Anthropic Academy courses to anchor each topic in official source material.
Which exam domain has the highest weight?
D1 Agentic Architectures at 27% of scored questions. It covers agentic loops, subagent orchestration, stop_reason handling, escalation patterns, and session state. Spend roughly a quarter of total study time here, then weight the rest by D3 (20%), D4 (20%), D2 (18%), D5 (15%).
How does this curriculum map to Anthropic Academy courses?
Every concept page links to the matching Anthropic Academy summary in the Knowledge pillar - Claude 101, Claude Code 101, MCP Foundations, AI Fluency Framework, and the platform-specific courses (Bedrock, Vertex AI). The knowledge summaries condense the official Skilljar content to exam-critical points with citations back to the Anthropic source.
How long should I expect curriculum mastery to take?
The adaptive plan engine generates 2-week, 4-week, or 8-week paths based on your diagnostic score and weekly time budget. Average prep duration for candidates passing 720+/1000 is 30-45 hours of focused study spread across 4 to 8 weeks. The plan slots Anthropic's 4 official prep exercises as end-of-phase capstones.
Is the curriculum updated when Anthropic ships new features?
Yes. The site is reviewed on a 60-day cadence and refreshed whenever Anthropic publishes new guidance (release notes, Academy course updates, blog posts on agentic patterns). Each page footer shows the last-reviewed date so you know how fresh the content is.