CCAO-F exam guide
The CCAO-F exam (Claude Certified Associate - Foundations, typed ccao or ccaof) is Anthropic's entry-level certification. Here is the format, the domains, the pass mark and how to register.
How to registerWhat gets tested, weighted by importance
The CCA-A samples each domain at the official blueprint weight. Spend study time proportionally.
Four chapters, in the order you'll need them.
Register → plan → avoid the traps → sit the exam.
Registration
The partner-network gate, the Skilljar form field by field, and the corporate-domain trap that rejects most first attempts.
6 steps · 8 min readStudy plans
Three paths picked by diagnostic score, not ambition: 2-week sprint, 4-week canonical, 8-week comprehensive.
3 paths · 4-week day by day17 anti-patterns
Every distractor is an anti-pattern dressed up as the right call. Wrong call and right call, side by side, for all 7 domains.
3 critical · 12 common · 2 edgeDay of the exam
The six things to confirm before you start, five time tactics that move 700 to 760, and what happens after submit.
Checklist · 2 min per questionReady to sit the official exam?
Most readers come to this page for one thing: how to register. Start here, then check your eligibility.
Register for the CCA-A exam
Register for the CCA-A (CCAO-F) exam through Anthropic's partner registration process. The list fee is $99 per attempt. Eligible partner cohorts may receive a fully covered attempt. The proctored exam has 60 questions in 120 minutes, with 720 on the scaled score required to pass.
Exam mechanics: format, timing, and proctoring rules
The CCA-A exam has 60 questions and a 120-minute time limit. Use the official exam guide for the format and your registration instructions for scheduling and proctoring requirements.
See your scaled score in a full mock.
Open the 60-question mock → · Get Pro →
Read the proctoring rules before you schedule. Several beta candidates lost their seat for trivial setup mistakes (a second monitor connected, a phone visible on the desk, a tab open that the proctor flagged). The exam is closed-book and the room sweep is real.
Applied CCA-A scenarios
CCA-A currently ships 5 dedicated scenarios: Client Deliverable Drafting and Validation, Choosing the Right Claude Product and Model, Embedding Claude in a Delivery Workflow, Responsible Use and Governance Decision, and Troubleshooting a Weak Claude Output - each walked as a full non-technical workflow (source material, validation pass, sign-off record, no code). Filter to CCA-A on the scenarios hub to study them in isolation.
Frequently asked
Showing 21 of 21 questions · the full set ships in the PDF
The CCA-A (exam code CCAO-F) is Anthropic's non-technical certification. It is a 60-question, 120-minute, proctored exam scored out of 1000 with a 720 pass mark, targeting consultants, sellers, delivery leads, and PMs who use Claude as a productivity tool without writing code.
Registration and scheduling run through the Anthropic Partner Network (on the Anthropic Partner Academy) and Pearson VUE - partner-network access is required to register: go to the CCA-A certification page on the Partner Academy, review the exam guide and terms, register and complete checkout (the fee reflects your partner-tier discount), then use the confirmation instructions to create a Pearson VUE account and schedule your session (online-proctored or a test center).
60 scored items, a mix of multiple-choice and multiple-response - each item states how many responses to select.
120 minutes total for 60 questions, exactly 2 minutes per question on average.
A scaled score of 720 on a 100-1,000 scale, set by a formal standard-setting study - a criterion-referenced bar, not a percentile against other candidates.
$99 USD list price - the lowest of any Claude certification. The checkout price shown reflects any discount that applies to your partner tier.
12 months from the date the credential is awarded, per Anthropic's version 1.0 exam guide (effective July 2026).
Before your 12 months are up, review what has changed since you certified and complete a free, non-proctored assessment on the Anthropic Partner Academy - there is no fee for on-time renewal. If your credential lapses, you must retake the full exam at the full fee.
Yes, after a waiting period that increases with each failed attempt: 14 days after the first fail, 30 days after the second, 90 days after the third. You can attempt the exam up to 4 times within a rolling 12-month period, and the exam fee applies to each attempt.
Seven: Prompting and Task Execution (14%), Output Evaluation and Validation (21%), Product and Model Selection (12%), Workflow Integration and Solution Design (16%), Configuration and Knowledge Management (12%), Governance/Risk and Responsible Use (15%), Troubleshooting and Optimization (10%).
CCA-A is the only Claude certification built for non-technical, client-facing roles - it assumes no coding or API experience. CCA-F, CCA-P, and CCD-F all assume hands-on technical work (architecture, senior architecture, or software engineering respectively); CCA-A instead focuses on prompting, evaluating output, and choosing the right product and model for a task.
No. The CCA-A is explicitly not intended for software developers who build against APIs or design agentic systems, nor for machine-learning or software-engineering specialists. Candidates are not expected to design enterprise-scale AI architectures or integrations - that scope belongs to the Architect and Developer credentials.
There are no mandatory prerequisites or required courses, and no software-development or API experience is needed - the credential is awarded on exam performance alone. Anthropic recommends (but does not require) regular hands-on experience using Claude in a professional setting.
Software developers who build against APIs or design agentic systems, and specialists in machine learning, software engineering, or advanced AI system design, should look at the CCD-F (Developer) or CCA-F/CCA-P (Architect) credentials instead - those assume hands-on technical work the CCA-A does not test.
Pearson VUE, named directly in the exam guide's registration and scheduling section. You create a Pearson VUE account after registering through the Anthropic Partner Academy, then choose online proctoring or a Pearson VUE test center.
A no-show, or arriving after the permitted late-arrival window, forfeits the exam fee and requires you to re-register. Cancel or reschedule at least 24 hours before your appointment to avoid this - changes inside that window also forfeit the fee.
Yes, within 14 days of being notified of a decision, or within 14 days of your exam date for a concern about your result - submitted to Pearson VUE support. The standard-setting outcome and the content of individual exam items are not subject to appeal.
No. The exam is proctored and effectively closed: your workspace must be clear of notes, books, phones, and secondary monitors, and prohibited items include mobile phones, smart watches, headphones, study materials, and recording devices.
If you use Claude daily as a productivity tool in a client-facing or delivery role and want an independent, portable signal of that skill, the CCA-A is Anthropic's only credential built for exactly that audience - at $99 it is also the most accessible of the 4 Claude certifications.
Start with Output Evaluation & Validation at 21%, the heaviest domain, then Workflow Integration & Solution Design at 16% and Governance, Risk & Responsible Use at 15%. Keep accuracy, project maintenance and organizational approval separate in your mind.
Run the four-check review routine on each miss: accuracy, completeness, audience and escalation. Note which check you skipped, study that concept, retry the quick check, and move to the timed mock when the same check stops being skipped.
Sources and evidence
8 sources · refreshed every 60 days · last reviewed 2026-10-16
How to read the evidence labels
This guide distinguishes confirmed official information, public consensus, community reports and conflicting or unverified claims. Check the source and its date before relying on a policy detail.
Claude Certified Architect Foundations Exam Guide (PDF, Feb 10 2025)
The canonical document. 30+ pages covering format, six PDF-canonical scenarios, and domain structure.
Anthropic Partner Network announcement
Confirms 2026-03-12 launch date and partner-employer eligibility model.
CCA-F Exam Guide v1.0 (effective July 2026)
The authoritative source: $125 fee, 12-month validity, 60 items, 720/1000. Supersedes beta-era figures.
Skilljar entitlement page (validity inspection, beta cohort)
Surfaced the 6-month validity that killed the '2-year' hallucination; since superseded by the v1.0 guide's 12 months.
zintaen, The Architect's Playbook (985/1000 debrief)
Highest-scoring beta cohort write-up; corroborates scenario pool expansion beyond the official six.
paullarionov, claude_architect_study_guide.pdf
Independent beta cohort study guide. Cross-checks domain weights and confirms scenario coverage.
r/ClaudeAI thread 1ruf70b (Sea_Creme5238 + 7 corroborators)
The thread that broke the '2 years validity' hallucination via Skilljar screenshot.
Skilljar entitlement flow (registration, attestation)
Authoritative on registration mechanics. Badge issuance moved to Credly in 2026; proctored delivery moved to Pearson VUE.
Prepare for CCA-A output evaluation questions
Output Evaluation & Validation is the heaviest CCA-A domain at 21%. Three kinds of question are easy to blur: is the output accurate, is the project set up and maintained correctly, and does the organization approve the use. Each has a different owner and a different evidence trail.
- Sample. Take the CCA-A quick check to meet the question style. It samples four of 7 domains, so it shows what to revisit, not whether you are ready.
- Review. Sort every miss by domain and decision, read the concept page, and write one study task per miss.
- Timed mock. Once the misses stop repeating, sit the full 60-question mock against the 120-minute limit.
| Question type | What it asks | Domain |
|---|---|---|
| Output accuracy | Does the output match the source and the request? | Output Evaluation & Validation (21%) |
| Project maintenance | Are the instructions and knowledge in the Project current and consistent? | Configuration & Knowledge Management (12%) |
| Organizational approval | Does written policy allow this use of this data? | Governance, Risk & Responsible Use (15%) |
Study these concepts: Evaluating Claude Output for Accuracy & Completeness, Identifying Hallucinations, Inconsistencies & Bias in AI Output, Configuring & Maintaining Claude Projects, Following Organizational AI Governance Policy
Worked example: validating a claim against its source
Claude drafted a project status report. One line reads: "The vendor confirmed delivery by 12 March." The source email thread says the vendor expects delivery by mid-March, pending customs clearance.
This is an original teaching scenario written for this page. It is not an official exam question.
- Find the source line. Locate the vendor's actual sentence in the thread. Do not rely on the report's wording.
- Classify the error. The report turned an expectation into a confirmation and dropped the customs condition. That is an accuracy error, an overstated certainty.
- Revise. Rewrite the line to match the source: expected by mid-March, pending customs clearance.
- Record and escalate. Note what changed and why. If the delivery date drives a client commitment, ask the project owner to confirm it with the vendor.
Checked against: Claude docs, Reduce hallucinations (accessed 2026-10-16)