What is the Claude Certified Developer - Foundations (CCD-F) exam?

The CCD-F (exam code CCDV-F) is Anthropic's hands-on builder certification. It is a 53-question, 120-minute, proctored exam scored out of 1000 with a 720 pass mark, targeting AI/ML engineers and senior software engineers who build, integrate, and ship production-grade Claude applications, agents, and workflows.

How do I register for the CCD-F exam?

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 CCD-F 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).

How many questions are on the CCD-F exam?

53 scored items, a mix of multiple-choice and multiple-response - each item states how many responses to select.

How long is the CCD-F exam?

120 minutes total for 53 questions, about 2.3 minutes per question on average - the most time-per-question of any of the 4 Claude certifications.

What is the passing score for the CCD-F exam?

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.

How much does the CCD-F exam cost?

$125 USD list price - the same as the CCA-F flagship exam. The checkout price shown reflects any discount that applies to your partner tier.

How long is the CCD-F certification valid?

12 months from the date the credential is awarded, per Anthropic's version 1.0 exam guide (effective July 2026).

How do I renew my CCD-F certification?

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.

Can I retake the CCD-F exam if I fail?

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.

How many domains does the CCD-F exam cover?

Eight - more than any other Claude certification: Agents and Workflows (14.7%), Applications and Integration (33.1%), Claude Code (3.1%), Eval/Testing and Debugging (2.6%), Model Selection and Optimization (16.8%), Prompt and Context Engineering (11.0%), Security and Safety (8.1%), and Tools and MCPs (10.6%).

What is the difference between the CCD-F and the CCA-F (Architect Foundations)?

CCD-F's heaviest domain, Applications & Integration, is weighted far above anything in CCA-F, and the two exams test different jobs: CCA-F tests broad agentic-architecture and design judgment, while CCD-F tests hands-on shipping - API integration, tool/MCP construction, model selection, and the testing/security work of a working production system.

What is the difference between the CCD-F and the CCA-P (Architect Professional)?

CCA-P tests senior architecture, governance, and stakeholder communication - owning a system's design and lifecycle. CCD-F is squarely aimed at engineers who write and ship the code: API integration, agent construction with the Claude Agent SDK, tool/MCP server development, and debugging Claude applications day to day.

Who is eligible to take the CCD-F exam?

There are no mandatory prerequisites or courses - the credential is awarded on exam performance alone. Anthropic recommends (but does not require) 1-5 years of software engineering experience, 6+ months hands-on with Claude or a comparable LLM system, proficiency in Python and/or TypeScript, and fluency with REST APIs and CLI tools.

Who should NOT take the CCD-F exam?

The certification is not intended for non-technical or casual users of Claude-based applications, or individuals without hands-on software development experience. It also excludes roles limited to prompt writing or other isolated tasks without broader application-development responsibility.

What proctoring vendor delivers the CCD-F exam?

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.

What happens if I miss my scheduled CCD-F exam?

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.

Can I appeal my CCD-F exam result?

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.

Is the CCD-F exam open-book?

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.

Is the CCD-F certification worth it for a software engineer?

If you build, integrate, and ship Claude-powered applications, agents, or workflows for work, the CCD-F is Anthropic's hands-on builder credential for exactly that scope - distinct from CCA-F's architecture focus and CCA-P's senior-ownership focus. At $125 it matches CCA-F's list price and undercuts CCA-P's $175.

How should I prioritize CCD-F domains when studying?

Order your study by blueprint weight. Applications & Integration is 33.1%, then Model Selection & Optimization at 16.8% and Agents & Workflows at 14.7%. Start with API mechanics and application design, then model selection.

How do I use CCD-F practice results to plan my study?

Take the quick check, then sort each miss into integration, model selection or workflow. Study the concept pages for the bucket with the most misses, retry, and sit the timed mock once the same misses stop repeating.

HomeExam guideOverview

Exam guide · Developer · Foundations

CCDV-F exam guide

The CCDV-F exam (Claude Certified Developer - Foundations, also typed ccdvf) is the developer-track certification. This guide gives the format, the eight domains, the pass mark and the registration steps, with a quick-check at the end.

How to register

The guide, as a PDF

17 pages

Every domain and its weight, a concept checklist, a two-week plan, and what happens on test day.

No email required. Last reviewed 2026-10-16.

Concept checklist
Two-week plan
Test-day checklist
Evidence pips on every claim

Download the exam guide (PDF)

At a glance

Evidence-tagged

53Questions

120 minTime limit

720 / 1000Passing score

8Domains

$125 USDExam fee

12 monthsValidity

01 — Domains

What gets tested, weighted by importance

The CCD-F samples each domain at the official blueprint weight. Spend study time proportionally.

D1 Agents & WorkflowsChoosing between a workflow and an agent (and the decision criteria that drive it), constructing agents with the Claude Agent SDK, custom agent loops and harnesses, self-hosted vs. Anthropic-hosted deployment, and applying common agent design patterns - tool-use loops, sub-agents, memory, context-window management - via frameworks such as Strands, LangGraph, or PydanticAI. 14.7%

Study these conceptsSubagents Human-in-the-Loop Escalation Workflow vs Agent: Choosing the Right Architecture Building Agents: Client SDK vs Agent SDK vs Managed Agents Agent Design Patterns: Memory, Context Management & Third-Party Frameworks

D2 Applications & IntegrationBy far the heaviest domain - about a third of the exam. Translating business/functional requirements and systems-lifecycle concepts into working code, Claude API mechanics (messages, tools, streaming, vision, thinking, caching, third-party invocation, Batches API), core software-engineering practice (REST APIs, JSON, async programming, version control, code review), Claude application design across interfaces (Claude Code, Desktop, claude.ai, API, SDKs), and configuration management (CLAUDE.md, settings.json, model version pinning, plugin dependencies). 33.1%

Study these conceptsTool Calling CLAUDE.md Hierarchy Prompt Caching Batch API Vision & Multimodal Streaming Translating Business Requirements into Claude Solutions Systems Life Cycle Management for Claude Applications Software Engineering Foundations for Claude Applications Claude Application Design Across Interfaces

D3 Claude CodeA narrow but hands-on domain: Claude Code's core components (Rules, Skills, Commands, Agents, Agent Memory), its interaction modes (session management, built-in and custom slash commands, headless mode, streaming mode, auto-mode), the CLAUDE.md hierarchy, repository initialization, and settings.json configuration. Note this is only 3.1% here - it is CCA-F, the Architect exam, that weights the Claude Code CLI heavily (a dedicated 20% domain). 3.1%

Study these conceptsCLAUDE.md Hierarchy

D4 Evaluation, Testing & DebuggingThe lightest domain on the exam: debugging and error-handling technique for Claude applications - identifying error types, selecting a recovery strategy, tracing failures to isolate whether the problem sits in the integration layer or in model output. 2.6%

Study these conceptsDebugging LLM System Failures

D5 Model Selection & OptimizationLLM fundamentals (tokens, context windows, sampling, non-determinism), the technical fundamentals of wrapping REST APIs and websockets, choosing between Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku on quality-latency-cost trade-offs and adaptive-thinking support, and managing tokens and cost through budgeting, caching, and cache checkpointing. 16.8%

Study these conceptsPrompt Caching Claude Model Selection & Tradeoffs LLM Fundamentals: Tokens, Sampling & Non-Determinism Technical Fundamentals: SDKs, REST, and WebSockets

D6 Prompt & Context EngineeringContext and memory management (window management, preventing context drift and bloat via tool-output pruning/compaction, context isolation through subagents), prompt-engineering principles (instruction clarity, few-shot placement, iterative refinement, input sanitization), and output handling - structured-output patterns, response validation, defensive parsing, and skepticism toward confident-sounding output. 11%

Study these conceptsSubagents Structured Outputs Attention Engineering Prompt Engineering Techniques Context Window Management

D7 Security & SafetyAI application security (prompt-injection awareness and mitigation, untrusted-input handling, data-leakage prevention, PII handling), guardrails and secure-by-design deployment (content-policy layering, least-privilege identity and access management), Claude Hooks for deterministic guardrails against destructive actions, and identity/secrets/API-key management. 8.1%

Study these conceptsSDK Hooks (Pre/PostToolUse)Authentication & Access Control for Agent Systems Guardrails & Safe Deployment Practices AI Application Security: Prompt Injection & Untrusted Input

D8 Tools & MCPsTool implementation practice (function calling, tool description writing, error handling, client-side vs. server-side tool patterns), MCP server development (authoring, deployment, resources, prompts, stdio vs. socket transports), and choosing among built-in tools, custom tools, Skills, and MCPs for a given use case. 10.6%

Study these conceptsTool Calling Model Context Protocol Built-In Tools vs Custom Tools vs Skills vs MCP

Weights from Anthropic's v1.0 guide. Ten questions in the diagnostic tell you which of the five is costing you most.Take the diagnostic All 71 concepts

02 — Chapters

Four chapters, in the order you'll need them.

01 · Before

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 read

02 · Plan

Study plans

Three paths picked by diagnostic score, not ambition: 2-week sprint, 4-week canonical, 8-week comprehensive.

3 paths · 4-week day by day

03 · Avoid

17 anti-patterns

Every distractor is an anti-pattern dressed up as the right call. Wrong call and right call, side by side, for all 8 domains.

5 critical · 11 common · 1 edge

04 · Sit

Day 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 question

03 — Register

Ready to sit the official exam?

Most readers come to this page for one thing: how to register. Start here, then check your eligibility.

Registration · via Anthropic Skilljar

Official

Register for the CCD-F exam

Register for the CCD-F (CCDV-F) exam through Anthropic's partner registration process. The list fee is $125 per attempt. Eligible partner cohorts may receive a fully covered attempt. The proctored exam has 53 questions in 120 minutes, with 720 on the scaled score required to pass.

See CCD-F registration steps →

Personal email addresses (gmail, outlook, yahoo, icloud) are rejected by the attestation flow. Use your corporate-domain address.

Eligibility check · 3 questions

Is your employer in the Anthropic Partner Network?

Anthropic lists partners at anthropic.com/partners. Ask your practice lead if unsure.

Mirrors Anthropic's Skilljar attestation flow: partner employer → corporate domain → attestation → sit → 720+. Full walkthrough, including the corporate-domain trap

04 — Format

Exam mechanics: format, timing, and proctoring rules

The CCD-F exam has 53 questions and a 120-minute time limit. Use the official exam guide for the format and your registration instructions for scheduling and proctoring requirements.

Items53 scored questions

Time limit120 minutes total

Item formatMultiple-choice and multiple-response

Passing scoreScaled score of 720 on a 100-1,000 scale

Result reportingPass/fail with scaled score, plus percent-correct by domain

DeliveryOnline-proctored or test center via Pearson VUE

IdentificationValid, unexpired, government-issued photo ID

Workspace rulesEffectively closed and proctored

Prohibited itemsMobile phones, smart watches, headphones, study materials, recording devices

MisconductInvalidation of result, revocation of credential, ban from future exams

AppealsWithin 14 days, submitted to Pearson VUE

Cancel / rescheduleUp to 24 hours before your appointment

See your scaled score in a full mock.
Open the 53-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.

05 — Scenarios

Applied CCD-F scenarios

CCD-F currently ships 6 dedicated scenarios: Production Claude Chat Application, Streaming and Tool-Use Integration, Custom MCP Tool Server, Model Selection and Cost Routing, Agent Evaluation and Testing Harness, and Prompt Injection Defense Layer - each walked as a full build (components, data flow, code-level decisions, failure modes). Filter to CCD-F on the scenarios hub to study them in isolation.

All scenarios

06 — FAQ

Frequently asked

Showing 21 of 21 questions · the full set ships in the PDF

07 — Sources

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.

Confirmed officialPublic consensusCommunity-reportedUnverified / conflicting

Official Anthropic

Claude Certified Architect Foundations Exam Guide (PDF, Feb 10 2025)

The canonical document. 30+ pages covering format, six PDF-canonical scenarios, and domain structure.

Official Anthropic

Anthropic Partner Network announcement

Confirms 2026-03-12 launch date and partner-employer eligibility model.

Official Anthropic

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.

Official Anthropic

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.

Community

zintaen, The Architect's Playbook (985/1000 debrief)

Highest-scoring beta cohort write-up; corroborates scenario pool expansion beyond the official six.

Community

paullarionov, claude_architect_study_guide.pdf

Independent beta cohort study guide. Cross-checks domain weights and confirms scenario coverage.

Community

r/ClaudeAI thread 1ruf70b (Sea_Creme5238 + 7 corroborators)

The thread that broke the '2 years validity' hallucination via Skilljar screenshot.

Skilljar

Skilljar entitlement flow (registration, attestation)

Authoritative on registration mechanics. Badge issuance moved to Credly in 2026; proctored delivery moved to Pearson VUE.

Download the PDF

CCD-F preparation

Prepare for CCD-F application and integration questions

Applications & Integration is 33.1% of the CCD-F, the heaviest domain by a wide margin, so integration decisions deserve the largest share of your study time. Model Selection & Optimization adds 16.8%. Use the table to order your study, then follow the sample, review, timed mock sequence.

Sample. Take the CCD-F quick check to meet the question style. It samples four of 8 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 53-question mock against the 120-minute limit.

CCD-F study priority, ordered by blueprint weight
Domain	Weight	Study first
1. Applications & Integration	33.1%	Claude API mechanics (messages, tools, streaming, caching, Batches API) and application design across interfaces
2. Model Selection & Optimization	16.8%	Choosing Opus, Sonnet or Haiku on quality, latency and cost, and managing tokens with caching
3. Agents & Workflows	14.7%	Workflow versus agent criteria, and the tool-use loop
4. Prompt & Context Engineering	11%	Context management, instruction clarity and defensive output handling
5. Tools & MCPs	10.6%	Tool descriptions, MCP servers and choosing between tools, Skills and MCPs
6. Security & Safety	8.1%	Prompt injection, least privilege and secrets handling
7. Claude Code	3.1%	Core Claude Code components and the CLAUDE.md hierarchy
8. Evaluation, Testing & Debugging	2.6%	Error types and where a failure sits: integration layer or model output

Application design, caching and streaming sit in Applications & Integration. Model selection sits in Model Selection & Optimization.

Study these concepts: Claude Application Design Across Interfaces, Prompt Caching, Streaming, Claude Model Selection & Tradeoffs

This guide belongs to the CCD-F certification page and the wider Claude certification portfolio. Use the Claude Certified Architect mock exam when the guide is familiar.