Pick the 4-week plan if…
- You ship code in production but want structured coverage of the exam's own domain weighting, not just your day job's
- You want an entire dedicated week on Applications & Integration - a third of the exam sits there
- You can hit one full 53-question mock before exam day and still have time to close gaps
- Your exam date is roughly 4 weeks out
Otherwise see study plans index for the 2-week sprint or 8-week comprehensive variants.
Foundations and diagnostic
Week 1 is calibration. Take the diagnostic on day 1, then get oriented on why Applications & Integration alone is worth more than Claude Code, Eval/Testing, and Security & Safety combined.
Day 1Diagnostic and domain orientation~3 hr
- practiceTake the free CCD-F diagnostic~30 min
Sit it cold, no notes. Note which of the 8 domains you scored lowest on - don't review answers yet.
- readRead the CCD-F exam guide overview~25 min
Internalize the format: 53 questions, 120 minutes, 720/1000 to pass. Applications & Integration is 33.1% of the exam - about a third - so plan your hours accordingly.
- conceptModel selection trade-offs~35 min
Model Selection & Optimization is the second-heaviest domain at 16.8%. Start here since it underpins decisions in almost every other domain.
Day 2Applications & Integration, part 1: API mechanics~3 hr
- conceptClaude application design across interfaces~35 min
Claude Code, Desktop, claude.ai, API, and SDKs each impose different constraints. This is the conceptual anchor for the exam's heaviest domain.
- readRe-read the D2 domain description~30 min
Messages API mechanics (tools, streaming, vision, thinking, caching, Batches API) - the technical core of Applications & Integration. Note every mechanic you haven't used hands-on yet.
- conceptSoftware engineering foundations for Claude apps~30 min
REST APIs, JSON, async programming, version control, code review - applied specifically to Claude-powered code, not generic software engineering trivia.
Day 3Applications & Integration, part 2: configuration and lifecycle~3 hr
- conceptSystems life-cycle management~35 min
CLAUDE.md, settings.json, model version pinning, plugin dependencies - configuration management as a first-class exam topic, not an afterthought.
- scenarioProduction Claude Chat Application scenario~45 min
The canonical D2 scenario. Walk it end to end for how streaming, session state, context management, caching, and model selection all combine in a shipping product.
Day 4Model Selection & Optimization~2.5 hr
- conceptLLM fundamentals: tokens and sampling~35 min
Tokens, context windows, sampling, non-determinism - the base layer under every Model Selection question.
- conceptTechnical fundamentals: SDKs and websockets~30 min
Wrapping REST APIs and websockets - the mechanical half of Model Selection & Optimization, distinct from the Opus/Sonnet/Haiku trade-off judgment calls.
- scenarioModel Selection and Cost Routing scenario~35 min
Applies the Opus/Sonnet/Haiku trade-off, plus prompt caching across tiers, to a concrete routing problem.
Day 5Week 1 consolidation and mini-check~2.5 hr
- practiceWarm up your weakest domain~30 min
Use your diagnostic results from day 1. If Applications & Integration wasn't your lowest score, spend the extra time there anyway - it's a third of the exam.
- scenarioStreaming and Tool-Use Integration scenario~40 min
Closes week 1 on a D1/D2 crossover: agentic loop resumption on tool_use, plus the streaming mechanics from day 2.
- reviewSkim the CCD-F anti-patterns reference~20 min
Just the headings for now, to reframe the rest of your prep around known distractor patterns.
D2 Applications & Integration, full week
Applications & Integration is 33.1% of the CCD-F - by far the heaviest domain on any of the 4 Claude certifications. It gets its own full week rather than sharing with anything else.
Requirements to shipping code
Translating business/functional requirements and systems-lifecycle concepts into working code, across every supported interface.
Software-engineering discipline applied to Claude apps
REST APIs, JSON, async programming, version control, and code review as they apply specifically to Claude-powered applications.
D5 Model Selection & Optimization and D1 Agents & Workflows
16.8% plus 14.7% - the second- and third-heaviest domains, together over 30% of the exam.
Model selection & optimization, applied
Choosing between Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku on quality-latency-cost trade-offs and adaptive-thinking support, then managing tokens and cost through budgeting, caching, and cache checkpointing.
Agents & workflows
Choosing between a workflow and an agent, constructing agents with the Claude Agent SDK, custom agent loops, and agent design patterns (tool-use loops, sub-agents, memory) via frameworks like Strands, LangGraph, or PydanticAI.
D6-D8, D3-D4 (the lighter domains), then synthesis
The remaining 5 domains total about 25.4% of the exam - each lighter individually, but they're where careless points get left on the table because candidates over-invest in D2 and skip these.
Prompt & context engineering, and Tools & MCPs
Context and memory management, prompt-engineering principles, output handling (11.0%), plus tool implementation practice and MCP server development (10.6%).
Security & Safety, Claude Code, and Eval/Testing/Debugging
Prompt-injection awareness, guardrails, and secrets management (8.1%); Claude Code's core components at a narrow 3.1%; and debugging/error-handling technique at just 2.6% - the smallest domain on any Claude cert.
Final synthesis
One full 53-question mock timed at 120 minutes, then a targeted review of every wrong answer against the anti-patterns reference before you book the real exam.
2-week sprint and 8-week comprehensive
The 4-week plan is canonical. The two alternates use the same content at different paces - they are not separate plans.
2-week sprint
Already working with CCD-F-relevant skills in production
Compress week 1 into 2-3 days of diagnostic plus targeted reading on your weakest domains only. Spend the remaining time on the heaviest domains plus scenario reps, then reserve the final 3-4 days for a full mock, gap closure, and a second timed mock.
8-week comprehensive
Newer to Claude, or a slower sustainable pace
Stretch each domain across the first six weeks of reading plus practice, giving the heaviest domains their own dedicated week each. Reserve weeks 7 and 8 for two full mocks and every scenario walkthrough.
Before you book the proctored exam
Before you book the proctored session, confirm these five things.
- You scored 720+ equivalent on at least one full, timed 53-question mock.
- You can name all 8 domains and their weights from memory, heaviest first (Applications & Integration is 33.1%, over a third of the exam).
- You've walked all 6 of CCD-F's dedicated scenarios.
- You've read the anti-patterns reference and can articulate why each wrong answer is wrong, not just which one is right.
- You've read the day-of checklist and confirmed your ID, room, and workspace meet Pearson VUE's proctoring rules.
Once your exam is scheduled
CCD-F has no prerequisite courses or exams, so registration itself is quick - the remaining prep is the plan above plus the day-of logistics. Read the day-of checklist a few days before your session so nothing about the proctoring environment surprises you.