Could you pass the Claude Certified Architect - Professional (CCA-P) exam?
This is a CCA-P practice exam - 4 sample questions (~3 minutes), drawn from the CCA-P question bank across its four highest-weighted domains: Integration, Solution Design & Architecture, Evaluation, Testing & Optimization, and Governance, Safety & Risk. Two foundational questions, one applied, and one edge case. Want a longer practice test? Take the 10-question diagnostic or the full 63-question mock exam. You'll get a personalised study plan based on what you miss.
We post a fresh 4-question sample each week - the same set all week (it stays put on reload), with new questions next week so you can track your progress.
63 questions, 120 minutes, 720 of 1000 to pass.
7 weighted domains. The quick check above samples from the four highest-weighted.
What this CCA-P quick check tells you
Four questions can introduce the question style and reveal topics to revisit. They do not measure readiness across all 7 domains. Use the 10-question diagnostic for a broader starting assessment, then the full 63-question mock for timed practice.
How to reason through a CCA-P architecture question
Work in a fixed order: requirements, constraints, trade-offs, decision. The example below is a tool-permission question.
This is an original teaching scenario written for this page. It is not an official exam question.
- Requirements. A support agent must look up order records and issue refunds up to $50.
- Constraints. Money movement must be auditable. The agent must never edit other records. Refunds above $50 need a person.
- Trade-offs. One broad admin tool is quickest to build but hands the agent write access it does not need. Separate read and refund tools take more build time and keep the blast radius small.
- Decision. Two narrow tools. The read tool is allowed automatically. The refund tool enforces the $50 cap in its own code and escalates above it. The limit lives where the tool runs, not only in the prompt. In the Claude Agent SDK, hooks, deny rules, ask rules, the permission mode and allow rules are all evaluated before a tool call is approved.
Failure modes to watch for
- Confusing authentication with authorization: knowing which agent is calling does not decide what it may do.
- Stating the refund limit only in the prompt, where nothing enforces it.
- Listing allowed tools while running in bypassPermissions mode: the list does not constrain that mode, so use deny rules for tools that must stay blocked.
Checked against: Claude Agent SDK, Configure permissions (accessed 2026-10-16)
Turn a missed question into a study task
A missed CCA-P question is useful only if it becomes a specific task. Follow these steps for each miss.
- Name the deciding constraint. Write one sentence: which requirement or constraint decided the right answer, and which did you overlook?
- Find the domain. Match the miss to its domain and weight: Solution Design & Architecture (17%), Integration (19%) or Evaluation, Testing & Optimization (16%).
- Write one task. Open the matching concept page and turn it into an action, such as redrawing the permission table for the refund agent.
- Explain the near miss. Write why the closest wrong option fails in this scenario. Memorizing the right letter does not transfer to a new question.
| Domain | Typical missed decision | Study next |
|---|---|---|
| Solution Design & Architecture (17%) | The feedback path had no owner, or a prompt was used where a design contract was needed. | End-to-end architecture design |
| Integration (19%) | A tool got broader access than the task needed, or a slow request could not be traced. | Auth and access control for agents, observability and monitoring at scale |
| Evaluation, Testing & Optimization (16%) | A metric or test did not measure the failure you cared about. | Tool evaluation and testing |
Study these concepts: End-to-End Architecture Design (Input to Feedback Loop), Authentication & Access Control for Agent Systems, Observability & Monitoring for Agents at Scale, Tool Evaluation & Testing
Questions about this quick check
Does this sample cover every CCA-P domain?
No. This quick check samples the four highest-weighted domains. The full blueprint has 7 domains.
How do I move from the sample to a full CCA-P mock?
Review the explanations, study the topics you missed, then choose a paid mock plan for CCA-P. Its full mock has 63 questions.
How do I reason through a CCA-P architecture question?
Work in order: requirements, constraints, trade-offs, decision. Write down what the system must do, what limits it, what each option costs, and only then choose. In a tool-permission question, prefer narrow tools whose limits are enforced where the tool runs, not only in the prompt.
How do I turn a missed CCA-P question into a study task?
Name the constraint that decided the answer, find the domain and its weight, open the matching concept page, and write one concrete task from it. Then explain why the nearest wrong option fails, so the lesson transfers to a question you have not seen.