Claude certifications, compared
Anthropic's Claude Certification Program has four proctored exams across three roles. Here's every exam, what it tests, what it costs, and which one fits you — with a free blueprint-weighted mock for each as we publish them.
| Certification | For | Price | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude AssociateClaude Certified Associate, Foundations (CCAO-F) | Business professionals who use Claude as a daily productivity tool | $99 | None — no coding or API experience needed |
| Claude DeveloperClaude Certified Developer, Foundations (CCDV-F) | Developers building applications on the Claude API, Claude Code, MCP, and Agent Skills | $125 | Working knowledge of the Claude API and Claude Code |
| Claude ArchitectClaude Certified Architect, Foundations (CCAR-F) | Solution architects designing and shipping enterprise-grade Claude applications to production | $125 | Solution architecture experience recommended |
| Claude Architect ProClaude Certified Architect, Professional (CCAR-P) | Mid-senior solution architects and AI/ML engineers running Claude in production | $175 | None formal — 3+ years architecture experience and 6+ months of Claude in production recommended |
Exam facts · verified 2026-07-31
- • Every exam: 120 minutes, multiple choice and multiple response (multi-select items state how many answers to pick).
- • Scoring: scaled 100–1000, cut score 720, per-domain percentages on the report.
- • Delivery: Pearson VUE (OnVUE online proctored or test center).
- • Credential valid 12 months; on-time renewal is free and non-proctored.
- • Registration: Exams are available to people at Claude Partner Network organizations: registration requires a partner email address on a recognized company domain — personal email addresses will not work (per the official certification FAQ).
Which one should you take?
You use Claude in the app for business work (analysis, writing, workflows — no code): take Claude Associate. It's the newest exam, the cheapest, and the one with no technical prerequisites.
You build with the Claude API, Claude Code, MCP, or Agent Skills: take Claude Developer.
You design Claude systems for production — architecture, security, scale: start with Claude Architect, then Architect Pro (which requires it).
Your company needs 10+ people certified (Claude Partner Network tiers require it): see the Partner Network guide.
Certification ≠ Academy certificate
Anthropic Academy's free courses issue completion certificates. These are not the proctored certifications above — a common and costly confusion. Full explanation →