Claude Certified Associate - Foundations (CCAO-F)¶
Anthropic's entry-level certification for people who use Claude in business, consulting, and delivery roles. It validates practical everyday Claude use: picking the right Claude product and model for a task, writing effective prompts, validating and improving Claude's outputs, integrating Claude into working workflows, and applying governance and responsible-use practices.
This is an official Anthropic certification, released July 2026 and delivered through Pearson VUE. It is not a developer exam. There is no coding, no API, and no infrastructure content. The target audience is consultants, project leads, sellers, delivery leads, and analysts who use Claude.ai, Projects, Artifacts, and Claude's business integrations day to day.
Exam Overview¶
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Exam Code | CCAO-F |
| Full Name | Claude Certified Associate - Foundations |
| Provider | Anthropic |
| Duration | 120 minutes |
| Questions | 60 multiple-choice and multiple-response |
| Passing Score | 720 / 1000 |
| Cost | $99 USD |
| Delivery | Pearson VUE - online proctored or test center |
| Validity | 12 months |
| Level | Foundational |
| Prerequisites | None |
| Released | July 2026 |
Exam Domains¶
Official blueprint v1.0, effective July 2026:
| # | Domain | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Output Evaluation and Validation | 21% |
| 2 | Workflow Integration and Solution Design | 16% |
| 3 | Governance, Risk, and Responsible Use | 15% |
| 4 | Prompting and Task Execution | 14% |
| 5 | Product and Model Selection | 12% |
| 6 | Configuration and Knowledge Management | 12% |
| 7 | Troubleshooting and Optimization | 10% |
Note the ordering: the biggest domain is not prompting, it is evaluating and validating what Claude produces. The exam rewards people who treat Claude's output as a draft to verify, not a finished answer.
Registration and Logistics¶
- Register through the 📖 Anthropic Partner Academy - the certification catalog, free prep courses, and exam registration.
- Registration requires free membership in the 📖 Claude Partner Network - join with a company email address. Personal email addresses (Gmail, Outlook, etc.) are blocked at checkout.
- The exam is delivered by 📖 Pearson VUE - choose online proctored or a physical test center when scheduling.
- You can reschedule or cancel up to 24 hours before your appointment.
- Passing earns a digital badge issued via Credly by Pearson.
Retakes¶
- 14-day wait after a failed first attempt.
- 30-day wait after a failed second attempt.
- 90-day wait after a failed third attempt.
- Maximum 4 attempts per rolling 12 months.
Renewal¶
The credential is valid for 12 months. Renew on time for free by passing a non-proctored assessment in Partner Academy. If the credential lapses, you retake the full proctored exam.
Study Materials in This Guide¶
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| fact-sheet.md | Quick-reference exam facts, documentation links, per-domain key facts, exam tips |
| notes/01-output-evaluation-and-validation.md | Domain 1 - Output Evaluation and Validation (21%) |
| notes/02-workflow-integration-and-solution-design.md | Domain 2 - Workflow Integration and Solution Design (16%) |
| notes/03-governance-risk-and-responsible-use.md | Domain 3 - Governance, Risk, and Responsible Use (15%) |
| notes/04-prompting-and-task-execution.md | Domain 4 - Prompting and Task Execution (14%) |
| notes/05-product-and-model-selection.md | Domain 5 - Product and Model Selection (12%) |
| notes/06-configuration-and-knowledge-management.md | Domain 6 - Configuration and Knowledge Management (12%) |
| notes/07-troubleshooting-and-optimization.md | Domain 7 - Troubleshooting and Optimization (10%) |
| practice-plan.md | 3-4 week study plan with weekly checkboxes |
| scenarios.md | Exam-style scenario walk-throughs with solutions |
| strategy.md | 3-phase study approach, resources, exam-day tactics |
Practice question bank: resources/practice-questions/anthropic-claude-associate-foundations.md
Who Should Take This Exam¶
Good fit:
- Consultants and delivery leads who use Claude on client work
- Project and program leads coordinating teams that use Claude
- Sellers and pre-sales roles who position Claude products
- Analysts who use Claude for research, drafting, and data summarization
- Anyone who wants a credential proving practical, responsible Claude fluency
Not the right exam if you build with the Claude API, Claude Code, or MCP as your main job. For that, see the developer and architect certifications below.
Preparation Path¶
- Join the Claude Partner Network (free) and get access to Partner Academy.
- Complete the free official prep courses in Partner Academy for this certification.
- Use Claude daily - the exam tests applied judgment about real product use, not memorized trivia. Work with Claude.ai chat, Projects, Artifacts, and at least one integration.
- Work this guide - the practice-plan.md sequences the notes, scenarios, and practice questions over 3-4 weeks.
- Schedule with Pearson VUE once you score comfortably on the scenarios and practice bank.
Related Anthropic Certifications and Tracks¶
The Anthropic credential family in this repo:
- Claude Certified Developer - Foundations - the developer-track entry point: API, tool use, building with Claude
- Claude Certified Architect - Foundations - agentic architecture, Claude Code, MCP
- Claude Certified Architect - Professional - advanced multi-agent systems and enterprise deployment
- Claude Prompt Engineering Specialist - a self-directed study track on prompt design and evaluation
CCAO-F is the entry point for the business track. If you later move toward building with Claude, the Developer Foundations exam is the natural next step.