Pricing Overview
| Exam Fee | $99 (free for the first 5,000 partner employees) |
|---|---|
| Preparation Courses | Free (13 courses on Anthropic Academy) |
| Partner Network Membership | Free |
| Exam Platform | Anthropic Skilljar |
| Exam Duration | 120 minutes, proctored, closed-book — no AI assistance |
How Much Does It Cost?
The exam costs $99. However, it is currently free for the first 5,000 employees of Claude Partner Network member organizations.
Preparation courses on Anthropic Academy (Skilljar) remain free for everyone regardless of partner status. You can start studying immediately without any partner affiliation or payment.
Claude Certified Architect Registration Steps
- Join the Claude Partner Network — Any organization bringing Claude to market can apply at anthropic.com/news/claude-partner-network. Membership is free.
- Complete Preparation Courses — Enroll in the 13 free courses at anthropic.skilljar.com. Key courses include: Claude 101, Building Applications with Claude API, Introduction to MCP, and Claude Code developer training.
- Request Exam Access — Register at anthropic.skilljar.com/claude-certified-architect-foundations-access-request.
- Take the Proctored Exam — 60 multiple-choice questions across 5 domains. 4 of 6 scenarios are randomly selected per exam sitting.
What If I’m Not in the Claude Partner Network?
- Start with the free preparation courses immediately — all 13 courses on Anthropic Academy are open to everyone
- Align with a partner organization to gain exam access — any company bringing Claude to market qualifies
- Anthropic has confirmed additional certification tiers coming later in 2026, which may have different access models and broader availability
The preparation courses provide substantial value on their own, even if you cannot take the exam immediately. They cover the full breadth of Claude architecture topics and serve as an effective self-study program.
Exam Retake Policy
The exam uses scaled scoring from 100 to 1,000. The minimum passing score is 720. There is no penalty for guessing — unanswered questions are scored as incorrect, so you should always select an answer.
Score reports are delivered within 2 business days with section-level breakdowns.
Refer to the Anthropic Academy platform for the latest information on retake policies and any waiting periods between attempts.
Ready to Register?
Start your certification journey today. The exam is $99 (free for the first 5,000 partner employees), and preparation courses are free for everyone.
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