Claude Certified Architect — Foundations Certification

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Foundations & Domain Overview

Domain	Weight	Focus	Files
Agentic Architecture & Orchestration	27%	Agent loops, multi-agent patterns, error handling	see
Tool Design & MCP Integration	18%	Tool definitions, JSON schemas, MCP servers	see
Claude Code Configuration & Workflows	20%	CLAUDE.md, skills, planning mode	see
Prompt Engineering & Structured Output	20%	Few-shot prompting, validation loops, batch API	see
Context Management & Reliability	15%	Context windows, provenance, crash recovery	see

Anthropic useful courses

1. Claude 101
2. Building with the Claude API
3. Claude Code in Action
4. Introduction to agent skills
5. Introduction to Model Context Protocol
6. Model Context Protocol: Advanced Topics

Practice Exam

• Registry for the exam
• Use this link https://anthropic.skilljar.com/anthropic-certification-practice-exam/ , or you may find link in your profile after exam registration.

Official Documentation

Resource	URL
Claude API — Messages	https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/api/messages
Claude API — Tool Use	https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/tool-use
Claude API — Message Batches	https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/message-batches
Claude Agent SDK — Overview	https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/overview
Claude Agent SDK — Hooks	https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/hooks
Claude Agent SDK — Subagents	https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/subagents
Claude Agent SDK — Sessions	https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/sessions
Model Context Protocol (MCP)	https://modelcontextprotocol.io/
MCP — Tools	https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/concepts/tools
MCP — Resources	https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/concepts/resources
MCP — Servers	https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/concepts/servers
Claude Code — Documentation	https://code.claude.com/docs/en/overview
Claude Code — CLAUDE.md and Memory	https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory
Claude Code — Skills (incl. slash commands)	https://code.claude.com/docs/en/skills
Claude Code — Hooks	https://code.claude.com/docs/en/hooks
Claude Code — Sub-agents	https://code.claude.com/docs/en/sub-agents
Claude Code — MCP Integration	https://code.claude.com/docs/en/mcp
Claude Code — GitHub Actions CI/CD	https://code.claude.com/docs/en/github-actions
Claude Code — GitLab CI/CD	https://code.claude.com/docs/en/gitlab-ci-cd
Claude Code — Headless (non-interactive mode)	https://code.claude.com/docs/en/headless
Prompt Engineering Guide	https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/prompt-engineering/overview
Extended Thinking	https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/extended-thinking
Anthropic Cookbook (code examples)	https://github.com/anthropics/anthropic-cookbook

Glossary of Key Terms

Term	Definition
Agentic loop	Model-driven sequence: send request → receive response → check stop_reason → repeat until end_turn
Coordinator	Multi-agent hub that decomposes tasks, delegates to subagents, aggregates results
Subagent	Task-specific agent with isolated context; spawned via Task tool
Hook	Deterministic interception point (preToolUse, postToolUse)
MCP	Model Context Protocol; open standard for integrating external systems
tool_use	Mechanism allowing Claude to call external functions
tool_choice	Parameter controlling whether/when Claude calls tools
CLAUDE.md	Instruction file for Claude Code with 3-level hierarchy
Skill	On-demand Claude Code command with frontmatter configuration
Few-shot	2-4 examples demonstrating expected behavior
Prompt chaining	Breaking complex tasks into sequential focused steps
Batch API	Asynchronous API offering 50% cost savings, up to 24 hours processing
Lost-in-the-middle	Models miss information in the middle 60% of long inputs
Provenance	Documentation of data source, date, methodology, confidence
State persistence	Exporting agent state to disk for crash recovery

Good luck with your certification!