A 2-week study plan for the Claude Certified Architect exam

This plan assumes you've used Claude through the API or Claude Code before. If you haven't, stretch it to four weeks and spend the extra time building. Take the free 10-question check first so you know which domains need the most time.

• Days 1–2: the official Claude Certified Architect – Foundations Prep Courses. Read the exam guide's task statements alongside it.
• Days 3–4, Domain 1 (27%): build an agent loop that stops on end_turn, then a coordinator with two subagents. Study tasks 1.1–1.7.
• Day 5, Domain 2 (18%): write two similar tools and fix their descriptions until Claude picks correctly; return structured errors. Tasks 2.1–2.5.
• Day 6, Domain 3 (20%): set up CLAUDE.md, a path-scoped rule and a skill in a real repo; run Claude Code with -p. Tasks 3.1–3.6.
• Day 7: rest, or review flashcards for anything that felt shaky.

• Day 8, Domain 4 (20%): build an extraction tool with a JSON schema, nullable fields and a retry loop. Tasks 4.1–4.6.
• Day 9, Domain 5 (15%): write escalation criteria and test a subagent failure end to end. Tasks 5.1–5.6.
• Day 10: first timed mock, 60 questions in 120 minutes. Note every question you guessed.
• Days 11–12: drill your two weakest domains with scenario questions and the common traps on each domain page.
• Day 13: second timed mock. Aim to be comfortably above the pass line, not just at it.
• Day 14: light review only, then book or sit the exam.

You can explain why the wrong answers are wrong, not just pick the right one. Your mock scores are steady rather than lucky, and no domain is far behind the others. The exam weights Domain 1 most, but a weak Domain 5 can still cost you the pass.