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How to Pass the Claude Certified Associate Exam (CCAO-F): 2-Week Study Plan

Audio from the Open Exam Hub video of the same name; the video shows the numbers and practice questions on screen.

A day-by-day, two-week study plan for Anthropic's Claude Certified Associate – Foundations (CCAO-F) exam, the topics that trip people up, and seven hard original practice questions with answers. The plan (about 90 minutes a day, roughly 21 hours, our estimate): days 1-2 read the official exam guide, rate yourself on every objective, try the three official sample questions and a timed practice set, and set up a real Claude Project; days 3-5 prompting and troubleshooting (clear and direct, explain why, 3-5 varied examples, XML tags, find the cause and change one thing at a time); days 6-8 output evaluation (check every specific claim, warning signs, review level by stakes, audience and format); days 9-10 products, models and configuration (chat, Projects, artifacts, Research; Haiku, Sonnet, Opus; instructions, knowledge files, connectors, Project memory); days 11-12 workflows and governance (map a process, escalate API builds to Developers and Architects, the Usage Policy's high-risk areas and hard lines); days 13-14 a full timed test and exam-day logistics. Study hours split by the official weights: Output Evaluation and Validation 21%, Workflow Integration and Solution Design 16%, Governance, Risk and Responsible Use 15%, Prompting and Task Execution 14%, Product and Model Selection 12%, Configuration and Knowledge Management 12%, Troubleshooting and Optimization 10%. Exam facts as of October 2026, per Anthropic's exam guide v1.0, the Partner Academy certification FAQ and Pearson VUE: 60 multiple-choice and multiple-response items in 120 minutes (about 135 minutes in the seat), closed book, scaled score 720 on 100 to 1,000 to pass (no published pass rate), $99 USD per attempt, open to Claude Partner Network staff with a company email, reschedule at least 48 hours ahead, retake waits of 14, 30 then 90 days (up to 4 attempts per rolling 12 months), updated exam content from December 7, 2026 (new guides November 17). The hour splits, daily time and 80% practice target are our own estimates. Practice questions are original, not real exam questions. Independent guide, not affiliated with Anthropic or Pearson VUE.

Full guide
Video: Claude Certified Associate Exam Explained (format, passing score, cost)
Video: Claude Certified Associate Practice Test (50 questions)
Free practice tests
Open Exam Hub: free exam prep
Free practice questions, study guides and cheat sheets, no signup

Chapters
0:00 The Short Answer
0:55 The Exam in One Minute
1:49 How to Split Your Time
2:37 Days 1 and 2: Your Baseline
3:17 Days 3 to 5: Prompting and Troubleshooting
4:01 Days 6 to 8: Output Evaluation
4:45 Days 9 and 10: Products, Models and Config
5:36 Days 11 and 12: Workflows and Governance
6:28 Days 13 and 14: Timed Practice and Exam Day
7:14 The Hardest Topics
7:56 Hardest Questions, Part One
9:55 Hardest Questions, Part Two
11:17 Recap

Exam facts are from the official Anthropic pages as of 2026-10-24. Fees and rules can change, so confirm on the official site before you enroll. Open Exam Hub is an independent study resource, not affiliated with Anthropic. Practice questions are not from a real exam. Narration is an AI-generated voice.

Music
"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Reminiscing" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Friday Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Carefree" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Sound effects: Kenney (kenney.nl), CC0.

#Claude #Anthropic #AICertification