Validates knowledge of designing production Claude solutions, including agent orchestration, tool integration, Claude Code, prompting and context management.
A good prep path for the Architect exam covers its five domains: agent architecture, tool and MCP design, Claude Code, prompting and structured output, and context management. We compared Anthropic's five listed courses on domain coverage, depth and price.
Most people should start with Anthropic's free Building with the Claude API course, then add Claude Code in Action and Introduction to Model Context Protocol for those domains. Choose Claude with Amazon Bedrock or Claude on Google Cloud only if that is where you deploy Claude.
| Course | Best for | Format | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 Building with the Claude API | API and prompting | Video | Free |
| Introduction to Model Context Protocol | MCP servers | Video | Free |
| Claude Code in Action | Claude Code | Video | Free |
| Claude with Amazon Bedrock | Deploying on AWS | Video | Free |
| Claude on Google Cloud | Deploying on Google Cloud | Video | Free |
Anthropic's technical course on the Claude API, covering prompting, tool use, structured output and evaluation. It runs about 8 hours across 84 lectures and 10 quizzes, and it covers the prompting and structured output domain.
Great fit if you want official coverage of the prompting and structured output domain
Poor fit if you need Claude Code or MCP depth; choose Claude Code in Action or Introduction to Model Context Protocol
Builds MCP servers and clients in Python, covering tools, resources and prompts. It prepares you for the tool design and MCP integration domain, which carries 18% of the exam.
Great fit if you have not built an MCP server yet
Poor fit if you already maintain MCP integrations; choose Building with the Claude API
Shows how to run and steer Claude Code in real development work, including configuration, hooks and context management. It covers the Claude Code domain, which carries 20% of the exam.
Great fit if you want official coverage of the Claude Code domain
Poor fit if you already configure Claude Code for a team; choose Building with the Claude API
Uses Claude through Amazon Bedrock, from basic requests to tool use, RAG, MCP servers and agents. It runs about 8 hours across 85 lectures and 10 quizzes.
Great fit if you deploy Claude on AWS or need the deployment-platform questions
Poor fit if you build against the Claude API directly; choose Building with the Claude API
Uses Claude on Google Cloud through Vertex AI, covering streaming, tool use, prompt evaluation, RAG and agents. It runs about 8 hours across 85 lectures and 10 quizzes.
Great fit if you deploy Claude on Google Cloud
Poor fit if you build against the Claude API directly; choose Building with the Claude API
For most people, Anthropic's free Building with the Claude API course, plus the Claude Code in Action and Model Context Protocol courses for those domains.
Yes. All five courses here are free from Anthropic, so the only cost is the $125 exam.
The API, Bedrock and Google Cloud courses each take about 8 hours. Plan for about 30 hours of preparation in total, or 15 if you use Claude Code and the Agent SDK daily.
Only people at Claude Partner Network organizations can register. The exam has 60 scenario-based questions, and the credential lasts 12 months.