
The agentic loop: stop_reason "tool_use" versus "end_turn" and tool results in history
Loop anti-patterns: parsing text for completion and iteration caps as the main stop
Hub-and-spoke coordinator, isolated subagent context and dynamic subagent selection
Task tool, AgentDefinition and parallel subagents from one coordinator response
Tools: agent architecture blueprint, exam trainer on Domain 1 (27%), flashcards, memory and match games
Programmatic prerequisites and hooks versus prompt guidance when a rule must hold every time
PostToolUse data normalization and tool call interception that blocks policy-violating actions
Structured handoff to a human agent, prompt chaining versus dynamic decomposition
Sessions on purpose: --resume by name, fork_session or a fresh start with a summary
Tools: guardrail spec, handoff template, exam trainer on Domain 1 and study games
Tool descriptions that separate similar tools: inputs, outputs, edge cases, when not to use
Structured MCP errors: isError, error category, retryable flag, empty result versus access failure
A small tool set per agent, scoped cross-role tools and tool_choice auto, any and forced
.mcp.json with environment variables, ~/.claude.json, MCP resources and the built-in tools
Tools: tool contract and structured error kit, exam trainer on Domain 2 (18%) and study games
CLAUDE.md hierarchy at user, project and directory level, @import and /memory
.claude/rules/ with YAML paths globs for conventions spread across the codebase
Slash commands and skills: SKILL.md frontmatter with context: fork, allowed-tools, argument-hint
Skill or CLAUDE.md: on-demand workflows versus always-loaded standards
Tools: Claude Code team config pack, exam trainer on Domain 3 (20%) and study games
Plan mode or direct execution, and the Explore subagent for verbose discovery
Iterative refinement: input and output examples, test-driven iteration, the interview pattern
Claude Code in CI: -p, --output-format json and --json-schema for inline PR comments
An independent review instance, prior findings in context and existing tests for test generation
Tools: plan-or-execute card, CI review pipeline spec, exam trainer on Domain 3 and study games
Explicit review criteria and severity examples that cut false positives
Few-shot examples for ambiguous cases and varied document formats
Tool use with JSON schemas: nullable fields, "unclear" and "other" enums, tool_choice
Validation-retry with error feedback, the Message Batches API and multi-pass review
Tools: extraction schema and review prompt kit, exam trainer on Domain 4 (20%) and study games
Case facts block, trimmed tool output and the lost-in-the-middle effect
Escalation triggers, explicit requests for a human and multiple customer matches
Error propagation with partial results, scratchpad files, /compact and state manifests
Human review by stratified sampling, claim-source mapping and conflicting sources
Tools: context and escalation playbook, exam trainer on Domain 5 (15%) and study games
Five domains and their weights, the six exam scenarios and why you get four of them
Multiple-choice and multiple-response items and the "most effective first step" logic
Readiness score by domain weight against the scaled pass mark of 720
Full mock exam: 60 questions in four scenario sets, 120-minute timer, flags, review screen, score by domain
Tools: readiness scorecard and the 60-question mock exam
This course contains the use of artificial intelligence
The CCAR-F exam gives you 60 production scenarios, 120 minutes and four answers that all look right.
Most prep courses give you a question bank. This one teaches every domain on video, then drills it in interactive exam trainers, study games and a full mock exam.
You already build with Claude, so the exam looks familiar. Then you read a scenario: a support agent that skips identity checks, a subagent that lost its sources, a CI review that floods pull requests with false positives, and four reasonable fixes. The Claude Certified Architect – Foundations exam tests production judgment: when a hook beats a prompt, how a tool description steers selection, where an instruction belongs in Claude Code, why a schema-valid answer can still be wrong. The "most effective first step" is rarely the biggest one. A question bank tells you that you picked the wrong option. It rarely tells you why the other three fail, and a failed attempt costs you $125 and at least 14 days of waiting before the retake.
After this course you read a scenario and see which task statement it tests. You know how the five domains are weighted and which one costs you the most points. You design an agentic loop and a coordinator that pass context on purpose, put must-hold rules into hooks, write tool contracts with errors an agent can act on, configure Claude Code for a whole team, run it as a reviewer in CI, get extraction output that is both valid and right, and keep facts and sources intact across many agents. You walk into the exam with a readiness score by domain and a plan, and you keep a working architect's kit for your own Claude builds.
The course is built and taught by Mike Pritula:
Founder and head of strategy of Pritula Academy, where 170,000+ students have trained
Author of the Claude for HR, Claude for Recruiter, Prompt Engineering for HR and HR AI Agents courses at Pritula Academy
#1 HR instructor on Udemy, with 2,000,000+ students on Udemy
20 years of hands-on practice at Wargaming, Preply, iDeals and Starlightmedia
The course follows the five domains of the official exam guide in order. The two heaviest domains get two lessons each: agentic architecture and orchestration, and Claude Code configuration and workflows. Every lesson comes with its own interactive exam trainer: 12 scenario questions set inside the six official exam scenarios, in both exam formats, one best answer and "choose two", with an instant explanation of why each wrong option is wrong and a retry of the questions you missed. Study games for every lesson, with flashcards, a memory game and a timed match game, lock in the flags, file paths, config keys and patterns before you move on. First you design agentic loops, coordinators, subagents, hooks and sessions. Then you build tool contracts and MCP integrations and configure Claude Code for a team and for CI. Next you engineer prompts for reliable structured output and learn to keep context, escalation and provenance under control. Finally you calculate your readiness score and sit a full mock exam: 60 new questions in the proportions of the five domains, built as four scenario sets like the real exam, with a 120-minute timer, flags, a review screen and a score report by domain with a readiness zone. Every practice question is written for this course; there are no real exam questions or dumps. Everything interactive opens in any browser, on a phone too.
This is an independent course. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Anthropic.
What's included:
Lifetime access to all materials
Active instructor support in Q&A
Udemy Certificate of Completion
A practical assignment on your own Claude build in every lesson
7 interactive exam trainers with 84 scenario questions and explanations
Study games for every lesson: flashcards, memory and timed match
A 60-question mock exam in four scenario sets with a 120-minute timer and a score report by domain
A working architect's kit: agent blueprint, guardrail spec, tool contract kit, Claude Code team config pack, CI review spec, extraction schema kit, context playbook and readiness scorecard
A section with additional courses, tools and resources
Claude Code, the Agent SDK and MCP change every few months, and the engineers who can explain their architecture decisions now are the ones their teams will ask to design the next build. Every week you wait is another week of guessing on scenarios you could already read.
Enroll now and start your first lesson today.