Claude certifications, explained

What they are

Anthropic launched the Claude Certification Program in 2026 alongside the Claude Partner Network. There are four exams across three roles: Associate, Developer, and Architect. They are proctored, scored against a fixed standard, and issued to individuals rather than companies.

They are not the same as the free Anthropic Academy course certificates, which have no proctoring and no passing threshold.

Who can take these exams

These exams are open to people whose employer is in the Claude Partner Network. Registration runs through the Anthropic Partner Academy, which then directs you to Pearson VUE to schedule. The exam pages on this site, and Anthropic's own, are public to read; registering for an exam is not.

How to become eligible

Joining the Claude Partner Network is a company decision, not an individual one. Your employer joins the programme, and that is what opens exam registration for its people.

Getting started is free. New applicants enter at Registered, the programme's entry level. Registered is free but not weightless: it carries a minimum commitment to 10 certified practitioners. Partnership proper begins at the next level, Select.

Discounted exam rates go to tiered partners, Select and above, and only on a first attempt. Registered organisations do not get the discount, so the prices listed on this page are the ones most readers will pay.

One thing works in your favour: certifications belong to the individual, not the firm. The credential stays with you even if you change employer.

The published tier requirements

• Select needs at least 10 active certified individuals, 2 joint customers in production in the trailing 12 months, and 1 public customer story.
• Preferred needs 100 certified individuals, 15 joint customers, and 3 public stories.
• Global Premier needs 1,000 certified individuals, 100 deployed joint customers across three or more regions, 15 public stories, and a joint business plan.

Applying is a company decision, not something an individual employee can complete alone. So for most readers the realistic first step is to bring this to whoever owns partnerships at your company.

The four exams

Associate is for business users, Developer for people building on the Claude API, and Architect comes in two levels, Foundations then Professional, for those designing production systems.

For the full domain breakdown and official weights of any exam, open its guide: each card links to a detail page that lists its domains in full.

Which one should you take?

Match the exam to the work you do, or the work you want to do next.

Not sure where you fit? Compare the four AI career paths to see which certification maps to each.

How the exam works

• Registration starts at the Anthropic Partner Academy, which then directs you to Pearson VUE to schedule.
• You can take the exam online with OnVUE, or at a Pearson VUE test center.
• Retakes: 14 days after a first failed attempt, 30 days after a second, 90 days after a third, up to 4 attempts in any rolling 12-month period. Each attempt is charged at the full fee.
• The score report shows your percentage correct per domain.

Sources: Pearson VUE - Anthropic for the retake ladder and the Partner Academy to Pearson VUE registration flow, and Pearson VUE - OnVUE online testing for online proctoring, ID and system requirements. Checked August 2026.

Policies change. For the authoritative, up-to-date version, always check Pearson VUE and the Anthropic Partner Academy directly.

How to prepare

Sentievo explains and trains; the exams themselves are sat with Pearson VUE. Here is how we help.

FAQ