How I Scored 910/1000 on CCAF Claude Certification and Open-Sourced My Last Cheat Sheet

I passed **Claude Certified Architect Foundations (CCAF)** with **910/1000** on 15 July 2026, and I'm the first at my company to finish it. I open-sourced the study notes I built: **[github.com/ahmdhsn-dev/ccaf-study-guide](https://github.com/ahmdhsn-dev/ccaf-study-guide)**.

CCAF is scenario-heavy: you pick the right architecture when an agent forgets context, a generic tool keeps misfiring, or a customer escalation lands mid-process. The official guide covers all of it, but it's dense. The repo distills **30 exam tasks** across 5 domains into two complementary views: **what to do** (patterns and traps) and **what not to do** ([anti-patterns](https://github.com/ahmdhsn-dev/ccaf-study-guide/blob/main/study/03-anti-patterns-catalog.md)).

**What's inside:** a one-page concept map, a trap taxonomy (why wrong answers sound right), and an [anti-patterns catalog](https://github.com/ahmdhsn-dev/ccaf-study-guide/blob/main/study/03-anti-patterns-catalog.md) that maps every "avoid / do not / instead of" warning from the official guide. If a distractor sounds plausible, check the traps first; if it sounds like a shortcut the guide rejects, check the [anti-patterns](https://github.com/ahmdhsn-dev/ccaf-study-guide/blob/main/study/03-anti-patterns-catalog.md).

Use it as your **last cheat sheet**, not your textbook. Take a mock first to see where you stand, then study the official guide and use the repo to close the gaps.

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Start here

1. Get access via [Anthropic Academy / Skilljar](https://anthropic.skilljar.com/claude-certified-architect-foundations-access-request)

2. Take a free mock ([CyberSkill](https://ccaf.cyberskill.world/) or [Certification Guide](https://claudecertificationguide.com/)) to baseline where you stand

3. Read the **official exam guide** at least **3 times** (I printed mine to cut digital distractions)

4. **Practice on a real project** alongside study: build an agent loop, wire up MCP tools, or configure Claude Code. Scenarios stick better when you've lived them.

5. Retake mocks until you hit **900+**, then book the real exam

Full workflow: [study/README.md](https://github.com/ahmdhsn-dev/ccaf-study-guide/blob/main/study/README.md)

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Recommended Academy path

Building with the Claude API → Claude Code in Action → Introduction to Agent Skills → Introduction to MCP

I completed all four with hands-on labs in May 2026. Production work with skills, MCP servers, and tool orchestration helped, but the exam tests **guide patterns**, not how your repo is wired.

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Study path (4 docs)

| Step | Doc | What you get |

|------|-----|--------------|

| 1 | [Concept map](https://github.com/ahmdhsn-dev/ccaf-study-guide/blob/main/study/00-concept-map.md) | All 30 tasks on one page |

| 2 | [Mock exam trap guide](https://github.com/ahmdhsn-dev/ccaf-study-guide/blob/main/study/02-mock-exam-trap-guide.md) | Why wrong answers sound right |

| 3 | [Anti-patterns catalog](https://github.com/ahmdhsn-dev/ccaf-study-guide/blob/main/study/03-ant