You cannot register yourself. Anthropic requires candidates to work at a Claude Partner Network organisation and to sign up with a work email on a recognised company domain. Personal addresses are rejected at checkout, and public self-service registration has not opened as of 28 July 2026.
That leaves three routes: get your employer into the Partner Network, wait for public registration, or go through a partner that provides training and an exam seat.
What the gate actually is
Anthropic launched the Claude Certification Program on 12 March 2026 alongside the Claude Partner Network, and committed an initial $100 million to that network for 2026. Pearson VUE began delivering the exams on 30 June 2026.
Registration runs through Anthropic's Partner Academy. Two checks stand between you and a seat:
- Your employer has to be a member of the Claude Partner Network.
- Your sign-up email has to sit on that employer's recognised company domain.
A Gmail, Outlook or iCloud address fails the second check on its own. Customers of Anthropic who are not partners fail the first. This catches most individual candidates, including freelancers, contractors, people between jobs and engineers at companies that use Claude heavily but never joined the network.
Route one: get your employer into the Partner Network
This works well if you already sell, build or deliver Claude work commercially and someone senior will sponsor the application. It is the cheapest route because partner members received free exam vouchers during the first wave.
It is also the slowest. Anthropic reviews partner applications, and the process runs on your employer's timetable. If nobody at your company has raised it yet, assume months.
Route two: wait for public registration
Anthropic has not announced a date for opening the exams to the general public. Most certification programmes open up eventually, and this one probably will. Nobody outside Anthropic knows when.
Waiting costs nothing and gets you nothing in the meantime. It is a reasonable choice if nobody has asked you for the credential yet.
Route three: go through a partner that offers exam access
Some Claude Partner Network members train individuals and provide a seat under their own membership. You get the same exam, the same Pearson VUE delivery and the same Credly badge, because the credential is issued by Anthropic either way.
This is what TIMO Labs does. One payment of $500 covers training for one track, a reviewed practical project, up to five guided hours, four to six mock exams and one official exam attempt with the fee paid.
Check three things before you pay anyone for this, us included: that they name the certification codes, that they state who issues the credential, and that they tell you what happens if you fail.
What each route costs
| Route | Cost to you | Time to a seat | Works if |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer joins the network | $0 to $175 | Months, and outside your control | Your company sells or delivers Claude work |
| Wait for public registration | Unknown | No announced date | You do not need the credential yet |
| Train through a partner | $500 at TIMO Labs | Two to four weeks | You want the credential this quarter |
The exam itself does not change
Whichever route you take, the exam is identical. Four tracks, all 120 minutes, all needing a scaled score of 720 out of 1,000, all valid for 12 months.
| Code | Certification | Items | Time | Anthropic's fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CCAO-F | Claude Certified Associate, Foundations | 60 | 120 min | $99 |
| CCDV-F | Claude Certified Developer, Foundations | 53 | 120 min | $125 |
| CCAR-F | Claude Certified Architect, Foundations | 60 | 120 min | $125 |
| CCAR-P | Claude Certified Architect, Professional | 63 | 120 min | $175 |
Retakes follow Anthropic's schedule: 14 days after a first failure, 30 after a second, 90 after a third, with a maximum of four attempts per exam in a rolling 12 months. A retake costs the exam fee again.
Get certified through TIMO Labs
One payment covers the training and the exam seat. Choose your track after you pay.
Pay $500 and start today