# Claude Architect #1: Don’t Start the Exam Until You Read This — Complete Orientation Guide > Source: > Published: 2026-07-27 06:33:27+00:00 Member-only story # Claude Architect #1: Don’t Start the Exam Until You Read This — Complete Orientation Guide Anthropic’s Claude Certified Architect — Foundations (CCA-F) isn’t a trivia test. It’s a scenario-based exam that checks whether you can make real architectural calls: when to spin up a subagent instead of a single long-running one, when a tool call should fail loudly instead of retrying silently, when an agent should hand a case to a human instead of guessing. This chapter sets up the rest of the series. We’ll map the exam so you know exactly what you’re studying for, then dive into the domain that carries the most weight — agentic architecture — starting with the one idea every other topic builds on: the agentic loop. ## How the exam is actually built The exam draws from a pool of six real-world scenarios. You’ll see four of them, randomly assigned: **Customer Support Resolution Agent**— resolve returns and billing disputes, know when to escalate** Code Generation with Claude Code**— configure slash commands, CLAUDE.md, plan mode** Multi-Agent Research System**— a coordinator delegating to specialist subagents** Developer Productivity Tools**— built-in tools plus MCP servers for codebase navigation** Claude Code in CI/CD**— automated review, the`-p` flag,`--output-format json` **Structured Data Extraction**— JSON schemas, nullable fields, batch processing