Anthropic Academy course certificates

Learning plan

About 15 hours of focused study, split into 5 phases. Pick your weekly pace and the timeline adjusts.

Estimated finish: 2 weeks

What the exam covers

Source: official exam guide. Weights can change, so check before you start.

Before you start

• A free Anthropic Academy (Skilljar) account and a Claude account
• For the developer courses, basic Python and a Claude API key with a little credit

1. Week 1 · 3 h

   Using Claude well (non-technical track)

   • Finish Claude 101 and use Projects, Artifacts and file uploads on a real task
   • Finish AI Fluency and be able to explain the 4D framework (Delegation, Description, Discernment, Diligence) with one example from your own work

   Use: Claude 101 · AI Fluency: Framework & Foundations

2. Week 1 · 4 h

   Building with the Claude API

   • Send Messages API requests with system prompts, multi-turn history and streaming
   • Implement tool use, structured output and prompt caching, and run a simple prompt eval

   Hands-on: Follow the course notebooks to build a tool-using chatbot that calls one real function (e.g. a currency converter), then add a 10-case eval that grades its answers.

   Use: Building with the Claude API · anthropics/courses on GitHub

3. Week 1 · 3 h

   Claude Code in Action

   • Use Claude Code in a real repo with a CLAUDE.md, custom slash commands and plan mode
   • Add a hook and connect one MCP server to Claude Code

   Hands-on: Point Claude Code at one of your own repos, create a CLAUDE.md and a /test command, and use plan mode to make one multi-file change.

   Use: Claude Code in Action · Claude Code docs

4. Week 2 · 3 h

   Model Context Protocol, intro and advanced

   • Build an MCP server with the Python SDK that exposes tools, resources and prompts, and test it with the MCP Inspector
   • Understand sampling, notifications, roots and the stdio vs Streamable HTTP transports from the advanced course

   Use: Introduction to Model Context Protocol · Model Context Protocol: Advanced Topics

5. Week 2 · 2 h

   Agent skills and subagents

   • Write a SKILL.md with frontmatter and know when a skill beats always-on CLAUDE.md instructions
   • Define a subagent with its own tools and prompt, and explain why subagents keep the main context clean

   Use: Introduction to agent skills · Introduction to subagents

You're ready to book when…

• You hold completion certificates for the courses that match your role, for example Claude 101 plus AI Fluency for business users, or API, Claude Code and MCP for developers
• You have built at least one thing per technical course (an API script, a configured repo, an MCP server)
• You can explain what each course taught in two sentences without reopening it

Exam tips

• These are free completion certificates, not proctored certifications. Present them as training on a CV, not as a credential.
• The developer courses (API, Claude Code, MCP, skills, subagents) cover much of what the partner-only Claude Certified Developer and Architect exams test.