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The Claude certification roadmap
Four exams, three roles. Pick the row that matches where you are today; the arrows show a suggested order, not a requirement.
No exam requires another. Anthropic's Partner Academy FAQ says there is no formal prerequisite, so you can sit Architect Professional without Foundations - and Foundations doesn't convert or upgrade to Professional automatically. Choose by scope and role, not by ladder. Registration for all four does require a work email on a Claude Partner Network organization's domain (why).
I use Claude in my day-to-day work
You draft, analyse, research, or run operations with Claude and don't write code against the API.
Associate is a complete credential for this role. If your job grows into building systems, the Developer or Architect Foundations exams are the next scope up.
I build applications on the Claude API
You write the integration code: Messages API, tool use, streaming, error handling.
Developer tests the code-level mechanics. Architect Foundations moves up to designing whole agentic systems, and Professional to owning them at production scale.
I design or review agentic systems
You make orchestration, tool, and context decisions, or advise teams and clients who do.
Start with Architect Foundations. Move to Professional once you are accountable for production systems, governance, and stakeholder decisions.
Where Architect Professional fits
Professional is the top of the current program: senior architects who own production Claude systems at scale - enterprise integration, governance, and stakeholder-facing decisions.It is the most expensive exam ($175) and the broadest, with 7 domains. It sits above Foundations in scope, not as a gated next level - if it matches your role today you can sit it directly, though a failed first attempt costs more, which is a reasonable argument for building up first if you're unsure.