The most complete free resource for AWS (CLF-C02, SAA-C03, SAP-C02), GCP (ACE, PCA), and Anthropic Claude (CCA-F) certifications.
Real notes from a 13x AWS Certified architect who has trained 1,000+ engineers — including the official Anthropic CCA-F exam guide with all sample questions and exercises.
This repository is a free, structured certification prep hub built from real exam experience across AWS, GCP, and Anthropic Claude. Every guide is mapped to official exam domains. No paywalls. No dumps. No filler.
What's inside:
- Deep-dive study notes for 8 certifications
- SAP-C02 professional notes across 16 topic modules
- AWS hands-on security labs (KMS, WAF, RDS, Secrets Manager)
- GCP Cloud Digital Leader + GenAI Leader complete guides
- Official Anthropic CCA-F exam guide PDF — all 5 domains, 12 sample questions with answers, 4 hands-on exercises, full appendix
- Cheatsheets, practice questions, and learning roadmaps
| Profile | What You'll Get |
|---|---|
| Beginner (0 → Cloud) | CLF-C02 + GCP Digital Leader roadmap |
| Developer / DevOps | SAA-C03 study guide + hands-on labs |
| Architect | SAP-C02 professional notes (16 modules) |
| AI / ML Engineer | AIF-C01, MLS-C01, GCP ML Engineer paths |
| Claude / AI SDK developer | CCA-F exam guide with official PDF + all sample questions |
| Multi-cloud professional | AWS + GCP comparison + Claude CCA-F |
The Claude Certified Architect – Foundations (CCA-F) is Anthropic's certification for solution architects building production systems with Claude. Launched March 2026 as part of the Claude Partner Network.
📄 Download Official CCA-F Exam Guide PDF
→ Full CCA-F Study Guide with All Sample Questions
| Questions | 60 multiple-choice, scenario-based |
| Duration | 120 minutes |
| Passing Score | 720 / 1,000 (scaled 100–1,000) |
| Format | 4 of 6 scenarios randomly selected |
| Cost | Free (Claude Partner Network) / $99 otherwise |
| Registration | anthropic.skilljar.com |
| Domain | Weight | Core Topics |
|---|---|---|
| D1: Agentic Architecture & Orchestration | 27% | Agentic loops (stop_reason), hub-and-spoke multi-agent, Task tool spawning, PostToolUse hooks, session forking |
| D2: Tool Design & MCP Integration | 18% | Tool descriptions for selection, 4–5 tools per agent, tool_choice modes, .mcp.json vs ~/.claude.json, isError flag |
| D3: Claude Code Configuration | 20% | CLAUDE.md hierarchy, .claude/rules/ glob patterns, .claude/commands/, plan mode vs direct execution, -p flag for CI |
| D4: Prompt Engineering & Structured Output | 20% | Explicit criteria, few-shot examples, tool_use + JSON Schema, validation-retry loops, Message Batches API |
| D5: Context Management & Reliability | 15% | "Case facts" blocks, lost-in-the-middle, escalation triggers, structured error propagation, scratchpad files |
- Customer Support Resolution Agent —
get_customer,lookup_order,process_refund,escalate_to_human - Code Generation with Claude Code — CLAUDE.md, slash commands, plan mode
- Multi-Agent Research System — coordinator/subagent, parallel
Taskcalls, provenance tracking - Developer Productivity with Claude — built-in tools (Read/Write/Grep/Glob), MCP servers
- Claude Code for CI/CD —
-pflag,--output-format json, PR review automation - Structured Data Extraction — JSON schemas, validation-retry, Message Batches API
stop_reason = "tool_use" → continue agentic loop
stop_reason = "end_turn" → stop
tool_choice: "auto" → model may return text
tool_choice: "any" → model MUST call a tool
tool_choice: {forced} → model calls specific tool
~/.claude/CLAUDE.md → personal only, NOT version-controlled
.claude/CLAUDE.md → team-shared via VCS
.claude/rules/ → path-specific, YAML frontmatter glob patterns
.claude/commands/ → project slash commands (shared)
~/.claude/commands/ → personal slash commands (not shared)
-p / --print → non-interactive mode for CI/CD
Message Batches API → 50% cost savings, up to 24h, no SLA
→ never use for blocking pre-merge checks
Programmatic enforcement → deterministic (use for financial operations)
Prompt instructions → probabilistic (non-zero failure rate)
| Exam | Level | Guide | Cheatsheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) | Foundational | Roadmap → | Cheatsheet → |
| AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) | Associate | Study Guide → | Cheatsheet → |
| AWS AI Practitioner (AIF-C01) | Foundational | Notes → | AWS Core → |
| AWS ML Specialty (MLS-C01) | Specialty | Notes → | AWS Core → |
| AWS Security Specialty (SCS-C02) | Specialty | Notes → | AWS Core → |
| AWS Solutions Architect Professional (SAP-C02) | Professional | 16-Module Notes → | AWS Core → |
→ Full AWS guide: How to Pass AWS Certification in 2026
| Exam | Level | Guide | Cheatsheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| GCP Cloud Digital Leader | Foundational | Complete Guide → | GCP Cheatsheet → |
| GCP Associate Cloud Engineer (ACE) | Associate | Roadmap → | GCP Cheatsheet → |
| GCP Professional Cloud Architect (PCA) | Professional | Roadmap → | GCP Cheatsheet → |
| Google Cloud GenAI Leader | Foundational | Complete Guide → | GCP Core → |
| GCP Professional ML Engineer | Professional | Roadmap → | GCP Cheatsheet → |
→ Full GCP guide: GCP Associate Cloud Engineer Complete Guide 2026
START HERE
│
▼
FOUNDATIONAL (4–6 weeks each)
├── AWS Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) → first cert, validates cloud basics
└── GCP Cloud Digital Leader → GCP equivalent of CLF
│
▼
ASSOCIATE (6–10 weeks each)
├── AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) ← highest ROI cert in market
└── GCP Associate Cloud Engineer (ACE)
│
▼
SPECIALIST / AI
├── AWS GenAI Practitioner (AIF-C01)
├── AWS ML Specialty (MLS-C01)
├── AWS Security Specialty (SCS-C02)
├── GCP Professional ML Engineer
└── Anthropic Claude Certified Architect – Foundations (CCA-F) ← new 2026
│
▼
PROFESSIONAL (10–16 weeks)
├── AWS Solutions Architect Professional (SAP-C02)
└── GCP Professional Cloud Architect (PCA)
cloud-certification-exam-prep/
│
├── Anthropic Claude/
│ ├── README.md All 5 domains · 12 sample Qs · 4 exercises · appendix
│ └── Claude Certified Architect – Foundations Certification Exam Guide.pdf
│
├── AWS/
│ ├── SAP-C02/ 16-module professional notes (IAM → DR → IaC)
│ ├── AIF-C01-GenAI-Practitioner/
│ ├── MLS-C01-ML-Specialty/
│ ├── SCS-C02-Security-Specialty/
│ └── security-labs/ Hands-on: KMS · WAF · RDS Secrets Manager
│
├── GCP/
│ ├── Cloud-Digital-Leader/ Complete guide + practice questions
│ └── GenAI-Leader/ Google Cloud AI certification guide
│
├── cheatsheets/
│ ├── aws-saa-c03.md SAA-C03 + CLF-C02 exam day reference
│ ├── gcp-ace-pca.md ACE + PCA exam day reference
│ ├── aws-core-services.md
│ ├── gcp-core-services.md
│ └── claude-cca-f.md
│
├── practice-questions/ AWS · GCP · Claude CCA-F
│
└── roadmap/
├── aws-certification-guide.md How to pass AWS SAA-C03 in 2026
└── gcp-certification-guide.md How to pass GCP ACE in 2026
| Platform | Free Courses | Practice Tests | Docs |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS | Skill Builder | Official Practice | docs.aws.amazon.com |
| GCP | Cloud Skills Boost | GCP Practice | cloud.google.com/docs |
| Anthropic | Anthropic Academy | Official Exam | docs.anthropic.com |
- AWS Practice Questions — SAA-C03 format
- GCP Practice Questions — ACE format
- Claude CCA-F Practice Questions — official format
| Cheatsheet | Best For |
|---|---|
| AWS SAA-C03 + CLF-C02 | AWS exam day quick reference |
| GCP ACE + PCA | GCP exam day quick reference |
| AWS Core Services | Service-by-service reference |
| GCP Core Services | GCP service reference |
| Claude CCA-F Key Concepts | CCA-F exam day reference |
- 13x AWS Certified — notes built from real certification experience
- 1,000+ engineers trained — content tested against what actually appears on exams
- Official sources only — no third-party dumps, no unverified content
- No paywalls — 100% free
- Actively maintained — covers 2026 certifications including Anthropic CCA-F
- Hands-on labs — not just theory; deployable AWS security labs included
- Official PDF hosted here — Anthropic CCA-F exam guide PDF with all sample questions and exercises, downloadable directly from this repo
Struggling to know where to start? Stuck on exam concepts?
Work directly with Shashank Chinchli — Sr. Solutions Architect at GitLab, ex-AWS, AWS Golden Jacket recipient.
| Role | Sr. Solutions Architect @ GitLab |
| Background | ex-AWS |
| Certifications | 13x AWS Certified |
| Recognition | AWS Golden Jacket — awarded to top AWS community contributors |
| Engineers Trained | 1,000+ |
| Mentor Rating | Top 1% on Topmate |
What you get from 1:1 mentorship:
- Personalized certification roadmap for your background and goals
- Exam strategy — what to focus on, what to skip
- Architecture review and real-world scenario coaching
- Resume and career positioning for cloud roles
- Direct answers from someone who has passed 13 AWS exams
Common pain points solved:
"I don't know which cert to take first."
"I've been studying for months and keep failing."
"I passed the exam but can't get interviews."
"I need to go from developer to solutions architect."
- AWS SAP-C02 professional notes (16 modules)
- AWS specialty notes — AIF-C01, MLS-C01, SCS-C02
- AWS hands-on security labs
- GCP Cloud Digital Leader complete guide + practice questions
- GCP GenAI Leader complete guide
- Anthropic Claude CCA-F exam guide (official PDF + full study guide)
- Platform cheatsheets and practice questions
- AWS + GCP certification roadmap guides
- AWS SAA-C03 dedicated notes
- AWS CLF-C02 foundational guide
- GCP ACE dedicated notes
- GCP PCA dedicated notes
- AWS vs GCP comparison guide
- Azure certification guides (coming soon)
PRs welcome. To contribute:
- Fork this repo
- Add content under the relevant platform folder
- Link only to official vendor documentation
- Keep it factual — no unverified exam dumps
Built from real exam experience. Maintained by a 13x AWS Certified architect. Last updated April 2026.
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