Claude Certified Architect Study Training Skill

This repository is designed to support preparation for the Claude Certified Architect – Foundations exam. It provides study materials, tracking tools, and a reusable skill for generating quizzes, flashcards, and targeted drills -- all to help Claude Code (or really any AI agent) help keep you on pace. Use AI to teach you AI!

📁 Project Structure

.
├── .claude/
│   └── skills/
│       ├── study.md              # Reusable skill for exam preparation (invoked via `/study`)
│       └── flashcards/SKILL.md    # Skill for launching flashcard web server
├── flashcards/                    # Topic-specific flashcard sets
│   ├── agentic-architecture-flashcards.md
│   ├── tool-design-flashcards.md
│   ├── claude-code-flashcards.md
│   ├── prompt-engineering-flashcards.md
│   └── context-management-flashcards.md
├── scripts/
│   └── flashcard_server.py        # Python web server for flashcards
├── certificates/                   # Directory for storing exam certificates (empty initially)
├── claude cert notes/              # Personal notes directory
├── course notes/                   # Additional course materials and tracking logs
│   ├── Claude Course notes.md       # Notes from Claude courses
│   ├── claude-101.md                # Introductory Claude course notes
│   ├── study tracker.md             # Logs study sessions
│   └── quiz tracker.md              # Tracks quiz scores
├── references/                     # Official reference materials
├── claude-study-pack.md            # Main study guide
├── study-skill.md                  # Original skill file (backward compatibility)
├── CLAUDE.md                       # Guidance for Claude Code
├── CHANGELOG.md                    # Running log of changes
└── README.md                       # This file

📖 Key Files Explained

claude-study-pack.md

The primary study guide containing:

• Exam domains: Agentic Architecture & Orchestration, Tool Design & MCP Integration, Claude Code Configuration & Workflows, Prompt Engineering & Structured Output, Context Management & Reliability
• Core references: Official documentation links
• Study goals & daily template: Structured approach to studying (Read, Extract, Practice, Review)
• Decision rules: When to use CLAUDE.md, Skills, MCP, Subagents, Hooks, Structured Outputs, Prompt Engineering
• Anti-patterns: Common mistakes to avoid
• Flashcards & scenario drills: Pre-made study aids
• Review checklist & prompts: Tools for self-assessment and generating custom quizzes/flashcards/drills

.claude/skills/study.md (the active study skill)

A reusable skill that enables:

• Explanations: /study <topic> → Get plain-English and technical explanations of exam topics with production relevance and anti-patterns
• Quiz generation: /study quiz → Create 15 scenario-based multiple-choice questions covering all five domains, with explanations and difficulty tags
• Flashcards: /study flashcards → Generate 40 flashcards focused on production decisions, tradeoffs, and anti-patterns
• Targeted drills: /study drill <weak areas> → Build a 20-minute drill session with concept checks, scenario questions, anti-pattern questions, and mixed review

flashcards/ and scripts/flashcard_server.py

The flashcards are served by a Python HTTP server:

• Run python3 scripts/flashcard_server.py to launch the web interface
• Access flashcards by topic or "all" at http://localhost:8000/flashcard.html
• Progress is logged to the study tracker via the API
• Static export available: python3 scripts/flashcard_server.py --static --topic <topic>

💡 Note: The skill was renamed from study-skill.md to study.md and moved to .claude/skills/ to enable the shortened /study command. The original study-skill.md remains in the root for backward compatibility.

Tracking Files (course notes/)

• study tracker.md: Use to log each study session. Include:
  • Date/time started & ended
  • Elapsed time
  • Areas studied
  • Strong points (what you understood well)
  • Weak points (needing improvement)
  • Optional notes
• quiz tracker.md: Use to record quiz results. Include:
  • Date/time started & ended
  • Elapsed time
  • Number of questions
  • Answers correct/incorrect
  • Score percentage
  • Areas to focus on (based on missed questions)
  • Optional notes

references/

Contains official study materials, such as the Claude Certified Architect – Foundations Certification Exam Guide PDF.

CLAUDE.md

Provides instructions for Claude Code (or any agentic AI) on how to assist effectively in this repository, including:

• Common development tasks (studying, generating materials)
• Repository structure overview
• Key conventions from the study materials (when to use each extension mechanism)
• Decision rules for Claude Code usage

CHANGELOG.md

A running log of all changes made to the project, updated with each significant modification.

🚀 How to Use With Claude Code or Other Agentic AI

With Claude Code

1. Invoke the study skill: Type /study <topic> to get an explanation (e.g., /study MCP).
2. Generate study aids:
   • /study quiz → New quiz
   • /study flashcards → New flashcard set
   • /study drill Agentic Architecture, MCP → Targeted drill on weak areas
3. Refer to CLAUDE.md for guidance on how Claude should assist you in this repo.
4. Update the tracker files after each study session or quiz to monitor progress.

With Other Agentic AIs

Even if you're not using Claude Code, you can still leverage this repository:

• Read claude-study-pack.md for structured study content.
• Use the prompts in the study pack (e.g., "Explain-topic prompt", "Quiz-generator prompt") manually with your preferred AI.
• Manually update the tracker files in course notes/ to log your progress.
• Refer to references/ for official exam materials.
• Follow the conventions in CLAUDE.md to understand how to organize your study workflow.

📝 Recommended Workflow

1. Start: Review claude-study-pack.md to understand the exam structure.
2. Study a topic: Use /study <topic> or manual prompts to learn.
3. Practice: Generate a quiz with /study quiz or create flashcards.
4. Track: Log your session in study tracker.md and quiz results in quiz tracker.md.
5. Review: Identify weak points from trackers and create targeted drills with /study drill <weak areas>.
6. Iterate: Repeat until you consistently score well on generated quizzes.

🔧 Customization

• Add your own notes to claude cert notes/ or course notes/.
• Extend the study skill by editing .claude/skills/study.md.
• Update CHANGELOG.md with any modifications you make.

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Happy studying, and best of luck on your Claude Certified Architect exam! 🎯