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How to Use This Repository

Level: Beginner · Time: ~20 min · Exam relevance: orientation for CCAO-F and CCAR-P

In plain English

This repository is a self-paced course in folders. Each numbered folder is a module or a practice resource. You read concept pages, try what you learned in hands-on labs, check yourself with practice questions and flashcards, and finally sit timed mock exams. A roadmap tells you what to do each day.

You do not have to read everything. Your chosen path and roadmap tell you which parts matter for your goal.

Why it matters

People who study from a structured loop (learn, practise, test, review) retain far more than people who read straight through. The repository is built around that loop, so knowing where each piece lives lets you use it properly.

How it works

The folders

Folder What it contains Who needs it
00-getting-started Orientation, setup, paths, roadmaps Everyone
01-ai-and-llm-fundamentals What AI and LLMs are; tokens, context, hallucinations Everyone
02-claude-fundamentals How Claude works, first conversation, safety, responsible use Everyone
03-prompt-engineering Writing effective prompts Everyone
04-context-engineering Managing long context, caching, memory, Skills Everyone (depth varies)
05-claude-products-and-models Apps, plans, models, Projects, Artifacts, connectors Everyone
06-claude-api Calling Claude from code Technical learners
07-tool-use-and-function-calling Letting Claude call tools Technical learners
08-model-context-protocol MCP servers and clients Technical learners
09-claude-code Agentic coding with Claude Code Technical learners
10-agentic-ai Workflows, agents, multi-agent systems Technical learners
11-rag-and-knowledge-systems Retrieval-augmented generation Technical learners
12-ai-security Threats and controls for LLM systems Architects, security engineers; selected pages for everyone
13-enterprise-ai-architecture Solution design, patterns, governance, stakeholders Architects
14-evaluation-and-testing Measuring quality, safety and cost Architects
15-production-operations Observability, cost, latency, reliability Architects
16-certification-tracks Exam overviews, study guides by domain, readiness checks Exam candidates
17-practice-questions Original practice questions mapped to objectives Exam candidates
18-mock-examinations Timed mock exams in the terminal or browser Exam candidates
19-hands-on-labs Twenty labs that run offline by default Everyone (business users: labs 01 to 06 are optional extras)
20-real-world-projects Five portfolio projects Technical learners
21-interview-preparation Interview questions for AI roles Job seekers
22-cheat-sheets One-page summaries for revision Everyone
23-flashcards Spaced-repetition decks Everyone
24-troubleshooting Fixes for common problems Everyone
25-official-resources Links to official sources, exam facts, verification log Everyone

The anatomy of a concept page

Every concept page in modules 00 to 15 uses the same headings, so you always know where to look:

Heading Use it to
Level, time, exam relevance (the line under the title) Decide whether and when to read it; objective IDs link it to the exam
In plain English Get the idea quickly, with an analogy
Why it matters See how it connects to real work and the exam
How it works Learn the details
Example Try something concrete
Enterprise use case See it applied at a fictional organisation
Common mistakes Avoid the usual traps (exam distractors often live here)
Security considerations Learn the risks
Troubleshooting Fix problems
Check your understanding Test yourself; answers are hidden in a collapsible block
Further reading Go to official sources

The study loop

flowchart LR
    L[Learn: read the module pages] --> P[Practise: do the linked lab or app exercise]
    P --> C[Check: page quizzes, practice questions, flashcards]
    C --> R[Review: revisit weak areas]
    R --> L
    C --> M[Milestone: mock exam and readiness assessment]
  1. Learn. Read the pages your roadmap lists for the day. Do not skip "Check your understanding".
  2. Practise. Do the lab or the in-app exercise. Doing beats reading.
  3. Check. Answer practice questions for the domain and review flashcards.
  4. Review. Every few days, revisit what you got wrong. Each roadmap schedules revision milestones.
  5. Milestone. Near the end, sit mock exams and complete the track's readiness assessment (CCAO-F, CCAR-P).

Objective IDs

Each certification's exam guide is divided into domains and objectives. This repository gives every objective an ID such as CCAO-F-3.4 (CCAO-F, Domain 3, objective 4). You will see IDs at the top of pages, on practice questions and in coverage matrices. They let you trace any weak area back to the exact pages that teach it. The full list is in registry.yaml.

Labs: mock and live

Labs run in mock mode by default: offline, free and deterministic, so you can learn the code path without an account. Switch to live mode to call the real Claude API, which uses paid credits. Environment setup explains both.

Keeping facts current

Claude's products, models and prices change often. Pages mark time-sensitive facts with a date ("as of 2026-10-24") and link to the official page. If you are reading this much later, follow the links. Exam facts are kept in one place, registry.yaml, with a verification log.

Example

A typical one-hour study session on a 30-day roadmap:

Minutes Activity
0 to 5 Review yesterday's flashcards
5 to 35 Read today's two concept pages and answer their quizzes
35 to 50 Do the linked exercise in the Claude app or lab
50 to 60 Answer five practice questions for the domain; note any misses in your study log

Enterprise use case

Contoso Health's learning-and-development team uses this repository for an internal Claude enablement programme. Business staff follow the CCAO-F path in cohorts with a weekly discussion session; the platform engineering team follows the CCAR-P path and builds one of the real-world projects as a capstone. Because the material is open and every fact links to an official source, the team adds its own internal AI policy as a supplement rather than rewriting the course.

Common mistakes

  • Reading without practising. The exams test judgement in scenarios; you build judgement by doing.
  • Skipping "Check your understanding". It is the cheapest way to find gaps.
  • Treating practice-question scores as exam predictions. They are a study signal only; questions here are unofficial.
  • Going too deep in modules your track does not need. Follow your path.

Security considerations

  • Never commit API keys or put them in code. Labs read credentials from environment variables only; see Environment setup.
  • Use only fictional or synthetic data in exercises, like the examples in this repository.

Troubleshooting

Problem What to do
A link points to a page that is not there yet The repository is under active development; check the roadmap or the module README
A product screen looks different from the description Products change; check the linked Help Center page
A lab fails See Labs and repository troubleshooting

Check your understanding

  1. Which folder holds the practice questions, and which holds the timed mock exams?
  2. What does the objective ID CCAR-P-2.1 mean?
  3. Name the four steps of the study loop.
  4. Why do labs default to mock mode?
Answers
  1. Practice questions are in 17-practice-questions; mock exams are in 18-mock-examinations.
  2. CCAR-P certification, Domain 2, objective 1 (select Claude models based on trade-offs).
  3. Learn, practise, check, review (with mock exams and readiness assessments as milestones).
  4. So you can run them offline, for free, without an account, and so CI can test them.

Further reading