Claude Certification
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2026-05-16 · claudecert.com

What's actually worth memorizing for test day

The short list of facts that show up verbatim on the exam, and the longer list of patterns that show up in scenarios.

Most of the test is scenario-shaped — you read a paragraph and pick the move. But a handful of items want pure recall. Here's the short list, in priority order.

Memorize exactly

  1. Model IDs. claude-opus-4-7, claude-sonnet-4-6, claude-haiku-4-5-20251001. Spelling and dashes count.
  2. Pass score. 720 of 1000.
  3. Prompt cache TTL. 5 minutes.
  4. Default model. Sonnet 4.6 when scenarios don't specify.
  5. Hook events. PreToolUse, PostToolUse, UserPromptSubmit, SessionStart, Stop.
  6. MCP primitives. Tools, resources, prompts.
  7. Settings paths. ~/.claude/settings.json (user) vs .claude/settings.json (project).

Internalize the *shape* of these

These are concepts you don't memorize — you absorb so you can recognize them in a scenario:

  • Agent vs. workflow decision rule (does routing depend on runtime data?).
  • Orchestrator-worker vs. single agent.
  • Bounded evaluator-optimizer loops (max 3 iters).
  • Tool error contract shape (code + message + hint).
  • Static-first ordering for prompt caching.
  • Shadow → 1% → 10% → 100% rollout.

The drill cards at /learn/drill are tuned to hit the memorize list. Run through them daily until they're automatic.