Who Should Take This Exam

Who Is This Exam For?

The Core Requirement: 6+ Months

What 'Production Experience' Looks Like

import anthropic

client = anthropic.Anthropic()
messages = [{"role": "user", "content": "Refund order #4821"}]

while True:
    resp = client.messages.create(
        model="claude-sonnet-4-5",
        max_tokens=1024,
        tools=tools,
        messages=messages,  # FULL history every turn
    )
    if resp.stop_reason == "end_turn":
        break  # terminate on stop_reason, never on text
    if resp.stop_reason == "tool_use":
        messages.append({"role": "assistant", "content": resp.content})
        messages.append({"role": "user", "content": run_tools(resp)})

The Five Domains You'll Be Tested On

You Think in Multi-Agent Systems

coordinator = AgentDefinition(
    name="coordinator",
    description="Decomposes the task and delegates to subagents",
    system_prompt="Break the request into independent subtasks...",
    allowed_tools=["Task"],  # must include Task to spawn subagents
)

researcher = AgentDefinition(
    name="researcher",
    description="Researches ONE topic from the prompt it is given",
    system_prompt="You receive full context in your prompt; you inherit none.",
    allowed_tools=["WebSearch", "Read"],  # least privilege
)

You Know When to Use Hooks vs Prompts

# PostToolUse hook: deterministic policy gate
def on_refund_tool(tool_input):
    if tool_input["amount"] > 500:
        return {"block": True, "reason": "Refunds over $500 require a human."}
    return {"block": False}

You Live in Claude Code Daily

---
paths:
  - "src/payments/**"
---
# Payments rules (loaded only when editing payment files)
- All money values are integer cents, never floats.
- Every refund path must call the PostToolUse policy hook.

You Automate Claude in CI/CD

claude -p "Review the staged diff for correctness bugs only" \
  --output-format json \
  > review.json

# Isolated review session, not the generation session.
# Re-runs include prior results and report only new/unfixed issues.

You Design Tools and Structured Output

resp = client.messages.create(
    model="claude-sonnet-4-5",
    max_tokens=1024,
    tools=[extract_invoice_tool],
    tool_choice={"type": "any"},  # must call a tool -> structured output
    messages=messages,
)
# Schema: only 'invoice_id' is required; 'discount' may be absent -> optional.

You Care About Context and Reliability

case_facts = {
    "order_id": "4821",
    "amount_usd": 540.00,
    "order_date": "2026-05-31",
}  # kept verbatim, OUTSIDE the rolling summary

summary = summarize(history)  # safe for prose, NOT for these numbers

How to Read Your Score

Quick Check: Are You the Right Candidate?

Recap: Who Should Take This Exam