CCDV-F Model Selection and Cost Management Practice Question
An application uses Claude 3.5 Sonnet and implements Prompt Caching for a 10,000-token system prompt. The application processes 1,000 requests per hour. If the cache is refreshed every request and never expires, how does the billing for the input tokens change after the very first request?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates incorrectly assume all cached requests are billed at the discounted hit rate from the very beginning, forgetting that the initial request must write to the cache at a premium rate.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The first request incurs a 'cache write' fee, and the next 999 incur 'cache hit' fees.
Prompt Caching introduces a two-tier pricing model for input tokens. The first request 'writes' the tokens to the cache, which is billed at a 'cache write' rate (usually 25% more than standard input). All subsequent requests that hit this cache are billed at the 'cache hit' rate, which is about 10% of the standard cost. This shift dramatically lowers the long-term cost of the application.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The first request is free, and subsequent requests are full price.
Why it's wrong here
This is the opposite of how the system works. Anthropic does not offer the first request for free; in fact, the initial caching of a prompt (the write) is more expensive than a standard request. The savings only accumulate over time through the significantly cheaper 'cache hit' charges on subsequent calls.
- ✗
Every request is billed at a flat 50% discount.
Why it's wrong here
A flat 50% discount is the pricing model for the Batch API, not Prompt Caching. Caching provides a much steeper discount (up to 90%) for hits, but it requires the tokens to be identical and has a slightly more expensive initial write cost. The two features address different cost-saving needs.
- ✓
The first request incurs a 'cache write' fee, and the next 999 incur 'cache hit' fees.
Why this is correct
The first time a prompt is cached, the developer pays the 'cache write' rate for those 10,000 tokens. Since the cache is refreshed and hit by every subsequent request in the hour, the remaining 999 requests only pay the 'cache hit' rate, which is significantly cheaper than standard input pricing.
- ✗
Billing remains the same as standard input for all requests.
Why it's wrong here
This would mean the Prompt Caching feature is not being utilized. By explicitly adding the 'cache_control' tag, the developer is opting into a different billing structure. If implemented correctly, it is impossible for the billing to remain the same as standard input, as the caching logic overrides standard pricing.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Anthropic exam blueprint
This CCDV-F practice question is part of Courseiva's free Anthropic certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CCDV-F exam.