CFP (Certified Financial Planner)
CFP Board
Complete guide to passing the CFP (Certified Financial Planner) exam on your first attempt.
$825
~65%
2 years (30 CE hours)
USA
CFP Board
$80k-$150k
Are you ready for CFP (Certified Financial Planner)?
Loading quiz...
Complete Overview
The CFP exam is a 170-question multiple-choice examination administered by Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards that tests whether a candidate can apply personal financial planning knowledge to realistic client situations. CFP Board charges $825 at the early bird rate, $925 at the standard rate, and $1,025 during the final week of late registration, and the fee is paid directly to CFP Board rather than to the test vendor.
Candidates sit the exam in two 3-hour sessions on a single day, 85 questions per session, separated by a scheduled 40-minute break. Each session is split into two subsections, and an optional break is available after question 43 of the first subsection. The exam runs three times a year in 8-day testing windows during March, July and November, delivered at more than 265 Prometric test centers across the United States. Beginning with the November 2026 administration, remote proctoring through Prometric ProProctor is available only on request, and only to candidates who live more than 60 miles from the nearest test center or who have a documented medical condition or physical limitation. CFP Board does not offer remote testing outside the United States.
The blueprint covers eight Principal Knowledge Domains. Retirement Savings and Income Planning carries the largest share at 18 percent, followed by Investment Planning at 17 percent, General Principles of Financial Planning at 15 percent, and Tax Planning at 14 percent. Risk Management and Insurance Planning is 11 percent, Estate Planning is 10 percent, Professional Conduct and Regulation is 8 percent, and Psychology of Financial Planning is 7 percent. Every one of the 170 questions maps to at least one of these topics.
The test is pass or fail. Each question is worth one point, and the result depends on the total score across both sections. CFP Board sets the passing standard through a standard-setting process run by CFP professionals and does not publish a fixed percentage of correct answers required to pass, nor does it set a target pass rate in advance. The July 2026 administration produced a 66 percent pass rate, with 2,388 candidates passing out of the 3,621 who sat, the largest July administration CFP Board has run.
Passing the exam is one of four requirements. Candidates must also finish CFP Board-approved coursework through a Registered Program, hold a bachelor's degree in any discipline from an accredited institution, and complete either 6,000 hours of qualifying professional experience or 4,000 hours of apprenticeship experience. The degree may be earned up to five years after passing the exam, and the experience hours may be earned before or after the exam. Certification then costs $575 annually, with 30 hours of continuing education every two years, including 2 hours of CFP Board-approved ethics CE.
Why Get CFP (Certified Financial Planner) Certified?
Passing the CFP exam removes the single largest barrier in a four-part certification process, and CFP Board limits candidates to five lifetime attempts, so a first-time pass protects a finite resource.
The July 2026 administration had a 66 percent pass rate, which is high enough to be reachable with disciplined preparation and low enough that roughly one in three candidates who sat walked away without the mark.
The credential covers the full planning scope rather than one product line: 18 percent retirement, 17 percent investments, 14 percent tax and 10 percent estate planning in a single test, which is what fee-only and advice-led firms hire for.
CFP Board requires CFP professionals to act as fiduciaries under its Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct at all times when providing financial advice, which is a concrete differentiator when a prospective client asks how you are paid and to whom you answer.
The exam is deliberately application-heavy. CFP Board states the content requires critical thinking and problem solving with less emphasis on factual recall, so the preparation itself builds skills you use with clients rather than trivia.
Salaries for CFP professionals typically land in the $80k to $150k band, and the certification travels with you if you move from a wirehouse to a registered investment advisor or open your own practice.
You can register and sit for the exam before finishing your bachelor's degree and before completing the 6,000 experience hours, so the hardest requirement can be cleared early while the others accumulate.
Exam Format & Structure
Duration
Two 3-hour sessions on the same day, with a scheduled 40-minute break between them and optional breaks between subsections
Questions
170 multiple-choice questions, 85 in each 3-hour session
Passing Score
Pass or fail only. Each question counts for 1 point and passing depends on the total score across all sections. CFP Board sets the cut score through a standard-setting process and does not publish a percentage of questions that must be answered correctly, and does not predetermine a pass rate.
Question Types
- Stand-alone questions, typically 2 to 3 sentences with 4 answer options
- Short scenario questions, typically 3 questions attached to one scenario shown on the left of the screen
- Case study questions, where the case runs several pages and carries typically 8 to 12 questions
Delivery Method
Computer-based at Prometric test centers, more than 265 sites in the United States, during 8-day windows in March, July and November. Remote proctoring through Prometric ProProctor is available on request from the November 2026 exam onward for candidates more than 60 miles from a test center or with a qualifying medical condition, United States only.
Exam Domains & Topics
The largest domain on the exam. It covers how much a client needs, which plan vehicle fits the employer and the owner, and how money comes back out. Distribution rules and taxation of qualified plans generate a large share of the calculation questions, and Social Security claiming and Medicare enrolment decisions appear in both stand-alone and case format.
Key Topics to Master:
- Retirement needs analysis
- Social Security and Medicare planning
- Types of retirement plans and qualified plan rules
- Non-qualified plan rules and options
- Key factors affecting plan selection for businesses
- Distribution rules and taxation
- Retirement income and distribution strategies
- Eldercare and special needs planning
- Business succession planning
Tests portfolio construction and the quantitative measures behind it. Expect questions that ask you to choose between two portfolios on a risk-adjusted basis, identify which type of risk a client is exposed to, and value a bond or a share of stock. Alternative investments and liquidity risk were added to the topic list and appear alongside traditional asset classes.
Key Topics to Master:
- Characteristics, uses and taxation of investment vehicles
- Types of investment risk
- Market cycles
- Quantitative investment concepts and measures of investment returns
- Asset allocation and portfolio diversification
- Bond and stock valuation concepts
- Portfolio development and analysis
- Investment strategies
- Alternative investments and liquidity risk
The connective tissue of the exam. It covers the financial planning process itself, client statements and cash flow, debt strategy, and the time value of money calculations that reappear inside retirement, education and estate questions. Education funding sits here, including 529 plans, Coverdell accounts and the gift tax treatment of front-loaded contributions.
Key Topics to Master:
- Financial planning process
- Financial statements and cash flow management
- Financing strategies and debt management
- Economic concepts
- Time value of money concepts and calculations
- Education needs analysis and funding
- Education savings vehicles
- Gift and income tax strategies
Focused on how tax law changes a planning recommendation rather than on return preparation. Candidates need income tax fundamentals and calculations, entity taxation for business-owner clients, trust and estate income taxation, and the tax consequences of selling or exchanging property. Charitable giving techniques and their deduction limits are examined here.
Key Topics to Master:
- Fundamental and current tax law
- Income tax fundamentals and calculations
- Characteristics and income taxation of business entities
- Income taxation of trusts and estates
- Tax reduction and management techniques
- Tax consequences of property transactions
- Tax implications of special circumstances
- Charitable and philanthropic contributions and deductions
Covers identifying an exposure, quantifying it, and choosing the right transfer mechanism. Life, disability, health and long-term care are all examined at the individual and group level, and annuities are treated in both qualified and non-qualified form. Policy selection and insurer financial strength questions test judgement rather than memorised product features.
Key Topics to Master:
- Principles of risk and insurance
- Analysis and evaluation of risk exposures
- Health insurance and health care cost management
- Disability income insurance, individual and group
- Long-term care insurance and long-term care planning
- Qualified and non-qualified annuities
- Life insurance, individual and group
- Business owner insurance solutions
- Insurance needs analysis and policy and company selection
Deals with how assets move at death or incapacity and what it costs to move them. Property titling and beneficiary designations often override a will, and the exam tests whether you spot that. Trust types and their taxation, marital deduction planning, generation-skipping transfer tax, and liquidity sources for estate settlement are recurring case study material.
Key Topics to Master:
- Property titling and beneficiary designations
- Strategies to transfer property
- Estate and incapacity planning documents
- Gift, estate and GST tax compliance and calculation
- Sources for estate liquidity
- Types, features and taxation of trusts
- Marital deduction
- Intra-family and other business transfer techniques
- Postmortem estate planning and divorce or unmarried couple planning
Built on CFP Board's own Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct and Procedural Rules, so the answers come from CFP Board documents rather than from general securities law. It also covers the structure of financial institutions, federal and state advisory regulation, consumer protection statutes, and the practical application of the fiduciary duty in a client engagement.
Key Topics to Master:
- CFP Board Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct
- CFP Board Procedural Rules
- Function, purpose and general structure of financial institutions
- Financial services regulations and requirements
- Consumer protection laws
- Fiduciary standard and its application
- Material conflicts of interest and disclosure duties
The smallest domain and the one most often skipped in study plans. It covers client and planner attitudes, values and biases, behavioural finance concepts, the sources of money conflict inside couples and families, counselling principles, effective communication, and how to respond when a client faces a crisis event with severe consequences.
Key Topics to Master:
- Client and planner attitudes, values and biases
- Behavioural finance
- Sources of money conflict
- Principles of counseling
- General principles of effective communication
- Crisis events with severe consequences
Recommended Study Plan
- 1Print CFP Board's Principal Knowledge Domains list and mark every one of the 70 numbered topics as strong, shaky or unseen
- 2Choose one approved calculator from the CFP Board list, either the HP 12c or the TI BAII Plus, and commit to it for the whole preparation
- 3Drill 50 time value of money problems including uneven cash flows, begin mode annuities and interest rate conversions until keystrokes are automatic
- 4Download CFP Board's Tax Tables and Formulas document and read it end to end so you know what the exam will hand you
- 5Register on the CFP Board Candidate Forum and set your target testing window
- 1Work the financial planning process steps and the practice standards attached to each
- 2Build personal and business financial statements from raw data and compute liquidity, debt and savings ratios
- 3Complete an education funding calculation for a client with two children of different ages using serial payment logic
- 4Compare 529 plans, Coverdell ESAs and UTMA accounts on control, tax treatment and financial aid impact
- 5Take a 40-question topic quiz and log every miss by topic number
- 1Learn the human life value and needs approaches to life insurance and be able to run both on the same fact pattern
- 2Chart disability policy definitions of own occupation, any occupation and modified own occupation with elimination and benefit periods
- 3Compare long-term care policy triggers and inflation riders against Medicaid spend-down rules
- 4Work through annuity taxation, exclusion ratio, and the difference between qualified and non-qualified contracts
- 5Review business owner solutions including cross purchase, entity purchase and key person coverage
- 1Derive and apply standard deviation, beta, coefficient of variation, correlation and R-squared to portfolio questions
- 2Practise Sharpe, Treynor and Jensen's alpha and learn which measure fits a diversified versus a concentrated portfolio
- 3Work bond duration, convexity, yield to maturity and yield to call problems on your chosen calculator
- 4Value equity using dividend discount and capitalised earnings approaches
- 5Take a timed 30-question investment set and check pacing against roughly 2 minutes per question
- 1Study modern portfolio theory, the efficient frontier and the capital market line as they appear in answer options
- 2Review taxation of mutual funds, ETFs, REITs, options and municipal bonds
- 3Work alternative investment and liquidity risk questions, a topic added to the CFP Board list
- 4Practise rebalancing and tax-loss harvesting recommendations inside a client fact pattern
- 5Redo every missed question from week 4 without looking at prior explanations
- 1Build a full Form 1040 flow from gross income to tax due using only the figures in CFP Board's Tax Tables and Formulas
- 2Compare C corporation, S corporation, partnership and sole proprietorship taxation for a business owner client
- 3Work Section 1031 exchanges, Section 121 exclusion, and basis calculations for gifted and inherited property
- 4Learn the AGI percentage limits for cash and appreciated property charitable gifts
- 5Review kiddie tax, alternative minimum tax exposure and passive activity loss rules
- 1Chart defined benefit, defined contribution, SEP, SIMPLE and 403(b) plans on eligibility, contribution limits and vesting
- 2Learn the plan selection logic for a small business owner who wants to maximise their own contribution
- 3Run a retirement needs analysis with inflation-adjusted withdrawals and a capital preservation assumption
- 4Study Social Security benefit calculation, early and delayed claiming adjustments, and spousal and survivor rules
- 5Review Medicare parts A through D, enrolment windows and IRMAA surcharges
- 1Work required minimum distribution timing and the beneficiary distribution rules for inherited accounts
- 2Study net unrealised appreciation, 72(t) substantially equal periodic payments and the 10 percent early distribution exceptions
- 3Compare non-qualified deferred compensation, incentive stock options and non-qualified stock options
- 4Practise Roth conversion sequencing questions inside a multi-year tax bracket fact pattern
- 5Take a 60-question retirement and tax combined set under timed conditions
- 1Map property titling forms and the estate inclusion consequence of each
- 2Learn the unified credit, portability election, annual exclusion and GST tax mechanics
- 3Chart trust types including QTIP, QDOT, ILIT, CRAT, CRUT, GRAT and intentionally defective grantor trusts
- 4Work postmortem techniques such as disclaimers, alternate valuation date and Section 303 redemptions
- 5Study estate liquidity sources and the tests for Section 6166 instalment payment
- 1Read CFP Board's Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct in full, including the Duty of Loyalty and the Financial Planning Practice Standards
- 2Study the Procedural Rules and the Fitness Standards categories of disqualifying conduct
- 3Review Investment Advisers Act registration thresholds, brokerage rules and consumer protection statutes
- 4Work behavioural finance biases with concrete client examples and learn the counselling and communication principles
- 5Study crisis event response, money conflict sources and money scripts, a 7 percent domain that many candidates skip
- 1Sit the CFP Board Practice Exam, all 170 questions, in two 3-hour sessions with a 40-minute break, using only your approved calculator and the provided tax tables
- 2Score by Principal Knowledge Topic and rank your five weakest topics by number
- 3Rework every case study question you missed, writing out why the distractor was attractive
- 4Practise reading a multi-page case once and building a fact summary on scratch paper before answering
- 5Confirm your Prometric appointment details and test the drive or the ProProctor system check
- 1Spend two thirds of study time on the five weakest topics identified in week 11
- 2Redo 200 previously missed questions in mixed order rather than by topic
- 3Rehearse the calculator memory clear procedure so the proctor inspection is quick
- 4Confirm your government-issued photo ID name matches your CFP Board registration exactly
- 5Taper to review only in the final 48 hours and plan how you will use the 40-minute break
Ready to pass CFP (Certified Financial Planner)?
Get 500+ practice questions, video walkthroughs, and a pass guarantee.
Best Study Resources
CFP Board Practice Exam
Official practice testA full 170-question practice exam built from retired items plus newer questions across the current blueprint. It is the only practice test drawn from real CFP Board item banks.
Included with exam registration, listed by CFP Board at a $249 value
CFP Board Tax Tables and Formulas
Official reference documentThe exact tax tables and formula sheet made available to candidates during the exam. Studying from this document rather than from a prep provider handout means you practise with the reference you will actually have.
Free
CFP Board Principal Knowledge Domains list
Official blueprintThe 70 numbered topics grouped into eight weighted domains. Every exam question links to at least one entry, which makes this the correct checklist for gap analysis.
Free
CFP Board Candidate Forum
CommunityCFP Board's own candidate community, which it describes as having more than 228,000 candidates. Used mainly for review course comparisons and study group formation.
Free
Dalton Education CFP exam review
Commercial review courseA long-running live and online review programme covering all eight domains with case study drilling. One of the two providers most frequently named by candidates alongside Kaplan.
Paid, varies by package
Kaplan Financial Education CFP exam prep
Commercial review courseOffers both the CFP Board Registered education programme and a separate exam review with question banks and full-length mock exams.
Paid, varies by package
Money Education textbooks
Textbook seriesDomain-specific texts on income tax planning, retirement planning and employee benefits, estate planning, and insurance planning, widely used inside CFP Board Registered Programs.
Paid per title
HP 12c or TI BAII Plus financial calculator
Required equipmentCFP Board publishes a closed list of permitted calculators covering Hewlett Packard 10b, 10bII, 10bII+, 12c, 12c Platinum and 17bII+, Texas Instruments BAII Plus, BAII Plus Professional and BAII Plus (Business Analyst), and Sharp EL-733, EL-733a and EL-738. Twelve models, and nothing outside that list enters the room.
Roughly $30 to $80 depending on model
CFP Board Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct
Official standards documentThe source text for the 8 percent Professional Conduct and Regulation domain. Answers to ethics questions come from this document and the Procedural Rules, not from general securities regulation.
Free
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Learning calculator keystrokes on two different machines and switching between them during preparation.
Pick one calculator from CFP Board's permitted list in week one and never touch another. The HP 12c uses reverse Polish notation and the TI BAII Plus uses algebraic entry, and mixing the two under time pressure produces sign errors on annuity due and uneven cash flow problems.
Memorising current-year tax figures from a prep provider handout instead of working from CFP Board's Tax Tables and Formulas.
Study directly from the CFP Board tax tables and formula document, because that is the reference supplied to you during the exam. Practising against a different set of numbers means you waste exam time hunting for figures you never learned to locate.
Treating case study questions like stand-alone questions and rereading the multi-page case for each of the 8 to 12 attached items.
Read the case once, build a fact summary on the scratch paper booklet covering ages, income, assets, titling and goals, then answer from your summary. Rereading a several-page case ten times will cost you the back half of the section.
Skipping the Psychology of Financial Planning domain because it is only 7 percent and looks like common sense.
Seven percent of 170 questions is roughly 12 items, which is more than enough to move a borderline score. Learn the specific vocabulary of money scripts, behavioural biases, counselling principles and crisis response, because the answer options are written in that vocabulary.
Assuming you can return to earlier questions after a break.
The exam moves forward only after each break, and you cannot revisit previously viewed questions. Finish and flag inside a subsection before you leave it, and treat the optional break after question 43 as a hard boundary.
Registering for the exam and then missing the education verification deadline.
CFP Board must receive verification of your coursework by the published education verification deadline for your window. Miss it and your registration is withdrawn and a $500 postponement fee applies, so confirm with your Registered Program at least a month early.
Studying domains in isolation when the exam integrates them inside single fact patterns.
From week 8 onward, work mixed question sets rather than topic sets. A single retirement question routinely carries a tax consequence and an estate consequence, and the correct answer depends on catching all three.
Registering late and paying $1,025 rather than the $825 early bird rate, then getting a poor test centre slot.
Register when the window opens. The early bird rate runs until six weeks before the registration deadline, and Prometric appointments are first come first served, which is why CFP Board advises booking 60 or more days ahead.
Arriving with a calculator whose memory has not been cleared, or with a model outside the permitted list.
Clear the memory before you arrive and know the key sequence, because the proctor inspects every calculator at check-in and requires memory clearing before you enter the room. A programmable or non-listed model will simply not be allowed in.
Exam Day Tips
- 1
Bring a valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID with a name that matches your CFP Board registration exactly. A mismatch between a married name on the registration and a maiden name on the licence is a common check-in failure.
- 2
You may bring more than one permitted financial calculator. Carrying a second approved unit and spare batteries protects you if the first one fails mid-section, since no replacement is available inside the room.
- 3
Expect a fingerprint scan and photograph at check-in, a fingerprint capture every time you enter or leave the exam room, a portable wand scan similar to airport screening, and a request to turn your pockets inside out.
- 4
All personal belongings go into an assigned locker. No notes of any kind enter the room, and the test centre issues you a scratch paper booklet instead.
- 5
No food is permitted in the exam room. You may bring one clear water bottle with all labels removed, and water fountains sit outside the room. If you need food or drink for a medical reason, file a Testing Accommodations Request Form in advance.
- 6
Plan the 40-minute scheduled break between section one and section two before exam day. It is long enough to eat something from your locker and reset, and candidates who spend it staring at the wall arrive at question 86 already tired.
- 7
Noise-cancelling headphones are available at the test centre at no cost. Ask for them at check-in if keyboard noise from neighbouring candidates distracts you.
- 8
The exam clock is on screen throughout. Three hours for 85 questions is a little over two minutes each, so mark and move rather than fighting a single case study calculation.
- 9
If you test remotely through ProProctor, notify the proctor before leaving camera view for your scheduled break, since failing to do so terminates the session, and remember that only a virtual scratchpad is available with no physical paper, pens or pencils permitted.
- 10
You receive a preliminary pass or fail report at the test centre before you leave. Official results arrive by email roughly four weeks after the testing window closes, and CFP Board will not give results by phone, text or fax.
Career Paths & Salary Ranges
Financial planner at a registered investment advisor
Builds and delivers comprehensive plans covering cash flow, insurance, investments, tax and estate for household clients. The CFP marks are frequently a hiring condition at fee-only firms, and the fiduciary duty in CFP Board's Standards of Conduct matches how these firms already operate.
$80k-$110k
Wealth advisor at a bank or wirehouse
Manages a book of high net worth relationships with planning delivered alongside investment management. Compensation typically blends salary with production or asset-based components, and the CFP mark supports the advice side of the conversation rather than the product side.
$95k-$140k
Independent practice owner
Runs a solo or small-team advisory firm on flat fee, hourly or assets under management pricing. The certification is the recognised consumer-facing credential, and CFP Board's public directory is a direct client acquisition channel for practice owners.
$100k-$150k
Retirement plan consultant
Advises employers on plan design, fiduciary governance and participant education. The 18 percent retirement domain, particularly qualified plan rules and plan selection factors for businesses, maps almost directly onto this work.
$85k-$130k
Paraplanner or associate financial planner
Prepares plan deliverables, runs projections and handles client analysis behind a lead advisor. This is the most common entry route, and the role generates qualifying hours toward the 6,000-hour standard experience pathway while you complete certification.
$80k-$95k
Prerequisites & Requirements
- Complete CFP Board-approved coursework through a CFP Board Registered Program, or have equivalent coursework accepted through CFP Board's Transcript Review process, before sitting the exam.
- You may register for the exam before finishing the coursework, but CFP Board must receive verification by the education verification deadline for your window or the registration is withdrawn and a $500 postponement fee applies.
- Certain degrees and credentials qualify for the Accelerated Path, which lets you bypass most of the coursework and complete only the Capstone course or Capstone Alternative.
- A bachelor's degree or higher in any discipline from a college or university accredited by a body recognised by the US Department of Education. The degree is required for certification, not for exam eligibility, and may be completed within five years after passing the exam.
- 6,000 hours of professional experience related to the financial planning process, or 4,000 hours under the Apprenticeship Pathway, which may be earned before or after the exam and reported at any time through your CFP Board account.
- Meet CFP Board's Fitness Standards. Felony convictions, misdemeanours involving fraud, theft, misrepresentation, drugs or alcohol, professional discipline and bankruptcy can bar or delay certification.
- Sign the Ethics Declaration and Agreement and pass a CFP Board background check as the final step before certification.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the CFP exam cost?
CFP Board charges $825 at the early bird rate, $925 at the standard rate, and $1,025 for late registration during the final week. The early bird rate is available until six weeks before the registration deadline for your chosen window. The fee is paid to CFP Board, not to Prometric, except when you are paying for a rescheduled exam.
How many times can I retake the CFP exam?
You may attempt the CFP exam a lifetime maximum of five times, and no more than three times within any 24-month period. If you attempt it on three successive administrations, a one-year sit-out period covering three exam cycles is required before you can register again. Candidates who attempted the exam four or more times before January 1, 2012 are permitted two additional attempts.
What happens if I fail the CFP exam?
You receive a diagnostic report showing your relative strengths and weaknesses across the eight Principal Knowledge Domains, so you know where to focus. Your completed coursework stays valid and does not need to be retaken. You register and pay again for a later administration, subject to the five-attempt lifetime limit and the three-in-24-months restriction.
What is the passing score on the CFP exam?
CFP Board does not publish one. The exam is pass or fail, each question counts for one point, and the result is based on your total score across both sections. The passing standard comes from a standard-setting process in which CFP professionals determine the minimum competency level, and CFP Board states it does not predetermine a pass rate or a fixed percentage of questions that must be answered correctly.
What is the CFP exam pass rate?
The July 2026 administration had a 66 percent pass rate, with 2,388 candidates passing out of the 3,621 who sat. CFP Board publishes statistics for each administration and notes that results from March 2016 onward are not directly comparable to earlier exams because the blueprint and cut score changed.
How long does it take to get CFP exam results?
You get a preliminary pass or fail report immediately after finishing at the test centre. Official results arrive by email approximately four weeks after the close of the testing window. CFP Board does not release official results by phone, text or fax. Remote proctored candidates are told to expect official results approximately four to six weeks after the window closes.
When is the CFP exam offered?
Three times a year in 8-day testing windows during March, July and November. Registration for each window opens several months ahead, and CFP Board advises booking your Prometric appointment 60 or more days in advance because slots are allocated first come, first served.
Can I take the CFP exam online at home?
Only by approved request. From the November 2026 exam onward, remote testing through Prometric ProProctor is available to candidates whose home address is more than 60 miles from the nearest Prometric test centre, or who have an at-risk medical condition or physical limitation requiring it. You must already be registered for the exam, submit a Remote Testing Application for each administration, and be located in the United States.
Which calculators are allowed on the CFP exam?
Only battery-powered, non-programmable financial calculators on CFP Board's published list. That list covers the Hewlett Packard 10b, 10bII, 10bII+, 12c, 12c Platinum and 17bII+, the Texas Instruments BAII Plus, BAII Plus Professional and BAII Plus Business Analyst, and the Sharp EL-733, EL-733a and EL-738. Proctors inspect every calculator and require you to clear its memory before entering the room.
What reference materials are provided during the exam?
CFP Board makes tax tables and formulas available to candidates during the exam, and publishes the same document ahead of time so you can study from it. You also receive a scratch paper booklet at a test centre, or a virtual scratchpad if you test remotely. No personal notes of any kind are permitted.
How do breaks work on the CFP exam?
There is one scheduled 40-minute break between section one and section two. Optional breaks are available between subsections 1A and 1B and between 2A and 2B, including one after question 43 of the first subsection. The exam is forward-only after each break, so you cannot return to questions you have already viewed. Remote candidates must notify the proctor before leaving camera view, and unscheduled breaks terminate the session.
How do I request testing accommodations?
File a Testing Accommodations Request Form with CFP Board. Disability-based accommodation requests can take up to two weeks to process, so submit early. The same form covers candidates who need access to food or liquids during the exam for medical reasons, since food is otherwise prohibited in the exam room.
Can I reschedule or postpone my CFP exam?
You may postpone once per registration for a $500 fee, and the new appointment must fall within the next two testing windows. Within your existing window, changing date, site or start time is free 61 or more days ahead, costs a $35 Prometric scheduling fee 31 to 60 days ahead and a $100 fee 5 to 30 days ahead, and is not permitted inside 5 days. No-shows forfeit the fee. Withdrawing your application entirely qualifies for a $200 refund.
How do I maintain CFP certification after passing?
CFP professionals pay a $575 annual certification fee, effective from October 1, 2025 renewals, and complete 30 hours of continuing education every two-year reporting period. Of those 30 hours, 2 must come from a CFP Board-approved ethics course and 28 from accepted subject areas. You also reaffirm adherence to the Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct each year.
Do I need a bachelor's degree before I sit the exam?
No. The bachelor's degree is a condition of certification rather than exam eligibility, and you may complete it up to five years after passing the exam. CFP Board states there are no exceptions to the degree requirement itself. International degrees can qualify through a document-by-document evaluation from an agency belonging to the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services.
How does the CFP compare to the CFA?
The CFP covers comprehensive personal financial planning for households across eight domains and is a single 170-question exam, while the CFA Program is three sequential exams focused on investment analysis, portfolio management and institutional asset valuation. Advisors serving individual clients on retirement, tax, insurance and estate questions take the CFP. Analysts and portfolio managers serving institutions take the CFA. Holding a CFA charter also qualifies you for CFP Board's Accelerated Path, which reduces the coursework requirement.
How many study hours does the CFP exam take?
CFP Board does not publish a required study hour figure. The 12-week plan on this page totals roughly 150 to 175 hours of focused work on top of the CFP Board-approved coursework you must already have completed, which itself covers eight subject courses plus a capstone. Candidates who finished coursework years earlier generally need more time on tax and retirement than the plan allows.
Does experience have to be completed before the exam?
No. You can sit the exam before meeting the experience requirement and have up to five years after passing to complete the hours. Hours count at a one-to-one ratio up to 40 hours per week, and the FPA Residency Program adds 500 hours to the Standard Pathway total. Corporate finance, training, practice management, marketing, software development and administrative work do not count, and clients cannot be immediate family members as defined by FINRA Rule 3240.
Pass CFP (Certified Financial Planner), Guaranteed
94% pass rate on first attempt
One-time • Lifetime access