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Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) Exam
The CFE Exam is the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners' certification examination, assessing fraud prevention, detection, deterrence, investigation, and related legal knowledge in three separately timed sections.
Official exam siteJump to prep options ↓
Questions310 questions across three separately timed sections: Fraud Schemes and Financial Crimes (120), Fraud Investigations and Legal Issues (120), and Fraud Prevention and Deterrence (70)
Testing timePer-section timed exams totaling 6.5 hours: two sections at 2.5 hours each and one section at 1.5 hours
ScoringAt least 75% of questions answered correctly in each section
Exam feeUSD 480 CFE Exam Application fee covering the first attempt at each section; retakes USD 110 per failed section (Prometric reschedule fees USD 30-55 apply separately)
Prep options
Study resources for CFE Exam
Independent prep
Courses and study resources
Exam overview
What to know before choosing your prep
- Who runs it
- ACFE
- Category
- Audit, Risk & Fraud
- Current version
- 2026 CFE Exam - new three-section structure launched June 2, 2026, based on the 2024 Job Task Analysis; Content Outline last updated May 2026
- Where it applies
- Global
- Exam languages
- English
- Testing provider
- Prometric (remote via ProProctor or in test centers); the ACFE administers paper-based exams at its review courses
- Format
- Computer-based via live remote proctoring (Prometric ProProctor) or in person at Prometric test centers worldwide; paper-based exams available onsite at in-person ACFE CFE Exam Review Courses
- Availability
- Continuous delivery by appointment; after activating exam eligibility, all three sections must be scheduled and completed within a 60-day window (each section scheduled individually)
- Results
- Preliminary Score Report Assessment emailed within 24 hours of each section (usually within an hour); results retrievable in the Prometric Score Report Portal for five years
- Score validity
- Passed exam scores are valid for five years from the date the final section is passed; if not all sections are passed within the initial two-year application window (plus optional one-year extension), results expire and reapplication is required
- Remote testing
- Available
Exam structure
Three separately administered, closed-book sections of multiple-choice and True/False questions: Fraud Schemes and Financial Crimes (fraud scheme types, accounting, asset misappropriation, corruption, money laundering); Fraud Investigations and Legal Issues (investigation planning, evidence law, interviews, legal system); Fraud Prevention and Deterrence (fraud risk assessment and management, governance, ethics).
Where rules vary
The CFE credential is global: the exam is offered at Prometric testing centers worldwide plus live remote proctoring, and ACFE describes the content as globally applicable (job analysis input 'across all industries and geographical regions').
Eligibility
An approved CFE Exam Application is required before testing; the credential additionally requires meeting educational and professional (fraud-related) experience requirements and submitting professional recommendations
Retake policy
Up to five attempts per section; retakes cost USD 110 per failed section; no waiting period for the first three attempts and a 30-day wait for the fourth and fifth; after five failed attempts, program eligibility expires with a two-year wait before reapplying