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CFP® Certification Examination
The CFP® Certification Examination is the computer-based, pass/fail certification exam of the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards (CFP Board) required for CFP® certification in the United States; it consists of 170 multiple-choice questions in two 3-hour sections during one day, offered in 8-day testing windows three times a year at Prometric test centers or by remote proctor.
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Questions170 multiple-choice questions (stand-alone questions and question sets associated with case studies)
Testing timeTwo 3-hour sections during one day (6 hours of testing time), separated by a scheduled 40-minute break
ScoringPass/fail exam; cutoff standard score established by CFP® professionals through the Standard Setting process — no numeric cut score is published
Exam feeUSD 825 early registration / USD 925 standard registration / USD 1,025 late registration (October 2026 administration; early rate runs to 6 weeks before the registration deadline, late rate during the final week); postponement costs USD 500 and Prometric same-window scheduling changes cost USD 35–100 depending on notice
Prep options
Study resources for CFP exam
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Exam overview
What to know before choosing your prep
- Who runs it
- CFP Board
- Category
- Financial Planning
- Current version
- Current exam based on CFP Board's 2021 Practice Analysis and its 8 Principal Knowledge Domains; exams administered from March 2022 onward use this blueprint
- Where it applies
- United States — national
- Exam languages
- English
- Testing provider
- Prometric
- Format
- Computer-based exam delivered at Prometric test centers or by remote proctor; proctored, closed-book, with a non-disclosure agreement and tutorial before the first section
- Availability
- Offered three times a year in 8-day testing windows (March, July, and the fall window; the fall 2026 window runs October 29 – November 5, 2026), by appointment at Prometric centers or remote proctoring
- Results
- Preliminary results emailed by Prometric shortly after completing the exam; official results letter by email approximately 4 to 6 weeks after the testing window closes; non-passing candidates receive a diagnostic report across Principal Knowledge Topics
- Score validity
- No separate score-expiry rule; the experience requirement must be completed within 10 years before and 5 years after successful completion of the CFP® exam
- Remote testing
- Available
Exam structure
One-day exam of 170 multiple-choice items split into two 3-hour sections of two subsections each: Subsection 1a (43 items) and 1b (42 items) share a pooled 180-minute timer; a 40-minute scheduled break; then Subsection 2a (43 items) and 2b (42 items) share a pooled 180-minute timer. Questions are stand-alone or tied to short scenarios or lengthy case histories, and content spans 8 Principal Knowledge Domains from the 2021 Practice Analysis.
Where rules vary
National U.S. certification examination of CFP Board, delivered at Prometric testing centers across the U.S. or by remote proctor; CFP certification outside the United States is administered by separately affiliated organizations
Eligibility
CFP Board education coursework requirement must be verified before sitting for the exam (met through a CFP Board Registered Program curriculum, Accelerated Path, or Transcript Review); candidates may register before completing coursework and may sit for the exam before completing the bachelor's degree
Retake policy
Must retake the entire exam at the next testing window and pay the exam fee for each retake; lifetime maximum of 5 attempts; maximum of 3 attempts within any 24-month period, with a sit-out of three exam administrations required after 3 failures in 24 months