Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) Examination Information

About the CFP® Certification Examination
The CFP® Certification Examination is administered 3 times per year (typically in the third Friday and Saturday in March, July and November) in 50 major metropolitan areas throughout the US. The examination lasts 10 hours, and is divided into one 4 hour session on a Friday afternoon, and two 3 hour sessions on Saturday. Candidates who wish to take this exam must register and pay about 6 weeks prior to the exam.

Schedule and Deadlines

The CFP® Certification Examination is a 10-hour examination, divided into one four-hour session (Friday afternoon) and two three-hour sessions (Saturday). The exam is offered three times a year.

CFP Board must receive complete exam applications no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on the application deadline. Late applications will not be accepted under any circumstances. A complete exam application consists of:

• Completed application form
• $595 examination fee paid in full
• Appropriate qualifying eligibility documentation (i.e., copy of the transcript, copy of designation/degree, or letter of authorization)

Withdrawal:If you are unable to take the CFP® Certification Examination on the dates for which you registered, you have the following options:

• Withdraw from the exam and re-register for a later exam, paying a $50 re-registration fee.
• Withdraw from the exam and request a refund of the refundable portion of your exam fee ($50 of the exam fee is non-refundable).

You may withdraw from the exam and immediately re-register or request a refund, or you can maintain a credit with CFP Board of the refundable portion of your exam fee and re-register or request a refund up to 24 months from the date of the exam for which you last registered. If you fail to re-register or request a refund within this 24-month period, the entire exam fee will be forfeited.

CFP Board must receive requests for withdrawal from the CFP® Certification Examination no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on the withdrawal date listed above. Requests for withdrawal received after the withdrawal date listed above will not be honored and the entire exam fee will be forfeited. CFP Board will consider waiving the fee forfeiture in case of a medical emergency. Your request for such a waiver must be made in writing and supported by documentation from a physician, which clearly states that you are physically unable to appear for the exam due to personal or immediate family medical issues. Your request must be received by CFP Board within 10 business days after the exam dates. Requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Requests received after the 10 business day timeframe, or not supported by verifying documentation, will not be reviewed.

You can apply for the CFP® Certification Examination after you have successfully completed an acceptable course of study (or its equivalent). The educational coursework requirement can be met in several ways, including completing a CFP Board-Registered Program, completing equivalent coursework subject to CFP Board's transcript review process, or having one of the designations, credentials or degrees pre-approved by CFP Board. Candidates for certification must have a bachelor's degree, in any discipline, in order to obtain CFP® certification, but this does not have to occur before sitting for the exam or fulfilling the work experience.

For more details regarding the requirements for CFP® certification click here to receive the Guide to CFP® Certification from the CFP Board.