CFP^® Certification FAQs

CFP^® refers to CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^®. It’s the premier credential for financial planners and is governed by CFP Board. CFP^® professionals have proven proficiency in all areas of financial planning, including: general financial planning, tax, estate, investments, insurance and risk, and retirement, as well as the psychology of financial planning.

CFP^® professionals must also uphold strict ethics and maintain their credential through continuing education.

CFP Board requires “The 4E’s,” which stand for education, exam, experience, and ethics.

• Education: Hold a bachelor’s degree and complete a CFP Board-registered coursework program, ending in a Capstone course.
• Exam: Pass the 170-question CFP^® Exam.
• Experience: Complete either 6,000 hours of relevant experience or 4,000 hours in a supervised apprenticeship.
• Ethics: Pass a background check and sign a document to adhere to CFP Board’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct.

Yes, you must complete a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university within five years of passing the CFP^® Exam. Your degree does not need to be in a business or finance-related topic and can be in any area.

It depends on factors like prior experience and education and how quickly you can complete the coursework and pass the exam. Most people complete their requirements in 18 to 24 months, though BIF is designed for students to complete their coursework and pass the exam in less than a year!

CFP^® certification is seen as the “gold standard” in financial planning, so holding this credential proves you have advanced knowledge and skills. More clients and employers seek credentialed financial planners, and this opens more doors to career growth and a higher earning potential.

But the greatest benefit to CFP^® certification is that it makes you a better financial planner! You gain in-depth knowledge of individual areas, but you also learn how to put the pieces together while tailoring them directly to your clients’ unique needs.

Chartered Financial Advisors are recognized by the CFA Institute as having proven competence in investment and financial analysis and focus more on the data side of finance.

CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^® professionals are recognized by CFP Board as having proven competence in all areas of financial planning, including estate, tax, and investments. They focus more on working with clients to help them meet their goals through personalized financial plans.

There are two ways to fulfill the CFP^® experience requirement:

1. Complete 6,000 hours of relevant professional experience.
2. Complete 4,000 hours of an apprenticeship supervised by an active CFP^® professional.

To meet the 6,000-hour requirement, your experience must include ONE of the following tasks:

• Understanding the Client’s Personal and Financial Circumstances
• Identifying and Selecting Goals
• Analyzing the Client’s Current Course of Action and Potential Alternative Course(s) of Action
• Developing the Financial Planning Recommendation(s)
• Presenting the Financial Planning Recommendation(s)
• Implementing the Financial Planning Recommendation(s)
• Monitoring Progress and Updating

To meet the 4,000-hour requirement, your work must include all seven primary areas listed above.

All candidates must earn this experience through ONE of these methods:

• Personal engagement with clients
• Support of financial planner and/or financial planning process
• Supervision of financial planner and/or financial planning process
• Internship or Financial Planning Association (FPA) residency
• Instruction of post-secondary financial planning courses

Your experience requirement must be complete within 10 years prior to or five years after passing the CFP^® Exam.

CFP requires candidates to complete a board-registered coursework program that covers the eight principal knowledge topics in seven courses:

1. General Principles of Financial Planning
2. Professional Conduct and Regulation
3. Risk Management and Insurance Planning
4. Investment Planning
5. Tax Planning
6. Retirement Savings and Income Planning
7. Estate Planning
8. Psychology of Financial Planning

Upon completing the seven required courses, candidates must complete a Capstone course — a practical project with case studies and client scenarios where candidates can prove they understand and know how to apply their knowledge in real-world situations.

Do you have one of these advanced degrees or designations?

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
• Chartered Financial Analyst^® (CFA^®)
• Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) or Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC)
• Ph.D. in Financial Planning, Finance, Business Administration, or Economics
• Licensed Attorney
• International CFP^® Certification

If yes, you may be able to bypass the coursework and only complete the Capstone course. The BIF Student Advisors can help you determine if you’re eligible, but CFP Board has to give approval.

It’s a comprehensive exam that tests your knowledge of eight financial planning topics in a variety of scenarios. There are 170 multiple-choice questions, and you have six hours to complete the exam.

You’re tested on eight principal knowledge topics. Here’s a breakdown of how much of the exam is devoted to each:

• Professional Conduct and Regulation (8%)
• General Principles of Financial Planning (15%)
• Risk Management and Insurance Planning (11%)
• Investment Planning (17%)
• Tax Planning (14%)
• Retirement Savings and Income Planning (18%)
• Estate Planning (10%)
• Psychology of Financial Planning (7%)

CFP Board has three testing windows each year in March, July, and November. In 2026, the CFP Exam will be offered:

• March 17–24, 2026
• July 14–21, 2026
• October 29–November 5, 2026

Depending on when you register, exam fees cost between $825 and $1,025.

• Early Bird Registration ($825): Available from the day registration opens until six weeks before the final registration deadline.
• Standard Registration ($925): Kicks in after the early bird period ends but before the final week of registration.
• Late Registration ($1,025): Registering during the last open week costs more, but beats waiting another four months.

Once your coursework is approved, log in to your CFP Board account dashboard.

1. In the Exam section, click Select Your Test Dates and complete the form.
2. Pay the registration fee.
3. Check your email for a confirmation and a link to Prometric to schedule your exam day and time.

You can schedule your exam at any Prometric Center. We recommend doing so as soon as registration opens to secure your preferred location and time.

The six-hour, 170-question exam is an all-day event. The video below walks you through what to expect.

It varies between each testing cohort, but it’s usually between 60 and 65%.

You only have five attempts total to pass the exam, and each time you need to pay the exam fee.

The exam is graded as pass or fail, and each question is worth one point. However, there isn’t a fixed passing score.

Prometric and CFP Board use a method called “Modified Angoff Scoring” to set the passing mark. Experts review each question and estimate the percentage of competent CFP^® professionals who would answer it correctly. These percentages are combined and adjusted to determine the official passing score for that exam.

Yes, our program is CFP Board-Registered.

Yes, we offer only the Capstone Course. You’ll have three months of access to complete the course, but most BIF students complete it in less than three weeks!

Yes, and you have three months of access for each course — so two courses gives you six months of total access.

Transferring from another program? Reach out to a Student Advisor to learn how to pick up where you left off with BIF!

BIF offers both options so you can choose the format that suits your learning style and schedule best. The instructor-led coursework offers added accountability while the self-study option lets you go at your own pace.

BIF’s CFP^® Education is 100% online. And while it’s online, you’re never going through the process alone — on Day One, you’ll be connected to a Student Success Advisor to help you stay on track.

Whether you choose our instructor-led cohort or self-guided program, you’ll receive seven online CFP^® Education courses with 21 months of access and proactive support from your Student Success Advisor.

BIF’s CFP^® Education packages begin at $2,995 for the self-paced program and $3,995 for the instructor-led program. We also offer packages that bundle education coursework with our CFP^® Exam Prep Course, The BIF Review.

Yes! Visit our website to get a full module from our self-guided course and try it out.

Absolutely! All BIF instructors are practicing CFP^® professionals with both real-world experience and instructional experience. Each instructor teaches to their strengths and area of expertise.

Students with the full seven-course CFP^® Education package have 21 months of access. Students on the Accelerated Path needing only the Capstone will have three months of access.

Single course enrollments include three months of access each, which stacks — one class equals three months, two classes equal six months, and so on.

In many cases, we can provide extensions due to work demands, family emergencies, health issues, or other factors. Reach out to a Student Success Advisor for assistance.

The BIF Review is our 8-week CFP^® Exam Prep course designed to help you get ready to pass the CFP^® Exam.

We offer both options. The Core BIF Review is a self-study CFP^® Exam Review, while the Premium BIF Review is instructor-led.

You’ll receive both printed and digital textbooks with either the Core or Premium BIF Review.

If you’re seeing discrepancies, reach out to a Student Success Advisor by calling 857-277-7900 or submitting a ticket to the Student Help Center.

Request your grade report or certificate of completion by calling 857-277-7900 or submitting a ticket to the Student Help Center.

For students who have completed all seven courses with BIF, pay the education verification fee through the link in your pre-Capstone checklist. Once paid, our team will submit your education coursework to CFP Board.

For transfer students or students on the Accelerated Path, request grade reports and submit them directly to CFP Board.

First, you’ll need to pay your education fee, and then our team will submit it to CFP Board. It usually takes about two weeks, or two weeks after you pass your Capstone.

After completing all seven courses and paying your education verification fee, you’ll receive an email from Bryant/BIF confirming CFP Board received your results, along with a batch number.

You may need to contact CFP Board directly and provide your batch number to ensure your education is synced with your Board profile.

Yes, all classes are recorded and available in your login shortly after they take place.

We do not have a PDF version of the coursework, but we can provide a Print Ability. The next time you log in and click on a Module, you’ll see Print Content in the left column — you can then print that section or save it to your computer.

Reach out to one of our Student Success Advisors who will help build a customized plan to get you back on track.

Reach out to one of our Student Success Advisors who will help build a customized plan toward completion based on the exam you’d like to take.

Try clearing your browser cache, switching browsers, or using another device first. If the problem persists, submit a ticket to the Student Help Center with a screenshot of the error.

Absolutely, students often switch! Simply reach out to our customer service team, and any price differences are adjusted accordingly.