You’ve spent months on the CFP® Education (maybe years) and another few months studying, grinding through practice questions and wearing out the buttons on your financial calculator. It all leads up to CFP® Exam Day. A six-hour block of time where you lay it all on the table. No pressure, right?
The last thing you want on exam day are surprises that can throw you off and shake up your confidence, so we’re walking you through what to expect at the Prometric Center. We’re also sharing our do’s and don’ts to keep in mind.
Listen up: Adam breaks down exactly what it’s like in the Prometric Center in this BIF Bites episode, The Room Where It Happens.
Checking in on CFP® Exam Day
Let’s start with what happens when you get to the Prometric Center.Check-in
First, you have to check in with a Prometric administrator who will assign you a locker to store your personal items. Then, they’ll check your ID, take a fingerprint and photo, verify there’s nothing in your pockets, and do a quick body scan with a wand—basically, it’s like being at the airport. They need to check that you are who you say you are and that you aren’t smuggling anything into the testing room, like a cell phone or other forbidden item.
You’ll also need to hand over your financial calculator for inspection, where they’ll check to make sure:
- It’s an approved financial calculator.
- There are no formulas or notes on the back, and if there are, that they are covered.
- The memory is clear and restored to factory settings.
What you’re allowed to bring inside the testing room:
- Approved financial calculator
- Approved basic calculator
- Extra “loose” batteries
- Clear bottle of water with the label removed
Inside the Testing Room
After you’re checked in, the administrator will show you to your assigned computer and give you scratch paper and pencils or a whiteboard and dry erase marker and noise-cancelling headphones.Taking the CFP® Exam
Okay, you’re sitting down, ready to dive into some questions. You’ve got this!
But first…you have to agree to the non-disclosure agreement saying you won’t share any exam content and that you will report any person or entity that asks you to share info to CFP Board.
Aaaaand then you have to go through a tutorial about how to take the exam.
But once you finish the tutorial, it’s go time.
The CFP® Exam Schedule
The CFP® Exam lasts a total of six hours and includes 170 multiple-choice questions. It’s divided into two main parts: you’ll spend three hours on the first half, then take a scheduled 40-minute break, and finish with another three hours for the second half.
Each half is further split into two subsections—one with 43 questions and another with 42 questions. You need to complete all the questions in a section before moving on to the next. Think of it like a basketball game: you work through two quarters, have a halftime break, and then tackle the last two quarters.
Here’s the structure:
- Two minutes: Non-disclosure agreement
- Five minutes: Tutorial
- 180 minutes: First half
- Subsection 1a (43 questions)
- Optional break (the timer will keep running)
- Subsection 1b (42 questions)
- 40 minutes: Scheduled break
- 180 minutes: Second half
- Subsection 2a (43 questions)
- Optional break (the timer will keep going)
- Subsection 2b (42 questions)
Finishing Exam Subsections
Okay, each subsection is like a mini-exam by itself. For example, once you move on from 1a to 1b, you can’t go back to 1a. You will be prompted if you’re ready to move on so make sure you’ve answered everything, and you feel good to go.
Exam pro tip: Make sure you’re paying attention to your pace to give yourself around 90 minutes for each subsection. No, this does not mean you need to budget exactly two minutes per question—some questions you’ll answer in five seconds, questions associated with case studies will take longer. Just try not to get too hung up on a single question.
Getting Your CFP® Exam Results
Once you finish subsection 2b, you can submit the exam for scoring. A pop-up will read, “Are you sure you want to submit your exam for scoring?” Once you hit ‘Yes,’ you’re officially done with the exam (yay!) and can’t go back (yikes!). So, you will probably have a slight existential crisis, but as long as you’ve answered all the questions and don’t want to go back through to review anything from 2b, go ahead and do this.
You’ll then have to answer a short survey because you’re a captive audience as you wait for your exam results. Then, you’ll wait another few minutes. During this time, you’re Schroedinger’s CFP® professional.
Passing the Exam
If you pass the exam, you’ll get a pop-up that says “Congratulations! You’ve passed…etc.” It’s honestly a bit anti-climactic—shouldn’t there be confetti or something?
But you did it! And, you’ll get email confirmation of your preliminary pass from CFP Board shortly after your exam.
Failing the Exam
If you fail the exam, you’ll get a pop-up screen that indicates a preliminary fail result and you’ll receive an email with very high-level performance data is compiled for each CFP® exam domain.
After you get your preliminary results, you’ll exit the testing room, and report to the Test Center Administrator who may or may not give you a high-five if you passed. Then, you can retrieve your belongings, return your locker key, and whether you exit the Prometric Center as a CFP® professional or not, you did something pretty epic and should be proud of yourself.
Dos and Don’ts on CFP® Exam Day
- Do arrive at Prometric 15 minutes early. Make sure you know how to get to the Prometric Testing Center and give yourself plenty of time. If you’re late, they may not let you sit for the exam and you’ll have to reschedule.
- Do not forget your valid, government issued ID. You will not be allowed to sit for the exam without it.
- Do dress in layered, comfortable clothing. Testing centers are never the right temperature and you don’t want to freeze or sweat for six hours.
- Don’t info-dump a bunch of notes on your scratch paper. Use the scratch paper as you need it, not to write down all your formulas and such at the beginning of the exam. One, it’ll waste time, two you’re not allowed to do that.
- Do bring extra batteries for your calculator. Better yet, bring a back-up calculator with fresh batteries in it.
- Don’t take unscheduled breaks unless you have to. The breaks between subsections do not pause the timer. However, you don’t want to be distracted or miserable for another 90 minutes, so just take a moment to consider the best choice.
- Do bring a snack or lunch. You only have a 40-minute break, and this will include the security check-in when you come back.
- Do not bring anything heavy or greasy. The last thing you want on the second half of the exam is to get sleepy or worse, indigestion. Keep it simple and light.
- Do pay attention to the timer. You don’t want to be surprised by how much time you have (or don’t have) left. Do not aggressively stress about the timer.
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