You entered your final answer on the CFP® Exam and had just enough time to get your hopes up before your preliminary results pop up. And you didn’t pass... after spending months studying, stressing, and choosing textbooks and practice questions over literally everything else. It sucks. Full stop. It really sucks. We get it.
So, you failed the CFP® Exam.
Let's talk about what comes next because you've got options, and none of them involve giving up.
Feel Your Feelings
Before we dive into the strategy and tips for passing, etc., let's acknowledge the elephant in the room: failing the CFP® Exam is rough, and you’re feeling a lot of emotions about that. You put in a lot of time and effort to pass and were ready to walk out of the Prometric center celebrating.
So, if you’re feeling disappointed, frustrated, angry, or you’re doubting yourself (or a combination of these emotions), it’s 100% normal. Your feelings are valid, and you should give yourself permission to feel them for a day or two. Or three. Order your favorite takeout, vent to your friends, or binge-watch something on Netflix.
The key is to not set up permanent residence in Disappointment City. Feel the feelings, then channel that energy into figuring out what went wrong and how to fix it.
Know the Facts
Something to keep in mind before you stew too deeply in your feelings: The CFP® Exam is really hard. The pass rate hovers somewhere between 60–65%, so roughly 4 out of 10 people who take it don't pass. We can tell you straight up that some of the most successful CFP® professionals failed the exam at least once before they got the passing score. So, while it stings right now, you're in good company.
Why Did You Fail the CFP® Exam? Time for Some Detective Work
Once you're ready to get back in the saddle, don't just start grinding through practice questions again. Instead, you'll want to do some honest self-reflection, which isn't fun but is necessary. Think back to your exam experience and consider what might have derailed your success:Timing Issues
- Did you run out of time on sections?
- Were you rushing through questions at the end?
- Did you spend too long on certain problems?
Stress and Anxiety
- Did your mind go blank when you saw the first question?
- Were you so nervous that you couldn't think clearly?
- Did test anxiety sabotage your performance despite knowing the material?
Study Strategy Problems
- Did you focus too heavily on memorizing formulas instead of understanding concepts?
- Were you studying the wrong things or missing key topics?
- Did you give yourself enough time to prepare?
Content Gaps
- Were there concepts that were unfamiliar?
- Did the case studies throw you for a loop?
- Were you unprepared for the application-style questions?
External factors
- Were you dealing with work stress, family issues, or health problems?
- Was your study environment conducive to learning?
Be brutally honest with yourself here. This isn't about beating yourself up—it's about gathering the intelligence necessary to fuel your comeback story.
Read Your Report
About four weeks after you take the exam, you'll get an email with your official results and a diagnostic report of your exam performance across the eight Principal Knowledge Topics. You can use this to help develop your study approach, but you'll also need to dedicate time towards studying across all topics in preparation for your retake.
By assessing your performance and the factors behind it, you'll have a more holistic view of what you need to do to make your CFP® Exam retake a success!
Getting Back on Track: A Successful CFP® Exam Retake Strategy
Okay, now for the good news: you have a roadmap for what didn't work, which means you can create a better plan for what will work. But here's where most people make a critical mistake—they just dive back in with the same study routine they used the first time.
And you’ve probably heard the quote, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."
BIF fact: A lot of folks attribute this to Einstein, but there’s no evidence he actually said it. It may have originated in a 1981 Narcotics Anonymous pamphlet.
Anyway… the idea still stands. Your CFP® Exam retake strategy needs to address three key areas:
1. Areas of Opportunity
First, you need to dive back into those Principal Knowledge Topics where you had the most difficulty. But again, it’s important to know how to apply those topics and integrate them into multiple planning areas. If content gaps were your biggest challenge when you looked back at your exam experience, this is where you would want to focus more of your time.
2. Test-Taking Strategies
This is the part most people ignore, and it's often what separates those who pass from those who don't. The CFP® Exam has its own rhythm and style, and you need specific strategies to navigate it effectively. And, if timing or struggling to parse key details from the question to determine the answer were your biggest challenges, this is definitely where you’ll want to focus efforts as you prepare for your retake.
Key areas to focus on include:
- Time management techniques
- Question analysis skills
- How to identify key information, like client needs or demographics, in complex scenarios
- Strategies for eliminating wrong answers
- Managing cognitive load during long exam sessions
3. Mindset and Stress Management
If anxiety played a role in your first attempt, you can't ignore it the second time around. Test anxiety is real, and it can tank your performance even if you know the material cold. Consider these strategies to reduce stress and anxiety during the exam:
- Mindfulness and breathing techniques
- Visualization exercises
- Positive self-talk strategies
- Stress management routines
- Building confidence through practice
Limits to Retaking the CFP® Exam
Okay, we aren’t trying to scare you or stress you out, but you don't have unlimited chances to pass the CFP® Exam. CFP Board allows candidates a maximum of five lifetime attempts, and you can only take it three times within any 24-month period.
Also, don’t forget about the financial factors to retaking the CFP® Exam. Each attempt requires you to register and pay the exam fees (around $925 each time), plus, there is the opportunity cost of delayed career advancement.
Again, this isn't meant to scare you—it's meant to emphasize that your next attempt needs to count. You can't afford to wing it or hope for the best.
How a Retake Course Can Help
Most CFP® Exam prep courses don’t have anything in place for candidates who failed the CFP® Exam. So, you’re basically just expected to start over with the same materials, strategies, instructors, and tools.
Remember what we said about insanity?
You probably already used an exam review course, and it didn't work. So why would doing the exact same thing again produce different results?
Retakers have different needs than first-time test takers and need to focus on these elements either instead of, or in addition to, exam content:
- Application and integration of concepts
- Test-taking strategies
- The psychological aspects of retaking
- Strategic practice in your weak areas
Instead, you need a program specifically designed to help you get ready to retake the CFP® Exam and pass.
Introducing a Better Solution: Retaker Plus
BIF created Retaker Plus specifically for candidates who failed the CFP® Exam. There’s no other product like this as it’s designed to address study strategies, exam-taking strategies, and mindset management—those key factors outside of content that often determine struggle or success on the CFP® Exam.
Study Strategies from Successful Retakers
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Build a custom roadmap tailored to your past performance with a tapering schedule to make sure you’re ready for exam day
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Get battle-tested approaches from real retakers who turned their failures into success stories
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Incorporate multiple study activities to make learning more effective
Advanced Test-Taking Techniques
- Master the five-step approach to answering CFP® Exam questions
- Learn how to identify the key information cues within questions
- Develop systematic approaches to time management and question analysis
Mindset and Stress Management
- Build daily mindfulness routines to stay calm and cool while you study
- Learn grounding techniques for anxiety
- Establish healthy habits to avoid burning out and make the most of your study time
Retaker Plus Works with The BIF Review
We designed The BIF Review to get you ready for the CFP® Exam, providing you with clear, concise materials and practical instruction from subject matter experts, so you’ll learn exactly what you need to know, at the level you need to know it. Plus, it’s scientifically designed to maximize retention, so you don’t have to worry about blanking out on exam day.
With the practical, exam-focused knowledge from The BIF Review and the study and exam-taking strategies from Retaker Plus, you’ll feel confident that the next time you take the exam is the last time.
Your Next Steps After a Failed CFP® Exam
Here's what you need to do right now:
- Take a short break (1-2 days) to process your feelings
- Analyze what went wrong using the framework we discussed
- Commit to a different approach for your retake
- Get the right support from The BIF Review with Retaker Plus
Remember, failing the CFP® Exam doesn't define you or predict your future success as a financial planner. What matters is how you respond to this setback and what you do next.
Ready to Turn This Around?
Don't rely on the same approach that led to where you are now. Trust the program that was built specifically for CFP® Exam retakers.
Let's make sure the next chapter of your story is your triumph. Learn more about Retaker Plus and how it can help you pass the CFP® Exam.
