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CFP Exam Guides

The CFP exam: 170 questions over six hours, three testing windows a year, and an education requirement that must be verified before you sit.

Overview

Questions: 170
Questions presented
Time: 6hours
2 × 3hr sessions, 85 Qs each
Format: Multiple choice
Standalone, scenarios & cases
Pass mark: Competency-based
No fixed passing percentage

The eight knowledge domainsOpen the published blueprint

Domain	Subtopics	Questions (derived)
1. Retirement Savings and Income Planning	7	31
2. Investment Planning	8	29
3. General Principles of Financial Planning	8	25
4. Tax Planning	8	24
5. Risk Management and Insurance Planning	8	19
6. Estate Planning	8	17
7. Professional Conduct and Regulation	6	13
8. Psychology of Financial Planning	6	12

Guide topics

Start hereCFP Exam Master Guide 2026Requirements, dates, cost, format, study plan and what happens after the exam. Free practiceCFP Exam: 7 free practice questionsAnswer without an account, check your score and read the explanations.

Exam overview

Windows, registration, format, fees and how results arrive.

Exam difficulty

What CFP Board's published pass rate does and does not tell you.

Exam topics

Every Principal Knowledge Domain, its weighting, and what sits inside it.

Study plans

Schedules built around the 250-300 hours this takes, and around a job.

Practice tips

How CFP case studies are built, and how to take six hours of them.

Certification requirements

Education, exam, experience and ethics - and which one actually gates you.

Careers and pay

What the marks are worth, who hires, and whether it opens the door you want.

Comparisons

CFP against the CFA, the ChFC, and against doing nothing.

Common questions

Short answers to the specific things candidates ask.

Start with these five