United States
Hong KongWhat 300 hours actually looks like
Roughly 90 hours reading, 90 on practice questions, 40 on case studies, 36 on full mocks and 44 on reviewing them. The review time is the part candidates omit and the part that produces the improvement.
Three hundred hours is an abstraction until it is broken into activities. Here is where they go.
| Activity | Hours | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and first-pass learning | 90 | 30% |
| Practice questions by domain | 90 | 30% |
| Case study practice | 40 | 13% |
| Full-length mock exams | 36 | 12% |
| Reviewing mocks and questions | 44 | 15% |
Reading is the smallest useful share
Ninety hours is about thirty per cent, and candidates routinely spend sixty per cent there because it is comfortable and produces a feeling of progress.
Reading builds recognition. The exam tests recall and application, and those come from questions.
Questions are the largest block
Ninety hours at roughly two minutes a question with review is around 1,500 to 2,000 questions across the preparation.
That is the figure worth holding, and it is achievable at around a hundred and twenty questions a week for sixteen weeks.
Case studies are separate
Forty hours, and they are not the same activity as stand-alone questions.
A case study takes twenty to thirty minutes to work properly with review, so forty hours is around eighty to a hundred cases. Fewer than that and the integration skill the exam is built around does not develop.
Forty-four hours of reviewing mocks and questions is fifteen per cent of the plan and the first thing to go when time is short. It is also where the improvement happens - a mock without review is a measurement, not a study session.
Mocks
Thirty-six hours is six full-length papers. Four is the practical minimum; six is better, spread from the halfway point onward.
At least two need to be six hours in one day, because that is the only way to test the second-session stamina the exam actually requires.
What is not in the 300
The coursework. The 250 to 300 hours sits on top of twelve to eighteen months of CFP Board Registered Program study, which is a separate and much larger commitment.
Candidates who treat the coursework as the preparation are the largest group among those who fail, and the distinction is worth being clear about from the start.
CFP® is a registered mark of Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. We are not affiliated with, or endorsed by, CFP Board.
Common questions
How should 300 study hours be divided?
Roughly 90 reading, 90 on practice questions, 40 on case studies, 36 on full mocks and 44 reviewing them. Reading is the smallest useful share despite feeling the most productive.
How many practice questions is that?
Around 1,500 to 2,000 across the preparation, which is about a hundred and twenty a week for sixteen weeks.
How many case studies?
Around eighty to a hundred, at twenty to thirty minutes each with review. Fewer than that and the integration skill the exam tests does not develop.
Why does review time matter so much?
Because a mock without review is a measurement rather than a study session. Review is fifteen per cent of the plan, the first thing cut when time is short, and where the improvement actually happens.
Does the 300 hours include the coursework?
No. It sits on top of twelve to eighteen months of CFP Board Registered Program study, and treating the coursework as the preparation is the largest single cause of failure.