CFP Exam Study Guide 2027–2028 | CFP Certification Exam Prep for Financial Planners, 200 Practice Questions (PDF)

Prepare for the CFP Certification Examination with a complete study guide organized by CFP Board's eight Principal Knowledge Domains and 70 Principal Knowledge Topics. Every section teaches the reasoning the exam rewards: what a CFP professional acting as a fiduciary should recommend, which rule decides the client's facts, and how to work the calculation with your financial calculator.

What's Inside

• Exam overview: format (170 questions, two 3-hour sections, stand-alone, scenario and case study items), domain weights, scoring and results, retakes, registration, the four certification requirements and renewal

• Professional Conduct and Regulation: the Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct, fiduciary duty, Practice Standards, Procedural Rules, securities and consumer protection law

• General Principles: the seven-step planning process, financial statements and ratios, cash flow and debt, economics, time value of money and education funding

• Risk Management and Insurance: property, liability, health, disability, long-term care, life insurance, annuities, needs analysis and business uses

• Investment Planning: vehicles, risk and return measures, valuation, duration, asset allocation, portfolio theory and strategies

• Tax Planning: income tax calculation, entities, trusts, basis, property transactions, passive losses, equity compensation and charitable planning

• Retirement Savings and Income Planning: needs analysis, Social Security and Medicare, plan types and rules, distributions, RMDs, Roth rules and business succession

• Estate Planning and Psychology of Financial Planning: titling, gifts, estate and GST tax, trusts, marital deduction, money scripts, behavioral finance and counseling

• Worked calculations in calculator steps (N, I/Y, PV, PMT, FV, BGN/END), plus charts and flows and 133 quick-reference tables

• Exam Tips, Common Traps, Memory Aids and Client Scenarios in every chapter

• Study schedules (4, 8 and 12 weeks), FAQs and test-taking strategies

• 2 practice tests of 100 questions each (200 questions total), four options per question, weighted like the official domains, with a complete answer key and an explanation for every question

Format

• Instant digital download (PDF), 8.5 × 11 in

• Clickable table of contents

• Print it or study on a tablet, laptop or phone

Please note: This is a digital product. No physical item will be shipped.

CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® and CFP® (with plaque design) are certification marks owned in the United States by Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Center for Financial Planning, Inc. This is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by CFP Board.