CFP Board today announced the results of the March 2024 CFP® Certification Exam. The exam was administered during a March 12-19 testing window to 3,683 candidates. This is the largest number of people to ever sit for a CFP® Certification Exam in March, breaking last March’s record of 3,527 exam-takers. The pass rate for the March 2024 exam was 68%.
“This unprecedented turnout for the March 2024 CFP® exam reflects the recognition of CFP® certification as the standard for competent, ethical financial planning,” said CFP Board CEO Kevin R. Keller, CAE. “As more Americans seek trusted and qualified advisors, the value of CFP® certification becomes increasingly evident. We congratulate all those who sat for the exam, and we look forward to welcoming the new CFP® certificants to our community of dedicated financial professionals.”
Based on the March CFP® exam results, CFP Board projects that the total number of active CFP® professionals will soon surpass 100,000 certificants in the U.S., representing about one-third of retail financial advisors.
According to the March 2024 post-exam survey, the main reason exam-takers are pursuing CFP® certification is to demonstrate expertise in their job (87%), followed by to distinguish themselves as a fiduciary (73%). Of the exam-takers, 59% reported receiving some level of financial support from their employers during the CFP® certification process.
Registration for the CFP® exam showed that 68% of March candidates are under 40 years old and 37% are under age 30. The 10 states with the most exam-takers were California, Texas, Illinois, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Michigan, Colorado and Massachusetts, with 1,895 candidates from these states sitting for the exam.
Statistics from previous exams — including those from the March 2024 exam — are available on CFP Board’s exam statistics webpage.
July 2024 Exam
The CFP® exam is offered three times annually, in March, July and November. Registration for the July 2024 CFP® Certification Exam is now open. This exam will be administered from July 9-16, 2024. The registration deadline is June 25, and the Education Verification deadline is June 18. Testing appointments are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. We therefore encourage individuals to register for the examat least 60 days in advance for the best date and site availability.
To begin the path to certification, CFP® certification candidates should create accounts on CFP.net. Here, they can access resources for all stages of their certification journey.
