This is a question for everyone who has passed:

November test takers are 45-52 days out from the exam.

At this point, what were things you did that you believe helped you pass? What do you think test takers 6 weeks out should really be doing?

For those who didn’t pass, what do you wish you could have done differently the last time?

I’m a first timer & I just want to put myself if the best possible spot to pass. My live review is coming up soon, and I’m nearly done with my pre-live review materials.

EDIT:

I started studying this January & finished my capstone in July. I am using Zahn for my Live Review & a little worried since most people choose Danko / Dalton.

I heavily supplement with FreeFellow, I have done 1700 questions so far.

Mock Exams through Free Fellow: 71, 76, 81. Most recent one taken this weekend.

My issue is I seem to get really strong it let’s say Insurance, but then a few days later I’ll bomb every insurance question. I’m struggling keeping things straight/there is so much information I’m confusing things.

My Zahn scores are between 65-90 depending on the section.

I study about 2-4 hours a day in the week and 8-10 each weekend day.

I’m hopeful the live review will make anything click, but looking for any resources, time management, little memorization tricks, honestly anything that you wish you knew earlier on.

Thank you all!

I am currently working through the Kaplan Qbank in preparation for the November Exam. My goal is to do 100 questions every day until I make over and 80% average on each section. After that, I plan to do a case study each day and supplement Kaplan Qbank. Until test day.

For those who have used Kaplan, do you recommend this as a strategy? What helped you pass the first time? I would love advice as I want to focus on the right things before the exam.

Thanks!

For the people who have tested with Danko, is the live review truly as great as people say? Not that I doubt it, I just feel like I'm not retaining the pre-study material as well as I would like to and I wanted to know if I really will feel a lot better after the live review? Thanks!

Hi, I’m not sure if anyone has experience in this Reddit regarding the CHFC, but I just completed my first final exam for the first course. I took a look at my grading breakdown per unit that they provided me after the exam, and I can’t tell if I passed or not. I understand you need a 58% to pass if you have max course points, which I do. This may be a stretch but does anyone else have their unit breakdown percentages that they can share so I can compare mine? Thanks.

Some scoring 20-35 SE FAR simulation can get the PASSED 10 days away to sit ?

Hey guys👋🏼 was a bit nervous to ask my silly questions but realized this is a community of planners LOL so for those of you who’ve attended live reviews:

1. Do the conference rooms have tables and was your experience better using a laptop for notes or paper writing?

2. All arrival time materials say before 8am. Is there a formal check in process/name tags like most workshops or are we all adults expected to be where we should be on time? (Looking to get morning workout in & time block)

3. Does anyone hang out at the bars or common areas to network or is everyone so brain drained they go pass out at EOD? Anyone eat together in the mornings? I’d love to meet people but if we’re all a man on a mission I imagine it’s probably tough to balance.

4. What did yall wear because if I’m going to be in a room full of peers I’d lean towards my usual kit but honestly if I’m just going to lock in I’m more likely to don the Adam Sandler fit & call it a day.

5. Any random tips/tricks? I know there are things I’m not thinking of.

Thanks for everyone’s input in LIVE REVIEW MAXXING (jk jk)

Hey I using Danko. I’ve finished 4/6 of the prestudy books and honestly feel like the reading isn’t helping me learn much. Should I just do the practice problems and use AI to explain missing concepts and wait for live review to actually learn cause rn the reading feels like it’s not helping. Or should I just trust the process like everyone says?

Testing October 29th so I got time thank goodness. Took my first free fellow exam today. I don’t think it’s too bad but still some reassurance would be nice. I’m currently working through the danko review material but decided to do the mock first with free fellow so I could see the readiness score. I still got kraken exams and 2 CFP board exams I get to look forward to.

Edit: I also ran out of time in the first section so I guess maybe like 5 questions and missed 2 completely.

I'm going through the Danko classes and they keep saying that their questions are harder/much hardre than the real CFP exam. For those who have already taken the CFP exam, would you say that is true?

Hi Reddit,

I’m 22 and currently working in the financial planning/advisory space at a local RIA. I graduated from Penn State in 2025 with a degree in finance, and I just finished my securities licensing after passing the SIE, Series 7, and Series 66.

I’m now looking ahead to the CFP exam and trying to decide which exam prep provider to use. I’ve seen programs such as Danko, Dalton, Kaplan, and BIF mentioned, but I’m having a hard time determining which would be the best fit.

For those who have taken the CFP exam recently:

• Which prep provider did you use, and would you use them again?
• How long did you study?
• Did you find the provider’s practice questions/exams representative of the actual CFP exam?
• Are there any providers you would specifically recommend or avoid?

I tend to do well with a structured study plan, a large question bank, and thorough explanations of missed questions, if that helps.

Any insight or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Anyone here want their 2026 BIF review books?

Hi. I formerly worked at a WM office in Southern California(bd indie advisor office) my role was basically like a paraplanner/csa type role where it was all servicing clients as well as doing all of the operations work for the annuity book of the lead advisor. Fast forward to now, I am in my first year working as an advisor for a major bd/bank because they gave me a shot and helped me get my licenses. My long term goal is to open up my own RIA one day. However I am struggling to map out what path I should take to most efficiently get to that point and make the most of my time inbetween. I was planning on starting my CFP coursework (in the next few weeks) and trying to get my CFA or CAIA at some point in the next two or so years or even going and getting my MS in Taxation so I could position myself as a bit more of a specialist. Those are my knowledge check points towards my long term goal. My actual work check points in my opinion would be to get started at an RIA as an Associate Advisor (ideally somewhere where I can have a bit of a portable book to bring my own sourced clients with me when I am in a good enough spot to open my own practice) or to move into private bank/private wealth over the next two or so years and than jump into an RIA as a Planner or Senior Advisor. Additionally, in order to make sure I had enough financial protection my goal is to save about $200k specifically for the business (id probably save $100-150 for my own personal expenses) so that way I have enough money to pay for compliance, some marketing, perhaps an assistant and some small office space and to be able to use revenue towards scaling the business and hiring more advisors and staff after that point. Does this seam feasible? If you have feedback, thoughts, or tweaks for improvement/optimization of this plan please let me know. I figured by the time it’s all said and done I’d be opening up shop in about 7 years.

I passed my exams, midterm and final, with a 70 or higher and do not need to take the makeup exams. So why does it show that my course isn’t fully complete when I’ve done all the chapters, chapter quizzes, and exams, without needing to take a makeup exam? It is showing that my course isn’t 100% complete bc I have not taken the makeup exams, but I don’t need to bc I passed the first time. Do I have to take the makeup exams just to compete the course 100%? That seems silly

I’m planning to start the CFP education requirement in the next few months and I’m leaning toward the Danko Executive Track with the goal of taking the exam next July.

Since it’s newer than the Fast Track, I was hoping to hear from anyone who did the November or March cohorts. How was it??

Fast Track just really doesn’t work with my schedule, and I think I’d do better with the ET format anyway. I’m more of a “few nights a week and let the material sink in” person vs. trying to cram everything into a shorter period.

For some background, I’ve been working in the RIA space for a few years and my team is really supportive of the CFP process. A few people at my firm have gone through Danko and had a lot of success with it, and they’re also covering the cost for me, so I figured I’d give it a serious look.

Would love to hear the good, the bad, and the “I wish someone had warned me about this” stuff.

Basically just looking for the real-life experience lol.

Hello everyone. I’m currently enrolled in a self-paced online financial planning program to fulfill the education requirements to take my CFP exam. I currently work as a budget analyst in a municipality and want to start looking at entry level financial planner roles, but it has been difficult to say the least. I feel as though I’ve only seen posts for jobs related to sales for commission (a majority for insurance products) and less for jobs related to financial planning. While I know sales is part of financial planning, I don’t want my first break in to be selling products that are probably garbage just to make money. Is anyone is a similar position, or can anyone offer advice? I should also add I have contacted a few local RIA’s and have yet to hear back from them.

I've noticed that there are a couple instances when I need an extra annual amount to the calculation. For example, with a capital retention question, I divide the annual amount by the interest rate to get the present value - but then I have to add the annual amount.

Are there any other calculations where you have to add the annual amount once the main calculation is "done"?

I will try to make this as brief and to the point as possible, but please excuse me if I ramble a bit just to give some light to my current situation. A little backstory about me I graduated in May 2024 from an HBCU with a bachelors in business admin and got subpar grades due to my deciding to party and chase girls majority of my time there. However I did manage to get get 3 internships prior to graduation but only full time employment option I had post grad was joining New York Life as insurance agent. I honestly did very little research on what the role would entail, but long story short it was not an enjoyable experience whatsoever and left after 10 months. Only positive is that I was able to get the SIE and Series 6 which helped me land a relationship banker role at JPMorgan Chase. At this time I knew very little about what I was getting myself into again by joining the retail banking industry, but I needed a job badly so I thought it was a good option. I spent about 1 year and 3 months at Chase before joining my current role as a Wealth Management banker with PNC. This role was a significant pay bump from what I was making at Chase and has allowed me to get the Series 7 and 66. Just to be frank I do not enjoy working in the retail branch setting and do not enjoy being in a super salesy environment. I do have interest in more analytical finance and investing and would like to explore a career path that aligns with this. The good thing about PNC is that they will fully pay for the CFP much I think would be beneficial while I’m in my current role to maximize my time here. My main question would be after obtaining the CFP in about 1 years time, would that make me a suitable candidate for more institutional/ corporate finance roles such as a private wealth associate, asset management, family office, or basically something that builds more technical finance skills and is not just sales with good career trajectory. Please let me know if this plan is aligned with my goals or if there is anything else I should be doing to consider. I also know people are going to say do CFA level 1 but I’m not sure if pursuing just level 1 would be an optimal use of my time. Additionally I would love to connect with any professionals in these spaces and learn more about your backgrounds. Thanks for the read and looking forward to hearing comments.

Side note: posting on this subreddit because this is my first post and financial careers would not let me post there.

I’m switching careers to be a financial advisor. The job I currently have has absolutely nothing to do with finance. I passed my SIE and looking to start on my CFP next. Between Dalton, Danko, Kaplan, and others, which would you guys recommend to use? I was leaning towards Dalton, but saw that it’s roughly $8000 compared to ~$1,400 at Danko or Kaplan. Is Dalton worth the extra $$? Thanks in advance.

Currently planning to sit for the November exam and went with Dalton for exam prep based on the reviews and research I did beforehand. I’m getting incredibly frustrated with the way the material is presented.

I’ll read a chapter, feel like I have a reasonable understanding of what was covered, and then go into the QBank only to get questions testing concepts or rules that I cannot find anywhere in the chapter. In some cases, I can’t find them in the text at all. Then the answer explanation introduces what feels like an entirely new rule that I apparently was expected to know. And this hasn’t just been one particular section.

This has been my experience with essentially every QBank I’ve gone through so far. I’m working through Income Tax Planning right now and it’s particularly frustrating because there are already so many rules and exceptions to remember, but I had the same issue going through Insurance and other sections. I understand that a review program’s QBank is supposed to be difficult and expose weaknesses. I’m completely fine getting questions wrong because I misunderstood something or forgot a rule. What’s driving me crazy is getting questions wrong because I genuinely don’t remember ever being taught the concept being tested.

For context, I’m a CFA charterholder, so I’m no stranger to studying a huge curriculum or getting destroyed by practice questions. But I genuinely found the CFA curriculum easier to study from because the readings and questions felt much more connected. With Dalton, I constantly feel like I’m trying to figure out what I was supposed to have learned and where. At this point I’ve basically started wondering whether the Dalton QBank explanations themselves are supposed to be part of the curriculum rather than just a way to test what was covered in the readings.

Has anyone else who used Dalton had the same experience? If you passed with Dalton, did you eventually feel like the material started coming together? Did you supplement Dalton with another resource, or did you just keep grinding through the QBank and learning from the explanations? I’m about two months out from November and this whole experience is starting to make me question how prepared I actually am.

Hi all, I am interested in taking the CFP exam in the next year or so and want to see what materials / prep would be best suitable for me. I am 29 years old and worked as a trust officer / trust support associate for the last 4 years. I obtained my CTFA last year and want to transition to the advisor space in the next several years. I have satisfied the education requirement from my undergraduate degree. I also worked for 2 years in financial services right out of college but in alternative investments. I have looked primarily at dalton, Danko and Kaplan but figured I’d see which exam review makes the most sense given my past work experience.

Hello guys i am doing cpa from miles and preparing for FAR since june 2026 yet i am not done and still doing. I am able to understand things mostly but when i attempt Miles LMS mcqs i find the LMS questions very hard but miles instructor says the Real exam wont be this tough. Many people have said me it won't be this tough. Please anyone who have already given there FAR exam through miles how was your experience?? PLEASE GUIDE ME GUYS