The CFP exam pass rate

In July 2026, 66% of the 3,621 candidates passed: 69% of first-time takers and 57% of repeaters. Since March 2024 the overall rate has stayed between 62% and 68%.

Questions	170 multiple choice
Time	Two 3-hour sections of 85
Scoring	1 point each, pass or fail on the total
Windows	March, July and November
July 2026 pass rate	66% overall, 69% first-time

Pass rates by window

Window	Candidates	Overall	First-time	Repeaters
July 2026	3,621	66%	69%	57%
March 2026	4,391	67%	69%	60%
November 2025	3,970	64%	65%	58%
July 2025	3,214	64%	68%	56%
March 2025	3,854	65%	68%	56%
November 2024	3,755	62%	66%	50%
July 2024	2,999	65%	69%	50%
March 2024	3,683	68%	72%	54%

What the numbers say

First-time takers do better than repeaters in every window, by 7 to 19 points.
CFP Board marks March 2022 as the start of the current exam blueprint; rates since then sit between 62% and 68% overall.
Your own odds depend on your weakest domains, which a pass rate cannot show.

Measure your own readiness instead

Take the free 15-question diagnostic. It is weighted like the exam and shows your score in each domain.
Work on the weakest domain with its lessons and practice, then sit the full 170-question practice exam on the real clock.
Keep the pace in mind: 85 questions in 3 hours is about 2 minutes a question.

Try 3 questions

Question 1CFP Board's Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct

A mutual fund wholesaler offers a CFP professional an all-expenses-paid week at a beach resort for her and her spouse. The wholesaler's funds are among those she recommends to clients. What should she do?

Question 2Financing strategies and debt management

A couple earns $108,000 a year in gross income. Their proposed mortgage payment including taxes and insurance is $2,700 a month, and their other debt payments are $900 a month. Lenders often use guidelines of 28% for housing costs and 36% for all debt payments, each as a share of gross income. Which statement is correct?

Question 3Insurance needs analysis

A client, age 45, expects to work 20 more years. After taxes and her own consumption, she contributes $80,000 a year to her family. Using a 5% discount rate and end-of-year payments, what is her human life value?

Next step

Take the free diagnostic Take the course tour See the exam cost and retake rules

CFP Board's historical exam statistics

Questions people ask

What percentage of people pass the CFP exam?

66% in July 2026 and 67% in March 2026, per CFP Board's historical exam statistics. First-time takers passed at 69% in both windows.

Is the pass rate higher for first-time takers?

Yes. In every window from March 2024 to July 2026, first-time takers passed at 65% to 72% and repeaters at 50% to 60%.

What happens if I fail?

You receive a diagnostic report of your performance across the Principal Knowledge Topics, with your relative strengths and weaknesses. A retake is the whole exam at the applicable registration fee.