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CFP guide

90-day CFP study plan

A sample calendar skeleton — not an official timetable. Stretch or compress weeks using your hours-per-week and diagnostic scores. Unlike multi-part licences, CFP is a single integrated exam. Use MiloPrep tools to plan hours for CFP alongside practice in the app.

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Start your CFP practice

MiloPrep will cover every CFP sitting under one subscription.

Horizon

90 days

Sittings in plan

1

Weekly hours

You choose

Core loop

Diagnose → drill → timed

Who this fits

Fits you if

  • Financial planners and advisers serving individual clients who want the CFP certification’s comprehensive planning standard.

Skip if

  • Candidates focused on institutional portfolio management (CFA), alternatives (CAIA), or IRS representation (EA) as their primary career path.

Six phases

  1. Step 1

    Days 1–15 — Map and baseline

    Skim every CFP content outline and take a short diagnostic per sitting you will attempt first. Log weak areas by topic weight, not by chapter title. Confirm windows on CFP Board.

  2. Step 2

    Days 16–45 — Heavy practice

    Investment and retirement planning carry large shares. Do not spend equal weeks on every domain. Retest errors within 72 hours so the loop is closed before you move on.

  3. Step 3

    Days 46–60 — Second sitting prep or deepen

    Deepen weak domains with mixed sets and one weekly timed block near published length.

  4. Step 4

    Days 61–75 — Timed blocks

    Combine tax, insurance, retirement, and estate facts in one case. Isolated quizzes are not enough. Protect sleep and review only missed patterns.

  5. Step 5

    Days 76–85 — Peak mocks

    Run two continuous practices near the next sitting length. Compare misses to the published weight table and cut low-yield rabbit holes.

  6. Step 6

    Days 86–90 — Taper

    Light review of high-weight domains and ethics/standards where relevant. Do not open brand-new topic trees in the final 48 hours.

CFP study-week checklist

  • Open the CFP hub and mark which sittings you will book first.
  • Spend at least one block on Comprehensive examination high-weight topics.
  • Run one mixed set, then log every stem you missed with the correct rule.
  • Schedule one timed block near published sitting length this week.
  • Revisit one troubleshooting symptom from the hub and apply the next step.
Pro tip

Retirement income sequencing: Practise Social Security, account types, and withdrawal order together - the exam loves combined constraints.

Tip 2

Tax-aware investment choices: Ask which account and which lot the household should use. Asset location is a common integration point.

Tip 3

If topic quizzes high, full mocks low, Replace two topic blocks this week with full household cases.

Tip 4

If estate and insurance always lag, Schedule fixed weekly blocks for those domains proportional to weight.

Without structured practiceWith MiloPrep-style loops
Read chapters end-to-end with no weight mapBudget weeks to published CFP content-area ranges
Untimed question dumps until exhaustionShort diagnostics → mixed drills → timed sitting blocks
Ignore format (sims / cases / item sets)Separate format drills that match each sitting
Repeat the same miss with no error logLog stem mistakes and retest within 72 hours
ApproachBest forWatch-out
Part-by-part sprintCandidates sitting one CFP part soonLeaving neighbouring topics cold
Weight-first calendarWorking professionals with limited hoursSkipping format practice
Full mock weeksFinal 3–4 weeks before a sittingUsing mocks before a baseline exists

Sitting checklist

PartFocus reminder
Comprehensive examinationOne comprehensive exam across the financial planning process. 170 multiple-choice questions, using stand-alone items, short scenarios, and c

Confirm numbers on official pages

Question count, session length, and principal knowledge topic weights come from CFP Board exam materials. The exam is a single comprehensive assessment delivered in two sessions. Topic weights are published as approximate percentages and can be updated when CFP Board revises the content outline.

How we review structure facts

MiloPrep cites awarding-body materials for CFP. Fees and pass rates are excluded when they move too often to state as facts.

Practice access

Get the CFP practice library

Sign up for MiloPrep for adaptive CFP drills in the app.

  • Mapped practice across every CFP sitting
  • Weak-area targeting instead of random question dumps
  • One expanding study system across professional exams
Sign up

Create your account to start practicing.

Next steps

CFP hub

Overview of Certified Financial Planner.

Open hub

Comprehensive examination practice

Blueprint and sample practice for Comprehensive examination.

Practice

CFP FAQs

Is the CFP exam one part or multiple parts?
One comprehensive exam delivered in two three-hour sessions, not a multi-part licence like CPA or CFA levels.
How many questions are on the CFP exam?
170 multiple-choice questions, per CFP Board exam details.
What topics carry the most weight?
Published principal knowledge topic weights put large shares on investment planning and retirement savings and income planning. See the topic table on this page.
Does MiloPrep cover the full CFP exam?
Yes. The all-access subscription includes comprehensive CFP practice under one plan.
Where do these CFP facts come from?
From CFP Board exam detail and content outline pages linked in the official source callout.
How many sittings does the CFP exam include?
CFP is structured as 1 comprehensive exam. On this site we track 1 sitting: Comprehensive examination. Confirm current windows on CFP Board pages.
What question format should I expect on CFP Comprehensive examination?
Comprehensive examination uses Stand-alone, short-scenario, and case-study MCQs across about 170 scored items, with roughly 360 minutes of content time. Always re-check CFP Board before you book.