CFP Comprehensive examination
One comprehensive exam across the financial planning process. 170 multiple-choice questions, using stand-alone items, short scenarios, and case studies, in two three-hour sessions.
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MiloPrep will cover Comprehensive examination with adaptive practice mapped to the published content areas.
Who should prioritise Comprehensive examination
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.
Format at a glance
One comprehensive exam across the financial planning process. 170 multiple-choice questions, using stand-alone items, short scenarios, and case studies, in two three-hour sessions. One comprehensive exam across the financial planning process. 170 multiple-choice questions, using stand-alone items, short scenarios, and case studies, in two three-hour sessions.
Question format
Stand-alone, short-scenario, and case-study MCQs
Duration
360 min
2 sessions
Questions
170
Sessions
2
CFP Comprehensive examination topic weights
Published weight ranges or scored-question allocations from the awarding body. Use them to budget study time - larger areas deserve calendar priority.
Comprehensive examination
| Topic | Weight |
|---|---|
| Professional Conduct and Regulation | 8% |
| General Principles of Financial Planning | 15% |
| Risk Management and Insurance Planning | 11% |
| Investment Planning | 17% |
| Tax Planning | 14% |
| Retirement Savings and Income Planning | 18% |
| Estate Planning | 10% |
| Psychology of Financial Planning | 7% |
Sample Comprehensive examination study sequence
Select a stage to see its purpose. This is not an official timetable. Repeat or shorten stages according to your baseline, work calendar, and timed practice results.
Professional Conduct and Regulation
Weight 8%. Studying topics in isolation and missing integrated case questions that require combining tax, retirement, and estate rules for one household.
Keep your primary course aligned with the current syllabus, then use practice evidence to decide whether this stage needs more repetition.
Where CFP practice should focus
Three high-leverage drills. If practice time is short, start here.
Retirement income sequencing
Practise Social Security, account types, and withdrawal order together - the exam loves combined constraints.
Tax-aware investment choices
Ask which account and which lot the household should use. Asset location is a common integration point.
Estate documents vs tax outcomes
Know which recommendation changes probate, taxes, or both. Stems often blur those goals on purpose.
Navigate this exam
Comprehensive examination learn articles(15)
Full CFP learn index →- Professional Conduct and RegulationProfessional Conduct and Regulation has a published allocation of 8% in Comprehensive examination: treat it as a decision rule plus timed practice, not vocabulary alone. One comprehensive exam across the financial planning process. 170 multiple-choice questions, using stand-alone items, short scenarios, and case studies, in two three-hour sessions.
- General Principles of Financial PlanningGeneral Principles of Financial Planning has a published allocation of 15% in Comprehensive examination: treat it as a decision rule plus timed practice, not vocabulary alone. One comprehensive exam across the financial planning process. 170 multiple-choice questions, using stand-alone items, short scenarios, and case studies, in two three-hour sessions.
- Risk Management and Insurance PlanningRisk Management and Insurance Planning has a published allocation of 11% in Comprehensive examination: treat it as a decision rule plus timed practice, not vocabulary alone. One comprehensive exam across the financial planning process. 170 multiple-choice questions, using stand-alone items, short scenarios, and case studies, in two three-hour sessions.
- Investment PlanningInvestment Planning has a published allocation of 17% in Comprehensive examination: treat it as a decision rule plus timed practice, not vocabulary alone. One comprehensive exam across the financial planning process. 170 multiple-choice questions, using stand-alone items, short scenarios, and case studies, in two three-hour sessions.
- Tax PlanningTax Planning has a published allocation of 14% in Comprehensive examination: treat it as a decision rule plus timed practice, not vocabulary alone. One comprehensive exam across the financial planning process. 170 multiple-choice questions, using stand-alone items, short scenarios, and case studies, in two three-hour sessions.
- Retirement Savings and Income PlanningRetirement Savings and Income Planning has a published allocation of 18% in Comprehensive examination: treat it as a decision rule plus timed practice, not vocabulary alone. One comprehensive exam across the financial planning process. 170 multiple-choice questions, using stand-alone items, short scenarios, and case studies, in two three-hour sessions.
- Estate PlanningEstate Planning has a published allocation of 10% in Comprehensive examination: treat it as a decision rule plus timed practice, not vocabulary alone. One comprehensive exam across the financial planning process. 170 multiple-choice questions, using stand-alone items, short scenarios, and case studies, in two three-hour sessions.
- Psychology of Financial PlanningPsychology of Financial Planning has a published allocation of 7% in Comprehensive examination: treat it as a decision rule plus timed practice, not vocabulary alone. One comprehensive exam across the financial planning process. 170 multiple-choice questions, using stand-alone items, short scenarios, and case studies, in two three-hour sessions.
- Integrated Case: Tax Plus RetirementCFP case skill: combine tax and retirement rules for one household instead of studying topics in isolation.
- Insurance Needs Analysis Under ConstraintsRisk-management stems that force priority decisions when the client cannot fund every coverage gap.
- Portfolio Construction for Household GoalsInvestment planning that ties asset allocation to stated goals, time horizon, and tax location.
- Estate Documents and Titling InteractionsHow wills, trusts, and titling interact — CFP estate stems punish document-only answers.
- Behavioural Bias in Client ConversationsPsychology of financial planning — identify the bias and the planner response the outline expects.
- Education Funding Vehicle Comparison529 vs alternatives under tax and financial-aid constraints inside comprehensive cases.
- Ethics Disclosure and Fiduciary DutiesProfessional conduct stems — duty, disclosure, and documentation under CFP Board standards.
How to read a CFP integrated case
Setup
A household has a concentrated stock position, a Roth and a traditional IRA, a 529, and an ageing parent. Questions ask about risk management, tax, and retirement income in turn.
How to read it
Build a one-page fact sheet: goals, time horizon, tax brackets, and constraints. Answer each question from the sheet. Do not restart the story from scratch for every item.
Takeaway
CFP cases reward a stable client model. Re-reading the narrative each time burns the clock.
Troubleshooting common CFP study problems
If your mocks are stuck, match the symptom and change the next week. do not just do more of the same questions.
Topic quizzes high, full mocks low
Likely cause
Studying domains in silos without integration.
Next step
Replace two topic blocks this week with full household cases.
Estate and insurance always lag
Likely cause
Deferring lower-comfort domains until too late.
Next step
Schedule fixed weekly blocks for those domains proportional to weight.
Conduct questions feel tricky
Likely cause
Answering from adviser habit instead of CFP Board language.
Next step
Drill Code and Standards scenarios closed-book before the next mock.
Comprehensive examination study-week checklist
- List published weights for Comprehensive examination
- Drill Stand-alone, short-scenario, and case-study MCQs under partial timing
- Attack failure mode: Studying topics in isolation and missing integrated case questions that require combining tax, retir
- Run one block near 360 minutes
- Log misses and retest within 72 hours
If topic quizzes high, full mocks low, Replace two topic blocks this week with full household cases.
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Comprehensive examination 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.
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