Most candidates spend 250–400 hours preparing. Below is a study plan, the Dalton discount available to BYU students, and the resource BYU students use for content review.
The Study Plan
1. Base content review (about 30 to 40 hours)
Build broad familiarity with the material before going deeper. Open Exam Prep covers each topic in short videos and episodes you can work through during downtime. Beyond that, skim the textbooks without trying to read them in depth. In this stage focus on recognition and not mastery.
2. Work a question bank (the bulk of your study time) – doing REPS!
Most of your study time should go here. Work through a question bank at least twice. The first pass shows what you do not know and the second is where you close those gaps. Many BYU students use Dalton’s Question Bank because of the discount described below, but any reputable provider works. Track weak topics and keep returning to them. The more reps you do, the higher the chance you’ll have passing the exam.
3. Practice exams (near the end of your second question-bank pass)
Take both the official CFP Board practice exam and a full practice exam from Dalton or another prep provider as a final check before test day.
Readiness benchmarks
The CFP Board practice exam tends to run a little easier than the real thing, so scoring around 75% is a reasonable sign you are ready. Practice exams from Dalton or another provider tend to run a little harder, so 60 to 65% there is a comparable signal. These are not official cutoffs; they are patterns BYU students have noticed.
Dalton CFP® Exam Prep Discount
BYU students receive $400 off Dalton Education’s CFP® exam prep program, which brings it to roughly $1,250. This is Dalton’s exam prep program, not its live review course. Dalton is optional; BYU has arranged the discount, but students are welcome to use a different exam-prep provider.
How to claim it
Use discount code BYUREVIEW400 for $400 discount
The Before-Graduation Exam Fee
Separate from prep costs, CFP Board offers a flat $200 exam registration fee for candidates who sit for the exam before completing their bachelor’s degree from a CFP Board Registered Program, a savings of $625 to $825 off the standard fee, which runs $825 to $1,025 depending on when you register. It is not automatic. Confirm the current amount and your eligibility with CFP Board when you register, and note that you need to sit before you graduate to qualify.
Open Exam Prep
Open Exam Prep offers a free CFP® video course of 150 or more short lessons on YouTube, plus a companion podcast covering exam topics and the financial planning industry. Use it for the content review stage above.
Watch on YouTube, listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or browse all episodes.
Questions About Strategy or Prep?
Exam strategy and preparation
Spencer Dickinson
spenc354@byu.edu
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