Exam content specialists work with the Council on Examinations to review all the questions and cases proposed for the current exam to be given during the next test cycle. Volunteers work through the exam question by question and decide if questions are fair, appropriate, current and correct.

HOLD Item Review

The HOLD Item Review consisted of subject matter experts that currently serve or have previously served on CFP Board’s Council on Examinations (formerly the Board of Examiners). During the two-day workshop, the participants reviewed, evaluated and updated exam items that were inactive due to content issues, accuracy and/or industry applicability. As a result, the status of hundreds of exam questions became active status, which in turn increased the number and quality of questions eligible for future CFP® Certification Examinations.

Item Writers

Item writers serve on an ad hoc committee and create multiple-choice questions to be submitted for use on future CFP® Certification Examinations.

Paired Review

Paired review volunteers are paired with a member of the Council on Examinations to evaluate test questions for future use or to edit or retire exam questions. This step of development makes the final determination whether an item is appropriate for the CFP® Certification Examination.

Field Test

Field tests of the newly written or revised test questions are held around the country to gather statistics and comments from current certificants. This is the first step of development following the writing or revision of CFP® Certification Examination questions. Volunteers take a mock exam and make judgments on the quality of each question, and the comments and statistics are recorded. The items or case then move on to the next phase of exam development.