March CFP^® Exam Draws Record-Breaking Number of Candidates

CFP Board today announced the results of the March 2025 CFP^® Certification Exam. The exam was administered during a March 18-25 testing window to 3,854 candidates. This is the largest number of people to ever sit for a CFP^® Certification Exam in March, breaking last March’s record of 3,683 exam-takers. The pass rate for the March exam was 65%.

“The growing demand for CFP^® certification reflects a powerful trend, as more financial professionals commit to serving their clients’ best interests,” said CFP Board CEO Kevin R. Keller, CAE. “As the community of CFP^® professionals grows, more Americans gain access to the competent, ethical financial planning that they deserve.”

According to the March 2025 post-exam survey, the main reason exam-takers are pursuing CFP^® certification is to demonstrate expertise in their job (40%), followed by to distinguish themselves as a fiduciary (33%). Of the exam-takers, 24% reported receiving some level of financial support from their employers during the CFP^® certification process.

Registration for the CFP^® exam showed that 72% of March candidates are under 40 years old, and 41% are under age 30. (Both figures reflect an increase in younger candidates compared to November 2024, when 69% were under 40 and 39% were under 30.) The 10 states with the most exam-takers were California, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio, New Jersey and Massachusetts, with 2,056 candidates from these states sitting for the exam.

Statistics from previous exams — including those from the March 2025 exam — are available on CFP Board’s exam statistics webpage.

July 2025 Exam

The CFP^® exam is offered three times annually, in March, July and November. Registration for the July 2025 CFP^® Certification Exam is now open. This exam will be administered from July 10-17, 2025. The registration deadline is June 26, and the Education Verification deadline is June 18. Testing appointments are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. We therefore encourage individuals to register for the exam at least 60 days in advance for the best date and site availability.

To begin the path to certification, CFP^® certification candidates should create accounts on CFP.net. Here, they can access resources for all stages of their certification journey.

ABOUT CFP BOARD

CFP Board is the professional body for personal financial planners in the U.S. CFP Board consists of two affiliated organizations focused on advancing the financial planning profession for the public’s benefit. CFP Board of Standards sets and upholds standards for financial planning and administers the prestigious CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^® certification — widely recognized by the public, advisors and firms as the standard for financial planners — so that the public has access to the benefits of competent and ethical financial planning. CFP^® certification is held by more than 100,000 people in the U.S. CFP Board Center for Financial Planning addresses diversity and workforce development challenges and conducts and publishes research that adds to the financial planning profession’s body of knowledge.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250422676215/en/