Write the exam

1. Your admission ticket

In-person

You will get an email with directions to download and print your admission ticket in your FP Canada™ account. Your exam location address will be on your admission ticket. Print and bring the admission ticket to your exam.

Do not write on your admission ticket.

Online proctoring

You will get an email from Yardstick approximately two weeks before your exam date with log-in details and information related to preparing for and accessing your exam during your scheduled time.

The body of the email you receive from Yardstick is your admission ticket.

You do not need to print your admission ticket, but you should have the email from Yardstick accessible on your computer to show the proctor before you start your exam.

All candidates

Review your admission ticket to make sure your personal and exam information is correct. If you have any questions or think there is an error on your admission ticket, reviewing it in advance gives you time to contact us at info@fpcanada.ca, 416.593.8587 or 1.800.305.9886

2. Valid identification

All candidates must have valid government-issued photo identification that has not expired, and that has both your photograph and signature, to present at the in-person test centre, and to show to the proctor for online proctoring. If you are an online proctoring candidate, your identification will be photographed.

Acceptable photo identification:

• valid passport
• Canadian citizenship card (issued before February 1, 2012)
• valid driver’s license
• provincial health card
• Canadian military identification card
• Canadian permanent resident card (only valid if signed)
• age of majority card

Your name as it appears on your exam application, eligibility documentation and exam admission ticket must match the name on the photo identification you provide, or you may be denied access to write the exam.

3. Noiseless, non-programmable financial calculator

You are allowed to use a calculator for the exam, but it must be an FP Canada-approved calculator. Any calculator with programmable features, capacity to store text, graphing capability, or printing capability is not acceptable.

• You must bring your own FP Canada-approved calculator
  • calculators are not supplied at in-person test centres.
• You can bring a spare calculator and/or loose batteries (i.e., without packaging) to the exam room, but you cannot keep either at your desk
• Put fresh batteries in your primary calculator before the exam and test them

All exam proctors at both the in-person centres and for online proctoring know that candidates are allowed to use calculators, and which ones are permitted. Any debate on the use of a specific calculator should be resolved before the exam begins. You can contact us to seek clarification at info@fpcanada.ca, 416.593.8587 or 1.800.305.9886.

Approved calculators

These calculators have been approved by FP Canada for use during FP Canada certification exams. From time to time, additions or modifications are made to the list of approved calculators, however, at present, only the models listed here are permitted at the exam. Violation of FP Canada’s calculator policy may cause your exam results to be voided.

Your proctor will inspect your calculator before the exam starts. The calculator must then remain on your desk.

You are not allowed to bring manuals or any external devices to support calculators. Examples of disallowed items include printed cards, printers, memory expansion chips or cards.

Casio – FC-200V and FX-300MS

Hewlett Packard – HP10B, HP10BII, HP10BII+, and HP1LL (or 11) + financial calculator

Sharp - EL-733A, EL-738 (packing notes the model name as EL-738C), EL-738FC, EL-738S, EL-738F, EL-792C

Texas Instruments – TI BAII, TA BAII+, TI BA II Plus Professional, TI BA-35, TI 30XIIS and TI30 XA

This table shows the only items that you are allowed to have on your desk during the exam.

Water is allowed for online proctoring candidates, and may be permitted at your in-person test centre. Refer to your admission ticket for more details on rules about bringing water to your in-person test centre. Water must be in a see-through and label-free bottle with a lid. No other beverages are allowed.

All other materials must be placed in a separate area of the writing room designated by the proctor at in-person test centres and stored outside the exam room for online proctoring candidates.

What you are not allowed

In-person

The following items are not allowed at your desk on exam day:  

• baggage of any kind: backpacks, handbags, briefcases, luggage or shopping bags  
• study materials such as textbooks or notes
• smartphones or other mobile devices, headsets, computers, tablets, electronic  organizers or personal data assistants, or any other remote communication or photographic device  
  • please ensure all electronic devices are turned off during the examination session
• outdoor coats, jackets or non-religious headwear  
• food or drinks unless authorized before to the exam date

Your proctor will tell you where to put these items. Neither FP Canada nor the proctor is responsible for any personal items that get lost, stolen or damaged, and we advise you not to bring restricted items to the test centre, particularly bags or mobile devices.  

Online proctoring

If you are writing your exam via online proctoring, you are not allowed to:

• wear a hat, coat, scarf, or bulky clothing and the proctor can ask you to remove such items
  • religious attire is permitted  
• wear a watch
  • an ‘exam clock’ will be on the screen as part of the software  
• wear earphones or headphones of any kind  
• have access to, or to access, any electronic devices that are not listed as required for the exam on you, or within reach
• have access to, or use, a communication device or any type of recording device, other than the camera and microphone listed as required for the exam
• have anything in your pockets
  • you may be asked to show that your pockets are empty
• refuse to move your computer or other objects, or to comply with other requests your proctor makes  
• open other websites or programs and/or documents on your computer  
• make notes on anything other than on the software platform’s note taking feature or the whiteboard (maximum size 8.5” x 11.0”)
  • at the end of the examination candidates will be asked to erase any notes on the whiteboard in clear view of the proctor
• have anything on your desk or table, or within reach, other than what you are allowed to have on your desk

The proctor will perform a “person check” and ask you to remove any non-religious headwear, watches, including analog and smartwatches, and headphones and/or earphones.

In-person

The in-person exam has a set schedule. Seating is pre-assigned.

QAFP exam

• Part 1 begins at 9:00 AM
  • You must report to the test centre by 8:15 AM for Part 1 of the exam and be registered and seated to hear instructions by 8:45 AM
• Part 2 begins at 11:30 AM
  • You must be re-seated at 11:25 AM

CFP exam

• Part 1 begins at 9:00 AM
  • You must report to the test centre by 8:15 AM for Part 1 of the exam and be registered and seated to hear instructions by 8:45 AM
• Part 2 begins at 11:30 AM
  • You must be re-seated at 11:25 AM
• Part 3 begins at 2:00 PM
  • you must be re-seated by 1:55 PM

If you are not seated by the required times, you will not be admitted to the exam room until after instructions have been read, which may result in you losing part of your exam writing time.

Online proctoring

If you are taking the exam via online proctoring, you choose a time to begin writing your exam after you have registered.

If you arrive later than 15 minutes after your scheduled connection time, you may not be admitted to the exam.

In-person

If you are writing in-person, the test centre will provide a computer station with an exam interface pre-installed that will disable the computer's web browsing functions, also called a “lockdown browser”. The in-person exam proctors will set-up your computer on exam day and you will log-in to the Yardstick exam software to access the exam content.

Online proctoring

If you are writing online from your home or other private location in the online proctoring environment, you will be required to download the Guardian Secure Proctoring Browser on your own computer in preparation for the exam.

Before exam day, you must ensure that your computer meets the system requirements by running a system check on the computer and the network connection you will use on exam day. After registering for the online exam, you can check your computer system by logging into the Yardstick platform and clicking the Test It Out button.

You must also confirm that you can install programs on the computer you intend to use. You will be required to install a personalized plug-in to connect with a proctor on exam day and this download is not available in advance of exam day.

You must also ensure that you have disabled:

• virtual machines
• remote desktops
• conference and messaging programs
• screenshot and capture programs
• development environments

If you cannot access the exam due to failure to meet the system requirements, FP Canada will deem you a no-show and you will forfeit your exam fee.

Multiple-choice questions: QAFP exam and CFP exam

Record answers to all multiple-choice questions directly into the computer software by clicking on the selected response. Select one answer for each question from the options provided.

Each question is worth one point toward the total exam mark. There is only one correct answer for each question. Marks are not deducted for incorrect responses.

Constructed response questions: CFP exam

Constructed response questions are in the form of case sets, which include a case narrative detailing a client situation followed by one to three questions about that client. You must record answers to all constructed response questions directly into the computer software by typing in your response.

All exam materials are provided within the exam software:

• to access the case study narratives, click on the “Show Passage” button located directly above the constructed-response questions
  • this will expand the box so that you can see the full case study narrative
• to return to the constructed-response questions, click “Hide Passage”
• use information in the client situation to answer each question in a case set
• type your answers directly into the response template provided on the examination software, usually in the form of a table.

The point allocation for each question is clearly indicated. No marks are deducted for incorrect responses.

For most constructed responses, you need to show your calculations as you work towards solutions to problems. You must do calculations associated with the time value of money using an approved financial calculator: (link to Approved Calculators)

• You must show all keystrokes used for the time value of money calculation, including inputs and solution in the template provided.
• For questions that require a number as a response—even if your response is “0”—ensure a number, zero or nil is provided in the cell in the response template.

When you are completing constructed response questions that require a specified number of responses (e.g., “list three...”, “provide four...”), provide the indicated amount.

• If you answer with more than the required number of responses, only the first answers corresponding with the specified number will be scored, with the rest not considered.
  • For example, if the question requires you to list three issues with a given situation and you list five, only the first three will be considered for scoring.

Read the exam questions carefully and consider the information provided

When a question is a follow-up to a scenario, keep in mind that your answer must take that scenario into account. Keep the client’s stated goals or objectives at the centre of your consideration without adding any information. Incorrect options in a multiple-choice question are often plausible, but they are not the most appropriate solution for the scenario presented.

For Constructed Response Questions (CFP Exam) make sure your answers are client specific

Demonstrate in your response how your recommended strategy is appropriate for the client described in the case scenario. For example, if you are recommending an insurance option, support this option by indicating how this will meet the client’s stated needs, rather than just listing the features of an insurance policy. Ensure that your response addresses what was asked in the question.