How to Pass the CFP Exam: Turn Uncertainty into Confidence

In this interview, we hear from Janelle, who overcame doubt and confusion in order to pass her CFP exam on her second try. Listen in as Janelle explains the difference the CFP prep course made in how she studied for the CFP exam and thought about CFP concepts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSjlEwZ9GKg

So let's start off by just telling everybody a little bit about yourself, what your current role is, and then tell us a little bit about how you got interested in the CFP exam.

Okay, sure. So I graduated college about a decade ago. I studied sports management and business. After college, I moved to Tampa, and I needed a job. I was just kind of working like a raffle at a Tampa Bay Lightning game, and I met an advisor down here, and he was like, I think you'd be a great assistant. So that's kind of how I got introduced to the industry. I was doing all of his portfolio reviews, kind of prepping all of his work for his clients, and because I was sitting in meetings and taking a lot of notes, I just started to learn about the industry and got really interested in it. And I just saw the kind of money that he brought in by being an advisor, so it really sparked my interest to learn more.

From there, I got my 215, so my life, health, and variable annuity license, and then I moved into an RIA. So that's where I got my Series 65, and that's really when I got introduced to like financial planning. I started learning about e-money, and then I knew I really wanted to get the CFP. So from there, I actually went to a different company because they really wanted to pay for all my education and have me sit for the exam. So I went through Dalton to do all of the CFP education, and then did my capstone, and then I moved over to the company that I currently work for.

And that's when I sat for the exam for the first time last November. I got really close. I got six out of eight sections, and I just knew I wasn't going to give up there. So that's kind of when I was on LinkedIn. I saw, you know, you do all these talks with people, and I knew that I was really interested in your program. So that's when I reached out to you.

So tell me about what kind of student you were when you were going through the education. We typically have some people who kind of go slower through the education, take notes, are really diligent. There are some people who are kind of just clicking next, which, you know, for education, it's kind of a choose your own journey of how fast you want to do it and to what detail. Were you the type of student who was like, let me get through this, and I'll do my real studying, preparing for the exam, or were you a little bit of the slower route?

Yeah, I would say I went through the entire program, and it really seemed like so much information. I wasn't sure what I needed to, like, hone in on for the exam, but it was also, you know, I was doing it in addition to my job, so I really was working on it any time that I could, but I was making my own schedule, and I've always been a little bit better off with something kind of put out in front of me, and the whole accountability program.

So that's why I was very interested in your small group tutoring sessions, but yeah, that's probably it was way more of a self-starter to begin with. And then when I did the capstone, I was like, okay, so maybe that's when I was, like, doing the financial planning software, kind of creating things on my own, and then presenting them, making a whole PowerPoint presentation about the process of it. That's what I assumed the exam was going to be more around, but yeah, that's kind of how I approached it to begin with. Then afterwards, when I started with your program, I was like, wow, I was way more of like a big idea type person instead of honing in on the details.

Were you surprised by the level of detail that the CFP exam went into, even the first time around?

Yes, I absolutely was. When I took the exam for the first time, I was like, okay, I don't know this as well as I thought I did, like, there's definitely more that I shouldn't have done to prepare for this up front.

So let's kind of dive into, you know, the first time that you and I talked. What were your initial impressions of where you were relative to passing the exam?

Actually, with what you went through, I thought I knew less. I was like, I don't even, I'm going to throw out this last Scantron report and start from the beginning because, like even some of the sections that I had passed, you know, watching you kind of go into how you would explain things and teach us, I was like, oh, I need a full reboot of this. You know, even insurance, like I had my insurance license and I did pass that section, but the more that you went into things, I was like, I don't know anything about insurance. So I definitely knew I needed to do more of a deep dive into each section.

So, out of the open answer that we did in the pre-work to the end of the first four weeks, what shocked you the most?

I will say it definitely made me a little scared. When you first asked me to do that, I was like, "Am I even in the right industry? I don't know." This guy's challenging me, and I'm still working full-time, and I was really wanting to push back. But then I realized, going through the process, that this is what I needed to know upfront to make it seem easier on exam day. And, you know, there were still challenges that came with sitting on exam day, but when I went in there, just so much more confident in my abilities.

I think that the mental part of it was really a huge game-changer because there were still questions on there that I was like, okay, I'm kind of guessing here. I would be able to narrow it down to like two. And the knowledge that you gave me really, obviously, I picked the right answer more often than not since I passed, but I definitely felt like before I kind of knew things, maybe like the top 20% of one subject. And with you, it was like, I was 75% or above in pretty much every single subject. And that really gave me the confidence to pull through.

Tell me a little bit about what that process was like actually having to come in and discuss your answers with somebody else. Did you feel like that was something that helped you reiterate? Did you feel like it was something that actually cemented the concept? Where do you feel like that? Where did it fall in the process for you? And what do you think it aided the most?

I think the open answer with a colleague really helped us look at strategy more because you know, having an intuitive mind, especially after learning everything that you taught us, it's like, we have so many more questions. We want to get all the information that we possibly can so that we can help a client out and give them not something that's suitable, but something that's in their best interest.

And I felt like hearing what AJ, well, he's like, well, he didn't say this certain part we can't just assume. And I'm like, oh gosh, you're right. You know, like we can't just assume something about a client. We have to go with what information is given in this one question. So it really made me kind of change the way that my brain was thinking of things so that I know I'm doing everything with the answers that they're giving me, but I'm not assuming things outside of this. And while I would be in front of a client asking all these follow-up questions, I don't have the ability to now.

And kind of hearing him be like, okay, you have a lot of really great ideas and suggestions and recommendations for this client, but like, let's back down a little bit and go with what information we have. And so just kind of simplifying things and being able to hear the way that he's approaching a question and kind of changing the way that now I'll read the next one.

So we do our mock exams. How much of the CFP mock exam, the way that we instructed to do, did you really embrace? Did you go out to a library and do it? Did you feel like that actually translated to kind of not just, you know, I'm ready for the logistics of the CFP exam, but also the pressure that it creates?

You know, I did Dalton and then Danko for the first time. And they have plenty of, you know, question banks that you can go through, but nothing that was mock, you know, encapsulating what exam day was like. And the way that you set us up for certain mock exams, you're like, hey, this is, you know, your Saturday is going to be doing this whole exam and having something to do and just really having that accountability of it. Because like through the other programs, they're like, here's a mock exam, take it whenever you want, you know. And I had to like really make sure that, okay, I've worked a full week. I'm going in on a Saturday. I didn't go to a library, but I did do all of our mock exams in the conference room at my job. So I wanted to be separate from my house, you know, somewhere that I'm comfortable at and having that like 30-minute break in between so that I could eat lunch and just really mimicking what exam day would look like.

The first time I took it, I think it was the first section, but I had like five questions left, and my timer went up. So I left five questions. I didn't leave them blank, but I went in and filled in random ones. And when I took it the second time after being coached on how much time I had and the pressure that it would be like, I found myself with seven minutes left. And I was like, wow, this is amazing. I've always asked for extra time on tests. So now I'm finishing early. And I think the way that you made us do the mock exams that were timed and the difficulty level was extremely high. It really set me up for success, just like the layout of the test.

You also made us do that on class days where you're like, okay, you have 10 minutes to do 15 questions. I'm breaking you guys out now. Does anyone have any questions? I don't care if you do, because we're starting now. And it was just like the pressure of having that. You know, at first I was like, oh my God, it's making me freak out. But because I had already been through that, I already trained my mind to deal with that sort of pressure on exam day. I was, you know, cool as a cucumber. I'm like, my heart isn't even racing. I feel confident. I feel comfortable. Like no one walks into a Prometric center happy and wants to be like, yeah, I really want to be here. But I did know when I was sitting there, I was like, this is the last time I want to be here. So like hone in, focus, and get it done.

What piece of advice would you give to somebody who's going to take this exam in 2026? Maybe they're sitting in your shoes, and maybe they pass four sections or five sections. What piece of advice would you give them to really help them get them over the hump or change their mindset that allows them to get over the hump?

Yeah, I think we learn more from our failures than we do our successes. And, you know, I think what kind of kept me wanting to go back is that so many people were like, oh, are you going to try again? And the fact that it was a question instead of just, you know, like, obviously you're going to try again, you've got this close.

I know that this is where a lot of people might give up and be like, okay, you know, and to be completely honest, that was the hardest thing I've ever tried to do. I put in so much effort. I was really proud of how much I, you know, just went out of my regular box of like going to work and doing all these extra additional things, making sure that I was going to the gym every day, giving myself so much energy, and just putting myself in a position to pass.

And then when I didn't get that, and it's like, I had worked so hard to do that. It stung, but I knew that persevering would make me feel so much more confident in myself anyway. So now that I'm looking back on it, I'm happy that that happened because I also think that it gave me so much more knowledge base in the subject matter, because I got to see it again. And I still, I'm like, okay, if someone's asking me about ISOs or RSUs, I still go back to that section of my book to make sure that I'm like refreshing my mind. And if I had gotten that past in the first place, I think that would have been like, oh, I know this stuff, whatever. It's not a big deal. But because I got to see the intensity of this subject matter twice and go through this whole process twice, it really made me respect everyone who has CFP behind their name, first of all.

But it made me have some more self-confidence in myself because I knew that I was going to go back and try it again. And even if I still wasn't getting it, I would have gone back and tried it again and again. And I think that really, that's something that going through this whole process, I learned about myself and I'm not sure there would have been anything else in my life that would make me realize that about myself. So it was really good for just self-discovery as well. So, I would suggest that anyone who, a fail is just a fail for today, but it's opening another door for you.