How Do I Prepare for the CFP Exam if I Completed the Education Requirement Over One Year Ago?

    Joseph M. Gillice

    I hear from CFP students that completed their CFP education requirement one or two years (or more) ago and they are uncertain how to begin preparing for the CFP exam. Their concerns are typically:

    • I forgot much of what I learned during my CFP education program and it’s going to take awhile to relearn the CFP material.

    • The tax law has changed since I learned the material and it’s going to take too long to get caught up so that I can pass the CFP exam.

    • I’m overwhelmed and I just don’t know where to start studying for the CFP exam.


    Here’s how using The Dalton Review® for the CFP exam can overcome these concerns:


    First
     – watch a recorded version of the last CFP review course we conducted. All of our CFP reviews are archived for playback. This will allow students to see all the CFP exam material again, refresh their memory and hear our instructors teach the difficult CFP exam concepts. This step is critical to making the next step as efficient as possible. Watching a previously recorded CFP review will take about 25-30 hours, as you can fast forward through anything you already know.


    Second
     – begin working the pre-study materials. Now you’re ready to work through the pre-study materials which consists of reading material, working CFP sample questions and making CFP flashcards of our exam tips. After having watched a previously recorded CFP review, you should be able to work through the pre-study efficiently (as quickly as possible, without having to re-teach yourself the material). This step should take 100-125 hours.


    Third
     – attend the next scheduled review, either the eReview (live – online) or in a traditional classroom. This will be the third time you’ve seen and heard the material, which should really help reinforce what you did in the first and second steps. The third step will take about 40 hours.


    Fourth
     – work the test bank questions and case studies, which will take another 40-50 hours.


    Then you’re ready to sit for and pass the CFP exam!


    Keep in mind that once you enroll in The Dalton Review®, it’s one price of $1395 and you have access to the reviews until you pass the exam.


    Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.


    Regards,

    Joseph Gillice, CPA, CFP®

    Instructor Joseph M. Gillice

    Joseph M. Gillice

    MBA, CPA, CFP®

    Mr. Gillice is a co-founder and President of Dalton Education, LLC. Previously, Mr. Gillice was Director of University Programs for BISYS Education Services, where he implemented and managed financial planning programs at Georgetown University, Duke University and many others. Mr. Gillice is a former adjunct faculty member at Georgetown, Northwestern and Duke Universities where he taught financial planning, insurance and investment planning. He is the author of Financial Calculator Essentials, co-author of Fundamentals of Financial Planning, The Dalton Review Pre-Study Materials in Investment Planning and Fundamentals of Insurance Planning. Mr. Gillice has a Master of Business Administration from Georgia State University and a finance degree from Florida State University.

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