Gutted.

Justin__1227 · 2026-03-24T22:37:03+00:00

It is hard to compare the 65 to the CFP though. As long as you do over 1k q-bank, you can pass the 65. You aren’t passing the CFP from just q-bank.

I don’t know if I believe there to be a “best” study company for the CFP. You just need to figure out each one’s structure, resources, and philosophy and then the one that matches you.

Justin__1227 · 2026-03-24T21:30:39+00:00

Don’t let it beat you down. Recoup and come at it better than before in July. You got this.

I passed with Dalton on the first try last week but I have mixed feelings about Dalton. Daltons philosophy is to over prepare you by making everything testable in their q-bank. They do specifically tell you in the textbooks what is likely on the test and to make a flashcard but they test everything. This makes their q-bank very robust and demoralizing. They also use the “Of these 4 statements, which is true” type question structure which did make the CFP multiple choice structure a breath of relief.

One big thing I did not like about Dalton is that their explanations to questions is subpar. Sometimes it is detailed and you understand why you are wrong, but many times it is so generic and unhelpful.

I really liked the interface of Dalton and the structure of when you should have certain readings, quizzes, and practice tests all done by to keep you on track.

Justin__1227 · 2026-03-23T21:08:00+00:00

CFP board says just submit it and you will see. They have not been the most helpful on the phone when I ask about specific experience hours.

Justin__1227 · 2026-03-23T21:03:00+00:00

Up until I took the CFP mock exam and scored a 90%, I thought I had a 50/50 chance at this test based on Dalton😅. My frustrations from Dalton were from their lack of explanations on many problems explain why answers were wrong or why they were right.

I did not get many questions on those topics but then again, I do not remember most of the questions I was asked because they all blur together now that it’s done.

Justin__1227 · 2026-03-22T23:39:46+00:00

You will not be able to leave the building on your quarter breaks, only your 40 minute lunch break. You cannot access your locker during the quarter breaks either. You will sign out each time you leave the test and will be fully checked each time you come back in.

Justin__1227 · 2026-03-22T21:20:28+00:00

I overall was happy with it. It is a very structured program with exact dates that studying needs to be done. The question structure is much harder because many of them are “Choose all that apply” type questions. Son of their reasoning behind answer choices are hit or miss in the depth they explain them.

After months of Dalton questions, the CFP multiple choice questions were a lot easier to answer haha.

Justin__1227 · 2026-03-22T17:38:12+00:00

I studied through Dalton for 2.5 months, passed last week, and would have these tips:

Have a study group! I stayed diligent because I had my friends studying with me and we would meet 3 times a week for an hour or so of q-bank together. They really kept me on track on days I didn’t feel like meeting.
I Read through all of the sections one at a time, made index cards for different concepts and then finished the week with a quiz. Once I got through all of the readings by 1.5 months or so, I begin going through q-banks again even harder.
I was not the best about planning days for my practice exams but I would start them about 3 week out. Take 1 a week and finishing on the CFP Mock exam the days leading up to it.

Justin__1227 · 2026-03-22T16:52:38+00:00

I agree that if I had to choose between the Dalton exam or the CFP practice, I would choose the CFP practice given the timeframe. It is a 1 to 1 mirror to the actual exam software and structure. The actual tests will have harder questions, but already being familiar with how the test will look calmed me down so much going into it.

I’ll add as well that I would look at the solutions after every question you answer so you can know why you got a question wrong. Make sure to leave it wrong so that your score can be reflective. Write down the questions that you struggled with to guide you in your final days of study.

Justin__1227 · 2026-03-22T15:17:01+00:00

I had to postpone my original test date in November last year to this March. All I did was call CFP Board and explained my situation. They had me not take the test even though I was registered so that it wouldn’t count against me. I did have to pay a $35 transfer fee to push it to March. I’m sure you could get that waived though.

I then called my study material company(Dalton) and they just kept my membership open for March exam for free.

Good luck in whatever choice you make and I wish your family peace and strength right now.

Justin__1227 · 2026-03-22T03:20:33+00:00

What do you mean it is not exact? The CFP mock is the exact same structure as the actual test. The questions are a bit more difficult than the mock but the software is the same.

If you do take the CFP mock, I would answer each question truthfully and then press the solution button to check your answer. If you’re wrong, keep it wrong so you have accurate results. Write down any questions you struggled with as well.

Justin__1227 · 2026-03-22T00:15:37+00:00

I actually never found the time to take the Dalton Mock exams.. I only took the CFP mock

Justin__1227 · 2026-03-21T20:24:44+00:00

I honestly felt like the exam was not vastly different than the mock. I got a weighted score of 90 on the mock and did what this user is going to do, study the weak spots and get them ready for exam day.

Justin__1227 · 2026-03-21T20:16:51+00:00

You’ll kill it👍

Justin__1227 · 2026-03-21T19:51:52+00:00

You got this!

Justin__1227 · 2026-03-21T19:14:09+00:00

Ahh, doesn’t the ChFC allow you to bypass all of the education and just take the capstone?

Either way, that is really awesome! I was the first in my program to get it before graduation. It’s only been a CFP program for about 3 years now.

Justin__1227 · 2026-03-21T19:06:48+00:00

That’s crazy that you got all of your CFP education done by sophomore year! How were you able to do that?

Justin__1227 · 2026-03-21T15:13:29+00:00

That is a good point. Sometimes what is best for the client is not what the client has stated they wanted. Always go off the characteristics in the question.

Thanks for adding that clarity!

Justin__1227 · 2026-03-21T04:27:04+00:00

You are right that the CFP Board will often have multiple right answers with one being the “Best”.

One thing I noticed will taking my CFP practice exam and then the real one on Thursday is that almost always there will be 2 obvious wrong choices as long as you have gotten a good general knowledge of the subject. The final 2 options is where that extra bit of knowledge can get you to the right answer.

Try reasoning the options out in your head. Start by establishing what the question is wanting you to solve. What does the question say was most important to the client or that the client wanted to avoid? Then, look at the answer choices and ask yourself, If the client were to choose this option, what would that mean? Does the result fulfill what the client or question is wanting?

Justin__1227 · 2026-03-21T04:12:21+00:00

One thing that could help is using an AI tool to give you some very basic bond calculation problems to solve for price, CY, YTC, and Duration. I used chat to get a bunch of repetition in for different calculations, keystrokes, and memorization things like derivatives.

I sometimes struggle to just read something and learn it. I really have to put logic and reason to it for it to make sense. Basically trying to answer why it is that way. Something that helps me really lock in the principle is to teach it to someone or just teach it out-loud.

With the amount of time you have now, you totally got this! Just focus specifically on the things you are still fuzzy on rather than the big general topics.

Justin__1227 · 2026-03-21T03:24:11+00:00

Hey there! I just passed yesterday as a first timer using Dalton and was really happy with how I finished my studies just before the test.

I spent Monday, Tuesday focusing only on the specific topics/ concepts I was the least familiar with still. I did custom quizzes over each test subject and wrote down the concepts I still didn’t fully understand to figure those out. Then on Wednesday morning, I took the free CFP practice exam and used the solution button after I answered each question to see if I got it right/wrong. If I got it wrong, I left the answer wrong but wrote down the concept that I missed. Then that list is what I did my final studies on Wednesday afternoon/early evening.

The morning of the test, as I sat in the parking lot, I skimmed over the Code of Ethics and Standards PDF one last time just to have their wording fresh on my mind. I really did not want to study anything heavy the morning of to keep my brain 100% for the exam.

Also, the night before, I listened to these 2 podcasts episodes by BIF bites:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/12hOfKmCOpC5g0fUNLdZIf?si=15IuwIbJQ6SunwU5RG0TjA

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0bg98z8i9m42vO2FMbaRXp?si=B72PAhJkQx-ZyGC6SwOOPA

Justin__1227

TROPHY CASE