You can't do the whole CFP for free. You have to meet CFP Board's education requirement before you can certify, usually through a registered program you pay for, and you pay for the exam too. After that, your practice and review can run on the free resources below. I run FreeFellow, one of them, so this list sticks to what each one covers and what you need to use it.
What each free resource covers
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| Resource | What it covers | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| CFP Board candidate resources | The exam blueprint, sample questions and candidate handbook | Free on CFP Board's site |
| FreeFellow question bank | 2,734 scenario-based questions across all eight domains, 71 written lessons, mixed practice and a readiness score | Samples need no signup. The full bank needs a free account and has usage limits |
| FreeFellow formula sheet | Formulas and tax tables | A free printable PDF |
| YouTube explainers | Worked tax, retirement and estate topics from various educators | Free. Search by domain, not for one full course |
| Anki shared decks | Definitions and tax figures from past CFP candidates | Free. Check that the figures are current |
| r/CFP and other planner communities | Discussion of specific rules and scenarios | Free to read, and you usually need an account to post |
CFP Board's blueprint is the authoritative list of what's testable and how much each of the eight domains counts, and the sample questions show the exact scenario style. Read the blueprint early and use it to split your study time.
FreeFellow's question bank is the free source of scenario practice at volume. CFP Board says the exam tests critical thinking and problem solving rather than factual recall. Every question here has a worked solution, and most have notes on the answer choices. The full original question bank is free with an account, subject to usage limits. Worked solutions, written lessons, mixed practice, and your readiness score stay free. Start practicing CFP on FreeFellow. If you'd rather listen on a commute or a walk, the lessons also have narrated audio, and my post on CFP lesson audio covers how the player works and who can use it.
If you came here for a PDF, FreeFellow's CFP formula sheet with tax tables is the one to download. The question bank isn't a PDF.
YouTube explainers are strongest on tax, retirement and estate, where watching someone work a case beats reading about it. They help most while you're learning the material, and on domains that won't click from text. The exam is mostly scenarios, so use flashcards and Anki decks to keep facts and figures fresh, not as your main way of studying. Planner communities are useful when a specific rule or scenario won't click, and reading how other candidates reason through a case builds the cross-domain thinking the exam rewards.
How to study with free resources
In months 1 and 2, work through each domain with lessons and free videos, and do 30 to 50 questions on each one as you finish it. In months 2 and 3, move to mixed scenario practice, 40 to 60 questions a sitting, with an error log by domain. In the final month, do full-length timed blocks, review the current-law numbers and spend extra time on your two weakest domains. The CFP pass-rate and study strategy guide covers how to weight the domains. If you're coming back after an attempt that didn't go your way, I wrote a separate CFP retake plan.
Paid reviews
None of these are required, but they add structure if you have the budget. Prices are in USD.
- The Dalton Review is $1,659 with the eBook (enrollment page checked September 7, 2026), a long-standing CFP review with mock exams.
- Kaplan's CFP exam review is $650 for Essential or $1,495 for Premium (review page checked September 7, 2026), with structured question banks and lessons.
- FreeFellow's Fellow tier is $39 a month or $79 a quarter per track and adds timed mock exams, spaced-repetition flashcards, focus practice, analytics and a personalized study plan. The $199 annual plan is Fellow Plus, which also includes Common traps. Each subscription covers one credential track, and you can check pricing for your track and country.
If you want a baseline before you pick anything, the CFP diagnostic gives you a readiness score with no signup.