Rattiner's Review for the CFP Certification Examination: Fast Track Study Guide

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Like other comments have said, this book should not be used to initially learn the material. But if you use it as a review in the months and weeks before the CFP exam, it will be extremely helpful. I studied exclusively from this for the 2 weeks leading up the the exam, and wished I had started using it earlier. If you know everything in this book and can do TVM calculations, you'll be fine. I came out of the test feeling confident, and my passing score was confirmation. After taking the test, I thought the book contained exactly the right amount of detail. It is not just an outline. If you've already fulfilled the education requirements, you should know most of the material in here; but reading it over a few times in the weeks before the test will cement it in your mind. I would also recommend that you go through and highlight the topics you feel weak on, then in the days before the test, focus on those areas. This review does not contain every detail that could possibly be on the test, and that's good. It forces you to focus on the important topics and is short enough that you can easily get through the entire book, and get a review on all the material, in less than a week's study time. If it was 1000 pages long, you would never be able to remember everything. But by focusing your study, it's not impossible to know nearly everything in this book, which will be sufficient to pass the exam. If you're using an edition not written in the year your taking the test, simply be aware of the new amounts. Go through and write in the correct values; it will be good review.

What sets Jeff and this book apart is that he actually sat on the CFP board for several years and he knows first hand how they devise the test. This book was not meant to be your only study source, but meant to be used in conjunction with the required educational coursework and the review class. Students who go through the Rattiner program have a 20% higher pass rate than those who don't. Rattiner's book and course are WELL worth the investment.

I'm finding this book very useful and i'm happy that it was available at a much cheaper price. Thanks.

I found this book to be an accurate and concise review of the 101 topics covered on the CFP cerfifcation exam. This book was written in a great "review notes" format, much like I would take notes on a complex subject. I would highly recommend this book as a great CFP certification exam review. It is filled with only what you need to know- no extraneous commentary.

This book is an incredibly detailed outline covering the vast selection of topics included on the CFP exam. Because of the outline format, I wouldn't recommend trying to use this book as a way to learn material for the first time. What it is ideal for is as a reminder of details and distinctions, improving your recall of topics learned in some prior class or self-study, but in much more detail. Because this book is updated each year, it references up-to-date tax dollar amounts you'll need for the exam.