Next Generation Planner: November 2022
Elisabeth Felten, CPA, is assistant professor of business for DeSales University in Center Valley, Pennsylvania. She teaches accounting, finance, data analytics, and entrepreneurship at the undergraduate and graduate level. She can be reached HERE.
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A critical step in becoming a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ is passing the CFP® certification examination. The purpose of the exam is to assess a candidate’s knowledge and competency in providing sound financial planning services to prospective clients. However, for some candidates with disabilities, there may be barriers that prevent them from fully demonstrating their skills on the exam.
To ensure equal opportunity for exam takers, in 2010, the Department of Justice, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, issued technical assistance that outlined the obligation of testing entities to provide testing accommodations for individuals with disabilities who take standardized exams.1 These regulations apply to entities, such as the CFP Board, that offer exams related to applications, licensing, certification, or credentialing for professional and trade purposes.
On its website, the CFP Board emphasizes its commitment to ensure access to the CFP® exam and to provide reasonable and appropriate accommodations to individuals with disabilities who document a need for testing accommodations.2 After registering for the exam, candidates seeking accommodations may submit a Testing Accommodations Request Form with required supporting documentation to be considered for exam accommodations. This request must be submitted in advance of the test, typically in May for the July exam and in September for the November exam. Candidates should check the CFP Board website for the specific request deadline for the exam period for which they have registered. According to the CFP Board, a new testing accommodation request “must be submitted prior to each exam administration as requests are not carried forward from one exam administration to the next.”
Testing accommodations are unique to the candidate and are considered on a case-by-case basis. Some types of accommodation include a private room, a large-font exam, and extended breaks or exam time. For example, a candidate who demonstrates a documented need for additional exam time may be given up to 4.5 hours to complete each testing session. Items such as eyeglasses, hearing aids, and mobility devices including crutches do not require accommodation requests.
To be considered for an accommodation, the required supporting documentation must be current. A professional evaluation must be completed no more than one year prior to the anticipated CFP® exam date for physical disabilities, chronic health conditions, psychological, and psychiatric disorders and no more than five years prior to the anticipated CFP® exam date for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and learning or cognitive disorders. The evaluation must include a specific diagnosis, history of the impairment, the current impact of the disorder that limits the applicant’s ability to take the exam, and a recommendation for testing accommodations. After receiving the request, the CFP Board may request further documentation. In the event the CFP Board denies a request for testing accommodations, there is an appeal process that is reviewed by accommodations experts.
Testing accommodations ensure equitable access to standardized exams. To learn more and to read the full set of requirements for submitting a testing accommodations request, please see the CFP Board’s Testing Accommodations site found at www.cfp.net/get-certified/certification-process/exam-requirement/registration/testing-accommodations.
Endnotes
- U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section. 2020, October 9. “ADA Requirements: Testing Accommodations.” www.ada.gov/regs2014/testing_accommodations.html.
- CFP Board. “Testing Accommodations.” www.cfp.net/get-certified/certification-process/exam-requirement/registration/testing-accommodations.
