July 2010 CFP Takers?

Jun 27, 2010 11:03 pm

Anyone taking the July 2010 CFP exam?  I am and am currently overwhelmed less than three weeks out.  I have been studying hard the past two months and feel like there is still not enough time between now and the test.

At least I feel smarter from all the studying even though I may not be smart enough to pass the exam.

Jun 29, 2010 1:33 am

blackheart  - I actually passed this March, and everything you're describing is what I and my colleagues went through.  The last few weeks you experience an utter panic where you think you need to cram everything.  Bottom line, study your butt off until the exam, but take it easy and relax the night before.  Your endurance is more important than your knowledge in some cases with this exam.  Read everything carefully and remember that the knucklehead sitting next to you probably didn't study as much as you did... smile, and answer the question.  

Hope this helps!

Sep 11, 2010 5:30 am

HAS ANYONE RECEIVED THEIR RESULTS FROM THE JULY 2010 CFP EXAM??  supposedly the results were sent out one week ago today and there has been NOTHING in the MAIL and I am DYING TO FIND OUT IF I PASSED!!  HAS ANYONE HEARD YET???

Sep 11, 2010 2:13 pm

It has still not arrived here and today's mail was already delivered.  I do not live far from DC, where it was mailed from, and it should have taken no longer than a couple of days.  I guess I will continue to wait until they post the results on line.

Sep 11, 2010 2:17 pm

I took the exam in 2008. I guess things have changed. We didn't get our results until November. No delays, we were told that would be the case from the getgo. And we didn't wait for mail, we got an email which directed us to the website to check our results

Sep 11, 2010 3:19 pm

[quote=Sportsfreakbob]

I took the exam in 2008. I guess things have changed. We didn't get our results until November. No delays, we were told that would be the case from the getgo. And we didn't wait for mail, we got an email which directed us to the website to check our results

[/quote]

They now mail out the results first and then post them on the website after they think all the mail has arrived.  The change was made because their site used to crash when everyone went at once, at least that is what they told me. 

I feel like I am waiting to see if Santa brought me the Red Rider BB Gun or the Pink Bunny pajamas.  I really want to know if I have to start studying for the November test.

Sep 11, 2010 5:15 pm

 Blackheart I completely agree!  The CFP board is STUPID because those of us who really want to earn the certificate need to know so that they can register (ching - ching$) and create a study plan for tne November test!

Sep 13, 2010 9:04 pm

i checked my online account this morning and found out i passed, but i have yet to get anything in the mail from the CFP board.  would be nice to know how i scored relative to the other test takers.

p.s., i'm in the los angeles area, so i realize i'm far from DC, but 10 days is a long time to wait.

Sep 13, 2010 10:44 pm

hi all....i've been waiting for my results in the mail too! found out this morning i passed (hello, new ipad!), but i'm glad i'm not the only one waiting for the mail every day. i thought maybe mine got lost in the maze that is our postal system. i live in chicago, so not that far from dc. WTF? it was NOT smart of them to say on 8/30 that they were mailing the results that week, then wait until probably 5pm on friday 9/3 to send the results in the mail (over a holiday weekend, no less!). i'm sure they are getting tons of phone calls right now...

ps: does anyone else think it's not great financial planning to spend the man hours and postage on sending out results via snail mail? :) 

Sep 13, 2010 10:44 pm

hi all....i've been waiting for my results in the mail too! found out this morning i passed (hello, new ipad!), but i'm glad i'm not the only one waiting for the mail every day. i thought maybe mine got lost in the maze that is our postal system. i live in chicago, so not that far from dc. WTF? it was NOT smart of them to say on 8/30 that they were mailing the results that week, then wait until probably 5pm on friday 9/3 to send the results in the mail (over a holiday weekend, no less!). i'm sure they are getting tons of phone calls right now...

ps: does anyone else think it's not great financial planning to spend the man hours and postage on sending out results via snail mail? :) 

Sep 14, 2010 12:35 am

Congrats to you guys passing.  Unfortunately, I did not this time.  My plan to take the last three modules from late March to the start of May and then sit for the test in July may have been too aggressive.  A week out from the test I was completely burned out from studying and set everything aside.  And because of that I paid the penalty. 

I am going to take my time and plan for the March 2011 test.  No reason to repeat my mistakes and try and rush the November test.  My study plan is to take as many practice questions as I can and gain a thorough understanding of the material.  I started taking some practice quizzes this past week and am scoring between 65 and 75, so I am not too far away, I hope.

This is not a test where I could simply memorize everything quickly like I managed to do with the individual modules.  I guess I really have to study and it probably makes sense for a CFP to remember a good portion of the material after the exam is over.

I called the CFP board today and asked them to resend my results since I still have yet to receive them.  They said they would and I asked if I should expect it by Friday.  My thought was I could get the diagnostic results, find out where I was weak and decide if I want to retry in November.  They told me they send stuff out on Friday.  I wonder if all the results are sitting in the back of some intern's Chevette in downtown DC?

Sep 14, 2010 3:54 am

I passed!  So happy!  Good luck Blackheart!

Sep 15, 2010 4:07 pm

I'm from the DC metro area and passed the exam! I will say I give a lotttt of credit to the Brett Danko/Ken Zahn Group. They realllllly get you ready with the topic material, study books, and questions. Their questions are QUITE SUBJECTIVE as you all takers know exactly what I am talking about. Their questions, I feel, really prepped me to expect what may appear. They have a first class material and review course thats about 4 days long and 10 hr days, but hey you gotta do what you gotta do to pass this exam. I STRONLY recommend anyone looking to take or retake to look into the Zahn/Danko review. Good Luck to those retaking or just taking and Congratulations to those who passed!!   

Sep 15, 2010 5:00 pm

congrats jamerz10.  i used the dalton review and would echo what you said about zahn.  really helped me focus in on the important areas because i found it was the amount of the material that was overwhelming, not that any of it was super difficult to comprehend.

Sep 16, 2010 10:17 pm

Hi everyone,

I live in Phx and still haven't received my "mailed" results as of today! I did pass thankfully but had to wait for the website to update the results. Besides the snail mail, can anyone explain why the test results are "released" on a Monday but not mailed until the end of the week???? Crazy.

I also HIGHLY recommend Ken Zahn for the exam prep. I took the modules over a apx 3 yr period of time and didn't really studying until April, I'm not working so I was putting in 4hr~ days studying Zahn's material including his flash cards. I also bought his extra practice questions to drill on.

I felt very well prepared for the exam and felt only a couple of questions were tricky where there were more than 1 answer. I left the exam Saturday knowing I passed but it definitely is draining and you have to be careful pacing yourself if you are stumped with a question.

Due to me not working, I paid for Zahn out of my own pocket and I would recommend him without hesitation as long as you have the time and focus to commit to doing ALL his pre and post study material.

Congrats to everyone that passed and best of luck to those taking the exam.