1.1 CRPC Designation Overview, Exam Logistics, and Continuing Education
Key Takeaways
The Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC) designation is conferred by the College for Financial Planning, a Kaplan Company, representing specialized expertise across pre- and post-retirement wealth counseling.
The CRPC examination features 85 multiple-choice questions administered over a 3-hour window with a passing standard of 70%.
Candidates have at most two final attempts within 120 days of online access; Kaplan announces mandatory remote proctoring beginning January 5, 2027.
Credential maintenance requires 16 hours of continuing education (CE) every 2 years, payment of a $100 renewal fee, and ongoing adherence to professional conduct standards.
The CRPC serves as a stackable credential toward CFP certification, satisfying the educational requirement for the FP515 Retirement Savings and Income Planning course.
CRPC Designation Overview, Exam Logistics, and Continuing Education
The Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC) designation is one of the financial services industry's benchmark professional credentials for advisors specializing in the end-to-end retirement lifecycle. Established to address both the wealth accumulation phase of working years and the complex decumulation phase of post-career living, the CRPC equips practitioners with the technical competencies and counseling methodologies needed to navigate client transitions into and through retirement.
Sponsoring Institution & Academic Pedigree
The CRPC credential is developed and conferred by the College for Financial Planning (a Kaplan Company). Founded in 1972, the College for Financial Planning (CFFP) pioneered financial planning education in the United States, creating the original Certified Financial Planner (CFP) curriculum. Following its acquisition by Kaplan, Inc., the institution expanded its specialized professional designations, positioning the CRPC as its premier program for retirement-focused wealth managers, private wealth advisors, and employee-benefit counselors.
The program emphasizes a holistic, client-centric standard of care. Rather than viewing retirement solely through the lens of investment product selection, the curriculum integrates behavioral finance, taxation, healthcare, government benefit optimization, and estate preservation into a unified counseling model.
Examination format and enrollment
Kaplan lists 85 final-exam questions, a three-hour limit, a 70% passing standard, and at most two attempts. Three hours divided by 85 is approximately 2 minutes 7 seconds per question. Practice pacing should leave time for review. A 70% target on 85 equally scored items would require 60 correct; this arithmetic is a study benchmark, not a separately published raw-score guarantee.
The enrollment clock starts when online access is provided. Candidates have 120 days to finish the program and pass. Complete the required module quizzes and practice work first. The program page lists 30-question module quizzes. Extensions of up to 60 days may be purchased under Kaplan's request deadlines; a failed second attempt requires re-enrollment under the applicable policy.
Effective-date distinction: Kaplan announces mandatory live remote proctoring beginning January 5, 2027, regardless of enrollment date. Do not apply that future requirement to every October 2026 sitting. Use the syllabus and learning dashboard for the applicable delivery method and permitted calculator, notes, scratch paper, room, and technical requirements. The public announcement does not establish every detail of a lockdown browser or room-scan procedure.
| Item | Verified information | Study implication |
|---|---|---|
| Final | 85 questions; 3 hours | Practice calculation and reading pace |
| Passing standard | 70% | Aim above the minimum in practice |
| Attempts | Maximum two | Leave time for a second attempt |
| Access | 120 days from online access | Schedule from the access date |
| Proctoring transition | January 5, 2027 | Check the rules for the actual sitting |
| Tuition | $1,495 listed program price | Printed books are an optional $99 plus tax/shipping |
This independent OpenExamPrep guide supplements the College's program. It does not confer course completion, authorization to use the designation, or exam access. Kaplan does not publish a pass rate or domain test percentages on the program page. Treat study-hour allocations as planning suggestions, not official exam weights.
Continuing Education (CE) and Designation Maintenance
Earning the CRPC marks the beginning of an ongoing professional commitment. To retain the right to use the CRPC marks and maintain active credential status, designees must satisfy rigorous biennial maintenance requirements:
- Continuing Education Requirement: Every two years, designees must complete and report 16 hours of continuing education (CE). Eligible courses must focus on core financial planning disciplines, including retirement accumulation, distributions, tax planning, investments, insurance, or professional ethics.
- Renewal Fee: Designees must remit a $100 renewal fee alongside their biennial CE reporting submission.
- Standards of Professional Conduct: Designees must reaffirm their adherence to the College for Financial Planning's Standards of Professional Conduct and Terms and Conditions. This mandates accurate disclosure of legal and regulatory history on the initial application and renewal, together with compliance with current Terms and Conditions. Failure to maintain these ethical standards can lead to formal investigation, suspension, or permanent revocation of the designation.
Articulation and Stackable Credit for the CFP Certification
A significant strategic advantage of the CRPC designation is its formal articulation into the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) certification program. The College for Financial Planning designs its curriculum to provide stackable credentials, allowing professionals to build their qualifications incrementally:
- FP515 Course Waiver: Successful completion of the CRPC credential satisfies the educational requirements for FP515: Retirement Savings and Income Planning, one of the mandatory educational courses required to sit for the comprehensive CFP Certification Examination.
- Curriculum Acceleration: Because FP515 is waived, CRPC designees who choose to pursue the CFP credential reduce their remaining educational requirement from seven courses to six, saving considerable study hours and tuition expenses.
- Further study: The retirement concepts provide a foundation for further financial planning coursework. CFP Board has separate certification requirements; a CRPC designation does not waive those requirements generally.
Recommended Study Timetable: 90 to 135 Hours
Mastering the breadth of the CRPC curriculum requires an estimated 90 to 135 hours of focused preparation, depending on the candidate's prior professional experience in wealth management and retirement plans. Candidates should structure their preparation across an 8-to-10-week timeline, committing 10 to 15 hours per week.
| Phase & Weeks | Focus Modules | Recommended Study Allocation | Key Milestones & Outputs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 (Weeks 1–2) | Exam Logistics, Planning Process, Cash Flow & Net Worth Modeling | 15–20 hours | Complete Chapters 1–2; master TVM calculations; compile net worth statements |
| Phase 2 (Weeks 3–4) | Social Security, Military/Government Pensions, Employer Plans | 20–25 hours | Complete Chapters 3–4; master AIME/PIA bend points and defined benefit formulas |
| Phase 3 (Weeks 5–6) | Healthcare, Medicare, Long-Term Care, Behavioral Transitions | 15–20 hours | Complete Chapters 5–6; memorize Medicare enrollment windows and IRMAA tiers |
| Phase 4 (Weeks 7–8) | Distribution Engineering, RMDs under SECURE 2.0, Estate Planning | 20–25 hours | Complete Chapters 7–9; master withdrawal guardrails and Uniform Lifetime RMD tables |
| Phase 5 (Weeks 9–10) | Professional Ethics, Timed Practice Exams, Weak-Area Polish | 15–20 hours | Complete Chapter 10; take 2 full-length 85-question timed mock exams scoring >80% |
Candidates should adopt an active-recall methodology: completing end-of-module quiz questions, working through numerical case studies on a physical financial calculator, and thoroughly analyzing the rationale behind every incorrect answer choice.
Sources and review date
Checked October 19, 2026: Kaplan CRPC program and effective testing policy. Annual limits apply to the year explicitly identified; examples state their assumptions.
Continue studying
Use CRPC practice questions for retrieval practice, then review the planning framework or current benefit calculations for explanations. Some practice-bank items may need their own current-law review; this review covers the guide and its embedded checks.
What are the core exam format and administration parameters established by the College for Financial Planning for the CRPC examination?
100 multiple-choice questions administered over a 4-hour window with an 80% passing threshold and unlimited retakes during a 1-year enrollment
75 multiple-choice questions administered over a 2-hour window with a 65% passing threshold and up to 3 retakes during a 90-day enrollment
85 multiple-choice questions administered over a 3-hour window with a 70% passing threshold and a maximum of 2 attempts during a 120-day enrollment
85 multiple-choice questions administered over a 2.5-hour window with a 75% passing threshold and 1 attempt during a 60-day enrollment
How does earning the CRPC designation impact an advisor's continuing education obligations and potential pathway toward the CFP credential?
Designees must complete 16 hours of CE every 2 years with a $100 renewal fee, and CRPC completion satisfies the FP515 Retirement Savings and Income Planning requirement for CFP certification
Designees must complete 30 hours of CE annually with a $250 renewal fee, which automatically satisfies all educational and examination requirements for the CFP credential
Designees must complete 12 hours of CE every 3 years with no renewal fee, and receiving the CRPC waives the entire CFP Capstone requirement
Designees must complete 24 hours of CE every 2 years with a $150 renewal fee, but no course credit transfers toward any CFP Board educational modules
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.