Testing windows & key dates
Four windows a year. Applications close a month before each window opens.
2027 testing windows
Examinations are delivered online with remote proctoring during the windows below. An authorization-to-test is valid for 90 days and is dated so that it spans at least one full window; a candidate approved after a window's deadline is authorized for the next one.
2028 windows are published each September for the following year, with this outline's review.
Key dates
Content outline v1.0 published. Effective for every administration from Window 1, 2027.
Call for item writers and subject-matter reviewers opens (cohort 1).
Applications open for 2027 Window 1.
Item-writer cohort 1 applications close.
Application deadline, 2027 Window 1.
First CFPO examination administrations begin.
Standard-setting study (modified Angoff). Any change to the pass mark is announced at least 60 days before it takes effect.
Content outline review. A new version, if any, is published at least 90 days before it becomes effective.
Recertification deadlines
A credential expires two years from its date of issue, not at the end of a window. Holders receive notice at 120, 60 and 14 days before expiry, and may submit recertification any time in the final 180 days of the cycle. A lapsed credential may be reinstated within twelve months of expiry; after that, re-examination is required.
Ready to be measured against the standard?
Confirm your pathway, submit the application, and sit the examination in the next window.