CPFC Certified Personal Financial Counselor Study
Materials EXAM (2025/2026) Updated: EXAM QUESTIONS
WITH ACCURATE ANSWERS | GET IT RIGHT!!
What does CPFC stand Certified Personal Finance Counselor
for?
You have the training and the tools to guide your
What does certification
clients no matter what their financial situation might
demonstrate?
be.
What is the cornerstone to Trust
building a successful
client/counselor
relationship?
What should counseling Positive, affirming, and nonjudgemental.
sessions be?
Establish trust and make the environment one in which
What are the parameters
financial matters can be openly discussed and
of process goals?
solutions presented.
The art of writing down pieces of information, often in
Describe some key points shorthand, that are later flushed out. Needs to be
about good note taking. done discreetly and not to disturb the client's flow of
thoughts and speech.
When you will begin to give feedback to the client
Describe the Discussion
and discuss potential action steps. First confirm with
part of a counseling
the client that the problems you heard are in fact the
session?
problems the client has stated.
, Part of being a good counselor is being a good
Why is listening
listener. Listening means hearing and understanding
important?
what you have been told.
What are the 3 things you Rephrasing, paraphrasing, and summarizing.
can do to be an effective
listener?
Rephrasing is restating exactly what you have heard
What is rephrasing?
from the client.
Re-stating what the client says, using the counselors
What is paraphrasing? own words; assures understanding. This can be helpful
for clarifying the situation.
To focus the conversation on the main points.
What is summarizing used
for in a counseling You may want to have clients prioritize their concerns
session? from most problematic to least and ask which ones
they want to work on first.
Provide the client with a printed action plan which
What should be done at
should include any recommended resources and, if
the Conclusion of a
appropriate, how they can reach you for future
counseling session?
sessions or support.
A positive note, regardless of how dire their financial
What should even
situation is. if you do not believe the client cannot
counseling session end
remedy the problem, you should refer them to
on?
another counselor or resource.
What are the 3 primary 1. Psychodynamic (and Psychoanalytic) Theory
schools of thought in 2. Cognitive-Behavioral (and Behavioral) Theory
counseling? 3. Humanistic (and Existential) Theory
, Clients are viewed from a point of being ill or broken.
Clients are see as being made up from a "dynamic"
that begins in early childhood and progresses
throughout their life.
Look at individuals as the composite of their parental
Psychodynamic (and
upbringing an how particular conflicts between
Psychoanalytic) Theory
themselves and their parents and within themselves
get worked out.
Believe in the ego, a superego, and the id. Freud.
What you don't know can hurt you.
The root of all our problems can be traced back to
Psychoanalysis
our childhoods.
Cognitive-behavioral theory emphasizes what
thoughts an individual has as an explanation as to how
they develop and how sometimes mental disorders
occur.
Believe in the role of social learning during childhood
Explain Cognitive- and in the power of modeling and reinforcement.
Behavioral (and
Behavioral) Theory Children observing and imitating behavior, both good
and bad.
Believe our personalities develop from our
experiences and critical learning occurs such as
understanding appropriate (and inappropriate)
thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
, Seeks to change an individual's irrational or faulty
thinking behaviors by educating them and reinforcing
What is Cognitive positive experiences that will lead to fundamental
Behavioral Therapy? changes in the way a person copes.
How they train birds.
Humanistic theory believes that all individuals are
basically good and positive, with the ability to choose
all of their actions and behaviors in their lives.
Individuals are motivated to do better and be their
best because they are self-aware. To seek out and
becomes something more.
What is Humanistic (and
Existential) Theory
Responsibility is a key factor of this theory. All
individuals are responsible for the choices they make
in their lives - emotional, thoughts, and behaviors.
Focues on the struggle between "being" and "non-
being", life vs death, accepting parts of your youself
but not others, being authentic vs being fake.
Counselors should avoid 5 years
engaging in any romantic
or sexual relations with a
client, a client's family
member or a clients
romantic partner for at
least how long after the
counselor-client
relationship has ended?
Materials EXAM (2025/2026) Updated: EXAM QUESTIONS
WITH ACCURATE ANSWERS | GET IT RIGHT!!
What does CPFC stand Certified Personal Finance Counselor
for?
You have the training and the tools to guide your
What does certification
clients no matter what their financial situation might
demonstrate?
be.
What is the cornerstone to Trust
building a successful
client/counselor
relationship?
What should counseling Positive, affirming, and nonjudgemental.
sessions be?
Establish trust and make the environment one in which
What are the parameters
financial matters can be openly discussed and
of process goals?
solutions presented.
The art of writing down pieces of information, often in
Describe some key points shorthand, that are later flushed out. Needs to be
about good note taking. done discreetly and not to disturb the client's flow of
thoughts and speech.
When you will begin to give feedback to the client
Describe the Discussion
and discuss potential action steps. First confirm with
part of a counseling
the client that the problems you heard are in fact the
session?
problems the client has stated.
, Part of being a good counselor is being a good
Why is listening
listener. Listening means hearing and understanding
important?
what you have been told.
What are the 3 things you Rephrasing, paraphrasing, and summarizing.
can do to be an effective
listener?
Rephrasing is restating exactly what you have heard
What is rephrasing?
from the client.
Re-stating what the client says, using the counselors
What is paraphrasing? own words; assures understanding. This can be helpful
for clarifying the situation.
To focus the conversation on the main points.
What is summarizing used
for in a counseling You may want to have clients prioritize their concerns
session? from most problematic to least and ask which ones
they want to work on first.
Provide the client with a printed action plan which
What should be done at
should include any recommended resources and, if
the Conclusion of a
appropriate, how they can reach you for future
counseling session?
sessions or support.
A positive note, regardless of how dire their financial
What should even
situation is. if you do not believe the client cannot
counseling session end
remedy the problem, you should refer them to
on?
another counselor or resource.
What are the 3 primary 1. Psychodynamic (and Psychoanalytic) Theory
schools of thought in 2. Cognitive-Behavioral (and Behavioral) Theory
counseling? 3. Humanistic (and Existential) Theory
, Clients are viewed from a point of being ill or broken.
Clients are see as being made up from a "dynamic"
that begins in early childhood and progresses
throughout their life.
Look at individuals as the composite of their parental
Psychodynamic (and
upbringing an how particular conflicts between
Psychoanalytic) Theory
themselves and their parents and within themselves
get worked out.
Believe in the ego, a superego, and the id. Freud.
What you don't know can hurt you.
The root of all our problems can be traced back to
Psychoanalysis
our childhoods.
Cognitive-behavioral theory emphasizes what
thoughts an individual has as an explanation as to how
they develop and how sometimes mental disorders
occur.
Believe in the role of social learning during childhood
Explain Cognitive- and in the power of modeling and reinforcement.
Behavioral (and
Behavioral) Theory Children observing and imitating behavior, both good
and bad.
Believe our personalities develop from our
experiences and critical learning occurs such as
understanding appropriate (and inappropriate)
thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
, Seeks to change an individual's irrational or faulty
thinking behaviors by educating them and reinforcing
What is Cognitive positive experiences that will lead to fundamental
Behavioral Therapy? changes in the way a person copes.
How they train birds.
Humanistic theory believes that all individuals are
basically good and positive, with the ability to choose
all of their actions and behaviors in their lives.
Individuals are motivated to do better and be their
best because they are self-aware. To seek out and
becomes something more.
What is Humanistic (and
Existential) Theory
Responsibility is a key factor of this theory. All
individuals are responsible for the choices they make
in their lives - emotional, thoughts, and behaviors.
Focues on the struggle between "being" and "non-
being", life vs death, accepting parts of your youself
but not others, being authentic vs being fake.
Counselors should avoid 5 years
engaging in any romantic
or sexual relations with a
client, a client's family
member or a clients
romantic partner for at
least how long after the
counselor-client
relationship has ended?
