The CTP exam: dates, format and passing score

CTP exam dates and schedule

The CTP exam is not available all year. AFP sets two testing windows, one in June and July and one in December and January, and you choose any day inside your window when you book with Pearson. These are the published certified treasury professional exam dates and deadlines:

• Window 2026B: 1 December 2026 – 31 January 2027. Early deadline 23 September 2026 (passed), final application deadline 28 October 2026, cancellation and refund requests by 17 November 2026.
• Window 2027A: 1 June – 31 July 2027. Early deadline 24 March 2027, final application deadline 28 April 2027, cancellation and refund requests by 17 May 2027.

Source: AFP — CTP deadlines and fees. Checked 10 October 2026.

How the CTP exam schedule works in practice

You apply to AFP first, then make your testing appointment through Pearson, by phone or online. Applying by the early deadline is cheaper: for AFP members the fee is US$925 early and US$1,025 by the final deadline. Missing a booked appointment costs a US$95 no-show penalty.

Plan the CTP exam schedule backwards from your window. If you are aiming for the December 2026 – January 2027 window, your application has to be in by 28 October 2026; if that is too soon, the June – July 2027 window gives you until 24 March 2027 for the lower fee.

Source: AFP — CTP FAQ. Checked 10 October 2026.

Certified Treasury Professional exam format

The certified treasury professional exam consists of 170 multiple-choice questions. Twenty of them are unscored pretest items that AFP is trialling for future exams; you cannot tell which ones, so treat every question as scored.

Your appointment is four hours long. Three and a half hours are for the questions; the rest covers an optional 15-minute tutorial before you start and a short questionnaire at the end. That gives you about 74 seconds per question if you use all the time. You can mark questions, skip them and come back, and change answers until time runs out.

Bring no books or reference material into the room; AFP’s rules list unauthorised aids as misconduct that can cancel your score.

Source: AFP — About the CTP exam. Checked 10 October 2026.

What the CTP exam covers

The current CTP Test Specifications, published as CTP-26, set out five domains with a range of questions for each:

• Maintaining corporate liquidity — 55–60 questions
• Capital structure, long-term capital costs and investments — 33–37 questions
• Financial, regulatory and operational risk — 23–27 questions
• Technology in the treasury function — 23–27 questions
• Internal and external relationships — 12–17 questions

Source: AFP — CTP Test Specifications (CTP-26). Checked 10 October 2026.

CTP exam passing score

AFP reports a scaled score between 200 and 500, and 300 is the passing score. Because the score is scaled, AFP does not say how many of the 150 scored questions you need to get right, and the number can differ between versions of the test.

There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so answer every question. If you pass, you are told only that you passed. If you fail, you receive your scaled score and diagnostics by knowledge domain, which tell you where to focus before a retake.

Source: AFP — CTP exam scoring. Checked 10 October 2026.

Certified treasury professional exam pass rate

AFP does not publish a certified treasury professional exam pass rate on its CTP site, its FAQ, its scoring page or its results page, all checked on 10 October 2026. Any CTP exam pass rate you see quoted elsewhere does not come from AFP, so treat it with caution.

What AFP does publish is more useful for planning: the passing standard (a scaled 300), the domain ranges, and the fact that a failed attempt comes with a domain-by-domain diagnostic. A certified treasury professional pass rate would not tell you whether you personally are ready; your own results across the five domains will.

Source: AFP — CTP exam results. Checked 10 October 2026.

How hard is the CTP exam?

AFP publishes no difficulty rating, but the published facts give a fair picture. The certified treasury professional test asks 170 questions in three and a half hours, so it rewards both breadth and pace. It assumes practical experience: AFP’s eligibility rule is two years of full-time treasury or corporate finance work, and the questions are written by treasury practitioners.

The domain ranges show where the weight sits. Liquidity alone accounts for 55–60 questions, so weakness there is hard to make up elsewhere, while relationships carry only 12–17. If your daily work covers only one area — cash positioning, say, or capital markets — plan the most study time for the domains outside it.

Source: AFP — CTP Test Specifications (CTP-26). Checked 10 October 2026.

CTP exam results and retakes

At the end of the exam you receive a printed report showing whether you passed. AFP does not release results by phone or other electronic means. For the first window under a new body of knowledge, results arrive later: for the June – July 2026 window, AFP stated that results would follow 6–8 weeks after the window closed.

You may sit the exam only once per window, but AFP does not limit how many times you can retake it. Re-examination or re-registration costs US$250, and your application stays valid for six consecutive windows.

Source: AFP — CTP exam results. Checked 10 October 2026.

Exam rules and confidentiality

AFP requires every candidate to agree not to disclose any content or test questions. Copying or removing questions, using unauthorised aids, or selling or distributing any part of the exam counts as misconduct. AFP states that candidates who commit misconduct have their scores cancelled, forfeit all fees and are not permitted to take the exam again.

Source: AFP — CTP rules and regulations. Checked 10 October 2026.

Preparing for the CTP exam

Certsqill’s CTP question bank is expert-developed and weighted to the CTP-26 domains: each answer option is explained, and a readiness score per domain shows you whether liquidity and the other four areas are ready before your window.

CTP exam: questions people ask

When are the CTP exam dates?

The next window runs from 1 December 2026 to 31 January 2027 (final application deadline 28 October 2026). The one after runs from 1 June to 31 July 2027. Source: AFP, checked 10 October 2026.

How many questions are on the CTP exam?

170 multiple-choice questions: 150 scored and 20 unscored pretest items. Source: AFP CTP exam scoring, checked 10 October 2026.

How long is the CTP exam?

Three and a half hours to answer the questions, within a four-hour appointment that includes an optional tutorial and a short questionnaire. Source: AFP, checked 10 October 2026.

What is the CTP exam passing score?

A scaled score of 300 on a scale from 200 to 500. Source: AFP CTP exam scoring, checked 10 October 2026.

What is the CTP exam pass rate?

AFP does not publish one. Figures quoted elsewhere do not come from AFP, checked 10 October 2026.

How hard is the CTP exam?

AFP gives no difficulty rating. It is 170 questions in three and a half hours, written by treasury practitioners for candidates with two years of experience, with liquidity making up the largest domain.

Where do you take the CTP exam?

At Pearson testing centres; you book your appointment through Pearson for any day in your window. Source: AFP, checked 10 October 2026.

Can you retake the CTP exam?

Yes, once per window and with no overall limit. Re-examination costs US$250. Source: AFP, checked 10 October 2026.

When do you get CTP exam results?

Normally on a printed report at the end of the exam. After a new body of knowledge is introduced, results can take 6–8 weeks after the window closes. Source: AFP, checked 10 October 2026.