Common Exam Questions

1) When should I schedule my exam? 

You are eligible to schedule your AFC® exam at any point upon registration approval in the AFC® Program. However, reschedule and cancellation fees do apply, so we recommend scheduling your exam when you are certain that you are prepared and ready to test.

2) What does the AFC® exam look like? 

The AFC® exam is offered in a single, three-hour session with 165 multiple-choice questions (150 operational and 15 pretest). Each question contains four options, only one of which is the correct answer.

Imbedded in the examination are “pretest” questions, which are included in the examination for statistical purposes only. Pretest questions are placed on the exam to evaluate the item’s difficulty level for possible inclusion as a scored question in the future. Candidates’ scores are based upon the number of scored items on the exam — pretest items do not affect the candidates’ score. Pretest questions are dispersed throughout the examination and cannot be identified.

3) How do I schedule my exam? 

Before scheduling your exam through PSI, you must login to myAFCPE, click on your certification dashboard and pay your exam fee (if applicable). Once your fee is paid, AFCPE® will notify PSI that you are ready to test.

Candidates will be contacted by PSI via email when the examination is available for scheduling. Instructions for scheduling an examination with PSI are provided in your myAFCPE Dashboard once your exam fee is paid.

When you schedule your examination appointment, be prepared to confirm a location and a preferred date and time for testing. You will be asked to provide your unique identification number. You will be notified of the time to report to the Assessment Center and, if an e-mail address is provided, you will be sent an e-mail confirmation notice.

If special accommodations are being requested, please complete the Special Examination Accommodations form (also available in your certification dashboard) and submit to the AFCPE Certification Program Director at least 45 days prior to the desired examination date.

4) Is the AFC® exam available overseas?

Only for US citizens stationed overseas serving in the US military,

If you are a US Citizen stationed overseas serving in the US military, AFCPE offers the administration of its certification examinations overseas coordinated through PSI.  Please contact your preferred local test center to arrange a mutually acceptable testing date and time at least 45 days prior to your preferred testing date. Test centers within your local area may include college and university testing centers, libraries, or education centers on a US military base. You should tell your Test Center Officer that you will be taking a computer-based exam which requires internet access. 

Once your appointment is set with the test center, please email the date, time, Test Center Officer’s name and email address, and physical address of the testing location to AMPIntlExamServices@goamp.com. An International Testing Fee applies to any examinations delivered outside of the United States and must be paid with your exam fee through your myAFCPE certification dashboard.

5) What if I need to reschedule my exam? 

You may reschedule your exam appointment once at no charge by calling PSI at 888-519-9901 at least two business days prior to your scheduled appointment.

You will forfeit your registration to take the examination under the following circumstances:

  • You wish to reschedule an examination but fail to contact PSI at least two business days prior to the scheduled testing session.
  • You wish to reschedule a second time.
  • You appear more than 15 minutes late for an examination.
  • You fail to report for an examination appointment.

A new examination request and the current retake fee are required to reapply for the examination.

6) What should I expect on the day of my exam? 

To provide a fair and consistent exam experience for all candidates, the exams are delivered using standardized procedures and following strict security protocols. Candidates are required to follow all exam site rules at all times. Failure to follow these rules may result in termination of a candidate’s testing session and/or invalidation of the candidate’s exam score.

Your examination will be given via computer at a PSI Assessment Center. You do not need any computer experience or typing skills to take the computer examination. On the day of your examination appointment, report to the Assessment Center no later than your scheduled testing time. IF YOU ARRIVE MORE THAN 15 MINUTES AFTER THE SCHEDULED TESTING TIME, YOU WILL NOT BE ADMITTED.

The following security procedures apply during the examination:

  • Examinations are proprietary. No cameras, notes, tape recorders, pagers or cellular/smart phones are allowed in the testing room. Possession of a cellular/smart phone or other electronic devices is strictly prohibited and will result in dismissal from the examination.
  • No technical or programmable calculators are allowed. Candidates may only use silent, non-programmable calculators without alpha keys or printing capabilities in the testing room.
  • No guests, visitors or family members are allowed in the testing room or reception areas.
  • All test takers will undergo a metal detection wanding inspection as part of the test center security checks.
Personal Belongings:

No personal items, valuables or weapons should be brought to the Assessment Center. Only wallets and keys are permitted. Large coats and jackets must be left outside the testing room. You will be provided a soft locker to store your wallet and/or keys with you in the testing room. The proctor will lock the soft locker prior to you entering the testing room. You will not have access to these items until after the examination is completed. Please note the following items will not be allowed in the testing room and should be securely locked in the soft locker.

  • Watches
  • Hats
  • Wallets
  • Keys

Once you have placed your personal belongings into the soft locker, you will be asked to pull out your pockets to ensure they are empty. If you bring personal items that will not fit in the soft locker, you will not be able to test. The site will not store or be responsible for your personal belongings.

If any personal items are observed or heard (e.g., cellular/smart phones, alarms) in the testing room after the examination is started, you will be dismissed and the administration will be forfeited.

Examination Restrictions:
  • Pencils will be provided during check-in.
  • You will be provided with one piece of scratch paper at a time to use during the examination, unless noted on the sign-in roster for a particular candidate. You must return the scratch paper to the proctor at the completion of testing or you will not receive your score report.
  • No documents or notes of any kind may be removed from the Assessment Center.
  • No questions concerning the content of the examination may be asked during the examination.
  • Eating, drinking or smoking is not permitted in the Assessment Center.
  • You may take a break whenever you wish, but you will not be allowed additional time to make up for time lost during breaks.
Misconduct:

If you engage in any of the following conduct during the examination you may be dismissed, your scores will not be reported and examination fees will not be refunded. Examples of misconduct are when you:

  • create a disturbance, are abusive or otherwise uncooperative;
  • display and/or use electronic communications devices such as pagers, cellular/smart phones;
  • talk or participate in conversation with other examination candidates;
  • give or receive help or are suspected of doing so;
  • leave the Assessment Center during the administration;
  • attempt to record examination questions or make notes;
  • attempt to take the examination for someone else;
  • are observed with personal belongings, or
  • are observed with unauthorized notes, books or other aids not listed on the roster
Identification:

To gain admission to the assessment center, you must present two forms of identification. The primary form must be government issued, current and include your name, signature and photograph. No form of temporary identification will be accepted. You will also be required to sign a roster for verification of identity.

  • Examples of valid primary forms of identification are: driver’s license with photograph; state identification card with photograph; passport; military identification card with photograph.
  • The secondary form of identification must display your name and signature for signature verification (e.g., credit card with signature, social security card with signature, employment/student ID card with signature).
  • If your name on your registration is different than it appears on your identification, you must bring proof of your name change (e.g., marriage license, divorce decree or court order).

Candidates must have proper identification to gain admission to the Assessment Center. Failure to provide appropriate identification at the time of the examination is considered a missed appointment. There will be no refund of examination fees.

Beginning the Examination:

After your identification has been confirmed, you will be directed to a testing carrel. You will be instructed on-screen to enter your identification number. You will take your photograph which will remain on screen throughout your examination session. This photograph will also print on your score report. Prior to attempting the examination, you will be given the opportunity to practice taking an examination on the computer. The time you use for this practice examination is NOT counted as part of your examination time or score.

When you are comfortable with the computer testing process, you may quit the practice session and begin the timed examination.

Following the practice examination, you will begin the timed examination. Before beginning, instructions for taking the examination are provided on-screen.

The computer monitors the time you spend on the examination. The examination will terminate if you exceed the time allowed. You may click on the “Time” box in the lower menu bar on the screen to monitor your time. A digital clock indicates the time remaining for you to complete the examination. The Time feature may be turned off during the examination.

Only one examination question is presented at a time. The question number appears in the lower right of the screen. Choices of answers to the examination question are identified as A, B, C or D. You must indicate your choice by either typing in the letter in the response box in the lower left portion of the computer screen or clicking on the option using the mouse. To change your answer, enter a different option typing in the letter in the response box or by clicking on the option using the mouse. You may change your answer as many times as you wish during the examination time limit.

To move to the next question, click on the forward arrow (>) in the lower right portion of the screen. This action will move you forward through the examination question by question. If you wish to review any question(s), click the backward arrow (<) or use the left arrow key to move backward through the examination.

An examination question may be left unanswered for return later in the examination session. Questions may also be bookmarked for later review by clicking in the blank square to the right of the Time button.

To identify all unanswered and/or bookmarked questions, click on the hand icon. When the examination is completed, the number of examination questions answered is reported. If all questions have not been answered and there is time remaining, you may return to the examination and answer those questions. Be sure to provide an answer for each examination question before exiting the examination. There is no penalty for guessing.

During the examination, comments may be provided for any question by clicking on the button displaying an exclamation point (!) to the left of the Time button. This opens a dialogue box where comments may be entered. Comments will be reviewed, but individual responses will not be provided.

7) How soon will I receive my exam results? 

Candidates will receive automatic results/score reports at the examination site immediately following the examination administration. Score reports are released directly to candidates only. Results are not released by phone. Requests for exam results to be released to anyone other than the candidate must be made in writing by the candidate.  

8) What if I don’t pass my exam? 

Candidates that do not achieve a passing score on the examination must wait for a minimum of thirty (30) days between administrations before a subsequent reexamination attempt. Candidates may take the examination a maximum of five (5) times as long as they continue to meet the published eligibility criteria.

To retake the examination, the candidate must repeat all registration processes as outlined in the Candidate Handbook, including the retake fee.

Download the AFC® Candidate Handbook

 

Comments are closed.