Eligibility
Successful completion of the examination is one of the requirements for attaining the AIF® and PPC® Designation. Anyone seeking to achieve the AIF® or PPC® Designation is eligible to sit for an exam. In order to be awarded the designation, the candidate must also meet all other requirements, including completing training, meeting the experience requirement, satisfying the Code of Ethics and Conduct Standards, and submitting the application and dues.
Administration
The examination must be completed under acceptable conditions and under the supervision of an acceptable proctor.
It is critical that all candidates have as similar exam experience as possible. Exam proctors help facilitate this process by ensuring site conditions meet acceptable criteria. The candidate and proctor are both responsible for ensuring proper conditions are adhered to and must report any issues or irregularity to Fi360 in order to preserve fairness and exam security. Regardless of whether in-person or remote proctors are used, the exam site conditions must be met.
Candidates must have a quiet and secure area for taking the exam. It is the candidate's responsibility to have access to reliable internet for the entirety of the exam attempt. The room shall be well lit with a temperature between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit or the candidate must agree that the temperature is acceptable prior to starting the exam. Each candidate needs to have their own computer with internet access and not be within 2 feet of any other candidate. The candidate may use a whiteboard or transparency sleeve over a blank piece of paper and a dry erase marker for taking notes during the exam, which the proctor must ensure are completely blank prior to starting the exam. The candidate may take notes during the exam but may not copy the content of exam questions or answer choices. Personal belongings (e.g. phones, purses, etc.) shall be placed under the table or outside of the candidate’s direct line of sight. Candidates are prohibited from using any other aids including notes, training materials, textbooks, mobile phones, tablets, access to any other computer files, applications, search engines or websites outside of Fi360’s LMS system where the exam is being administered during the entirety of the exam. At the conclusion of the exam, the candidate will show the proctor their notes to verify the content of the exam has not been recreated and shall fully erase their notes to the best of their ability.
Candidates using a remote proctor may be subject to additional requirements such as using a lockdown browser, limiting the number of computer screens or windows, requiring other programs to be closed/blocked, etc.
For a detailed description of the acceptable proctors, please read the Proctor Regulations & Guidelines.
Format and Procedure
The examination is a computer-based, timed, closed-book assessment that must be attempted unaided in the presence of a proctor.
- The AIF® Examination consists of eighty (80) multiple choice questions, seventy (70) of which are graded for the exam score and ten (10) are unscored trial questions. Candidates are given a time-limit of one hundred twenty (120) minutes to complete the exam.
- The PPC® Examination consists of fifty (50) multiple choice questions with a ninety (90) minute time-limit.
Note: Evaluation of AIFA® candidates is based on a combination of class participation and successful completion of the case study. There is no examination associated with becoming an AIFA® designee.
Scoring
The exam is designed to assess comprehension of the subject matter, as well as their proper application. The minimum (cut) score to successfully pass each respective exam is as follows:
- AIF® - 70%
- PPC® - 75%
Computer-based exam results are delivered upon completion of the exam or when the time-limit is reached.
Retakes
For a detailed description of our Retake Policy, please read our Fi360® Exam - Retake Policy help article.