Course of Study and Examinations
Achieving your AFCC® Designation requires completion of the course work of both the:
- Personal Finance Module
- Financial Counselling and Debt Management Module
Experience Component
To ensure we uphold the highest standards, all AFCC® candidates must meet an experience requirement in the field of financial counselling or education.
AFCC® certified professionals work in many different fields, and in many different roles. We love this diversity and want to provide candidates many ways to earn experience hours and succeed.
1000 hours of experience is a mandatory requirement in order to be eligible to receive the AFCC® Designation.
Acceptable experience includes:
- Offering one-on-one counselling or advising services for clients
- Developing and conducting education and training for clients
- Developing education and training programs for financial counsellors
- Conduct educational training for financial counsellors
- Serving as an education director for a financial counselling organization
- Supervising financial counsellors
- Support clients as they work through their financial challenges and opportunities
- Guide clients in developing successful strategies to achieve their financial goals
- Educate clients in sound financial principles
Final Certification Documentation: Complete the AFCC® final certification documentation. Final certification documentation includes:
- Completion of professional information form documenting work experience*
- Submission of the employment verification form to be signed by the applicant’s supervisor or, if self-employed, by an individual knowledgeable about the applicant’s practice
- Agreement to adhere to the AFCPE Code of Ethics
*The experience requirement can be met before or after the candidate completes the exam requirement. Certification will not be granted until all of the requirements have been completed successfully.
Post Certification Requirements
AFCPE® and OACCS supports the ongoing professional development of its certificants. The mandatory renewal process provides certificants with the opportunity to demonstrate the reinforcement and expansion of their knowledge and skills pertaining to the full spectrum of personal finance and counseling. Renewal also provides encouragement to, and acknowledgment for, participation in ongoing professional development activities and lifelong learning. Therefore, the renewal requirements include continuing education and professional activities that enhance ongoing professional development, recognize learning opportunities, promote continuing competence and provide a process for both obtaining and recording professional development achievements.
Professional development is a career-long process. Over the course of a career, many changes will occur in a field of study or profession requiring an updating of knowledge and skills. These changes include the introduction of new and varied products and services offerings in the financial marketplace as well changes in laws and technical knowledge related to personal finance and counselling. The purpose of requiring certificants to receive continuing education is threefold:
- to enhance the individual professional’s capacity to serve his or her constituents,
- to protect the public interest, and
- to uphold the rigor of the certification programs.
To maintain competence and prevent professional obsolescence, the Certification Council requires that each AFCC® certificant participate periodically in continuing education to refresh existing knowledge and skills, and to acquire knowledge and proficiency pertaining to new advances as well as state of the art information over the full spectrum of personal finance and counselling.
Two Examinations: 70% Required on both Exams
Candidates must secure their own proctor for exams. A list of proctors is not provided - but a simple web search for proctoring services in your area usually provides several options including local colleges or universities, adult education centers, or libraries.
In order to maintain the integrity of the exam, AFCPE® has implemented a proctor policy that prohibits family members, employees, colleagues or private individuals from proctoring exams. A candidate’s proctor must be a third party with no association with them or their employer and cannot be a family member.
Virtual proctoring is offered through ProctorU, a web-based proctoring service. ProctorU allows for testing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from home or any location with access to a computer with high-speed internet, a webcam and speakers. See Exhibit B for instructions for utilizing ProctorU.
Multiple Choice Questions
Examinations
Hours of Experience
3 Years from Date of Registration to Complete All Course Components
AFCC® Registration Transfer
Individuals enrolled in the Accredited Financial Counsellor Canada (AFCC) program may have a career re-direction or life circumstance where they are unable to continue with their course of study. Instead of forfeiting their registration, they may substitute and transfer their registration to another individual.
Contact our office to request an AFCC® registration transfer from one individual to another. A transfer fee of $150 must be made to complete this request. The newly enrolled candidate will need to acquire the study materials (textbooks) from the original enrollee. Access to the AFCC Study Guides will be available via the myAFCPE dashboard. The newly enrolled candidate will need to complete all certification requirements by the original enrollee's deadline. Please Note: This transfer request does not include transfer of Membership (if applicable).