Retirement Plan Fundamentals Part 1 & Part 2 (RPF-1 & RPF-2)
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2013 RPF-1 Syllabus
2013 RPF-2 Syllabus
Course Overview
Examination Details
***New in 2013
Required and Supplementary Reading
Supplementary Study Tools
Required Reading and Supplementary Study Material References & Errata
RPF Certificate Program
Earn College Credit for ASPPA Examinations
2012 QPFC Education Requirement Changes
Continuing Education (CE) Credits
Course Overview
The Retirement Plan Fundamentals (RPF) program is designed to convey the broad base of knowledge necessary for every retirement plan professional to master. RPF text materials and exams aid in establishing groundwork in retirement plan terminology, issues, and requirements for anyone beginning a career, reentering the retirement field, or commencing the credential process.
The course is divided into two parts: Each part is designed to build upon the groundwork established by the other while not duplicating content or presupposing knowledge or experience level. The objective of the Retirement Plan Fundamentals Course, Parts 1 and 2 (RPF-1 and RPF-2) is to give an individual beginning a career as a retirement plan professional a general background in qualified plans as a first step toward meeting the challenges of the profession. Individuals employed in the insurance, brokerage or financial consulting professions should find that the course imparts knowledge that will increase his or her ability to assist plan sponsors and further professional development. Please refer to the RPF-1 syllabus and the RPF-2 syllabus for specific learning objectives and exam topic weightings.
Examination Details
The 2013 RPF exams are open-book online exams and each consists of 75 multiple choice and true/false questions. Upon completion of an RPF exam, you will receive an immediate score and feedback report. A score of 64 or more out of 75 is a passing score on the 2013 RPF examinations.
There are two versions of each exam. Candidates are only required to take one version. If a candidate fails one version he/she can register, pay and take the second version in the same calendar year. For example, if you register for RPF-1 version 1 and you fail, you can register and pay for the RPF-1 version 2 exam in the same calendar year. If a candidate fails both versions of the examination in the same calendar year, the candidate will be required to wait to complete the examination until the next program year. Candidate examination records are aggregated; therefore, an examination(s) will be disqualified if a candidate completes the same version of the same examination in the same calendar year.
New in 2013: We are excited to announce that ASPPA will be moving its online testing to a more robust and interactive format in late 2013. With this change we will be implementing two access periods in 2013 for our online certificate program examinations and practice examinations. Registration for each access period will only be available during the applicable access period. The access periods and submission deadlines in 2013 are:
| Access Period |
Registration/Submission Deadline |
| January 3 – July 31 |
July 31 |
| September 1 – December 12 |
December 12 |
*These dates are subject to change.
To register, a candidate must have an account with ASPPA. To set up an account
click here. Candidates can
register online or download the RPF
registration form and send via mail or fax to 703.516.9308. Once registered for an RPF examination, you can access your exam from the
Access Exams and Quizzes link on the right side of this page. You may complete a portion of the exam, save it, and return to the exam at another time to complete it.
Exam Fees - The non-refundable registration fee for each RPF exam is $199.
Estimated hours needed to study - Study time depends greatly on the experience level of the student. The average candidate reports that it takes approximately 40 hours study time per examination.
Required and Supplementary Reading
The RPF textbooks are available for purchase through the the online bookstore or the downloadable publications order form.
The required readings for the 2013 RPF-1 exam are:
- RPF-1 Course: Retirement Plan Fundamentals Part 1 – 8th Edition. Arlington, VA: ASPPA, 2013. Available from the ASPPA bookstore in PDF format for $209 list price and a member discount price of $194 or in print format for $242 list price and a member discount price of $220.
The required reading for the RPF-2 exam is:
- RPF-2 Course: Retirement Plan Fundamentals Part 2 – 8th Edition. Arlington, VA: ASPPA, 2012. Available from the ASPPA bookstore in PDF format for $209 list price and a member discount price of $194 or in print format for $242 list price and a member discount price of $220.
The RPF textbooks are also available as a set (RPF-1 & RPF-2 Course Set) in PDF format from the ASPPA Bookstore for $395 list price and a member discount price of $359. Distributable version PDF (for internal training purposes only) is available for $750.
Recommended Reading for the RPF-2 exam is:
Supplementary Study Tools
The study tools below are not required preparation for the RPF examinations. They are offered as additional study aids.
It is the candidate’s responsibility to review all of ASPPA’s exam policies and procedures, which can be found on
Candidate Corner.
Required Reading & Supplementary Study Material References & Errata
For updates to ASPPA’s publications and examinations please click here. Stop by regularly as new updates are posted. It is recommended that the candidate check the errata before preparing for and sitting for an ASPPA examination.
RPF Certificate Program
ASPPA has designed the Retirement Plan Fundamentals certificate program to meet the needs of pension plan professionals. Successful completion of the RPF certificate program also counts toward the requirements for many of ASPPA’s credentialed memberships. The RPF certificate program exams are administered online in open book multiple choice format. Upon successful completion of both the RPF-1 and RPF-2 exams, ASPPA will automatically issue the Retirement Plan Fundamentals certificate online. Please note: you do not need to complete both examinations in the same calendar year.
Earn College Credit for ASPPA Examinations
The American Council on Education’s College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE CREDIT) has evaluated and recommended college credit for most of ASPPA’s examination programs. Candidates may be able to receive college credit for successful completion of most ASPPA examinations, including current and previous (no longer offered) examinations. Please note: for ASPPA’s certificate program online examinations, RPF-1, RPF-2 and TGPC-1, in order to obtain college credit, candidates will need to take the examination online and a proctor will be required. The examination must be completed within 3 hours and it is not open-book. For more information, such as for which exams credit is awarded and how to obtain credit, please click here.
Continuing Education (CE) Credits
Candidates who have successfully completed an ASPPA certificate program examination will earn 7.5 ASPPA CE credits. Credits will be applied to the CE cycle in which the score is issued. For more information on ASPPA examination CE credit click here.