Please see the bottom of this page for forms and other materials related to the CFLE Exam and Exam Application Process.

The CFLE Standards & Criteria document includes information on the history and purpose of the designation as well as information on the application processes and the requirements for maintaining the CFLE designation.

Candidates who have not recently graduated from a CFLE-Approved Academic Program can attain Certification by completing the CFLE Exam. In order to qualify to sit for the Exam you need to have at least a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college/university.

Applicants pursuing Provisional or Full Certification through the CFLE exam must submit the following:

• CFLE Exam Application Form and CFLE Exam Fee (Please note: application fees are non-refundable).
• Official transcript showing degree completion (Transcript must have watermark or embossment. It does not have to be mailed directly from the school or be in a sealed envelope.) Please note that we cannot accept photocopied, emailed, faxed, or electronic transcripts.
• Signed copy of the CFLE Code of Ethics

In addition to the information listed above, applicants pursuing Full Certification through the CFLE Exam must also submit:

• FLE Work Experience Summary Form - Exam
• Work Experience documentation
• Resume or Vita
• FLE Employer Assessment and Verification Form

The CFLE Exam

The CFLE Exam is based on the results of an extensive practice analysis survey distributed to over 8,000 family professionals. The CFLE Exam consists of 150 multiple-choice questions.

The Exam content is based upon ten FLE Content Areas. The percentage of questions for each content area is as follows:

The CFLE Content and Practice Guidelines provide a detailed outline of concepts included on the CFLE Exam.  The CFLE Exam Resources include all books used in developing the CFLE Exam questions as well as other relevant resources. Applicants are not expected to read all books listed; rather they can review resources as needed. There is also a list of Sample CFLE Exam Questions that can be reviewed when preparing for the test. All of the CFLE Exam study materials are also gathered into one document in CFLE Exam Study Information and Materials.

There is no official study guide prepared by NCFR. However, Dixie Gabalis and Katie LaPlant developed a CFLE Exam Study Guide when they were preparing to take the exam and have made this guide available to CFLE exam candidates through NCFR.

In addition, candidates have found NCFR's publication Family Life Education. Integrating Theory and Practice to be a helpful resource. It is available for purchase through the NCFR Store.

Exam Testing Locations

The Exam is available via computer-based testing at specified Schroeder Measurement Technologies (SMT) testing sites throughout the United States and Canada.You can find a testing location near you by following these directions:

1. Go to: http://www.isoqualitytesting.com/
2. Click on the "Take a Test" tab
3. Click on "Locate a Testing Center"
4. Click on "Click Here to Locate A Testing Center By List", and follow the directions

Candidates are given login and password information once they have submitted the CFLE Exam Application and been approved to sit for the Exam.

Exam Testing Dates

The Exam is also administered via paper and pencil onsite at the following conference:

Score Reporting

Exam scores are reported as a scaled score rather than a raw score (actual number of questions answered correctly). The reporting scale ranges from 0-1000. The minimum passing scaled score (MPSS) will be set at 700. A candidate who achieves a scaled score at or above 700 on an examination will have passed the examination, while a candidate who scores below a 700 will have failed the examination. Candidates who do not receive a passing score will be provided with diagnostic information so that they can see areas of strength and weakness. Candidates who receive a passing score will not receive any diagnostic information. They will only be told that they passed the exam.

Each examination is constructed to meet the content requirements described in the corresponding content outline.  Each test form uses different questions and therefore may vary slightly in difficulty. As always, a candidate's score will be based on the number of questions answered correctly but the raw score will be converted to and reported as a scaled score. 

Proper psychometric procedures are employed to make certain that form difficulty is taken into account and that no candidate is at an advantage or disadvantage and therefore, raw scores are converted to scaled scores that represent comparable levels of achievement.