CFRE Examination

Take your exam from home. Simply choose 'Online at my home or office' when presented with exam options. Learn more about OnVUE.

The Certified Fund Raising Executive® (CFRE) Examination is intended to assess your mastery of the body of knowledge required to perform fundraising tasks. The CFRE credentialing program is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) under the ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024 standard for personnel certification programs.

Certification Application

Before scheduling an examination appointment, you must have already:

  1. Had your Initial Certification Application approved by CFRE International;
  2. Been notified of your eligibility to sit for the examination and received your Eligibility ID Number (EIN) from CFRE International.
  3. Paid the Initial Certification Fee to CFRE International.
  4. If the first and last name you originally provided to CFRE International is not an exact match to your photo identification documents, you must resolve the discrepancies with CFRE International before you arrive at the test center.

Scheduling for a computer-based exam

After Pearson VUE has received your exam authorization you will receive an authorization to test email. It is your responsibility to make an appointment to take the exam. Exam appointments may be scheduled up to 24 hours in advance. Space at testing locations are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

As Pearson VUE will create your account for you, you must sign-in as a RETURNING USER using the login and password provided to you. You will not be able to schedule your exam through the CREATE A WEB ACCOUNT link. CFRE does not directly provide candidate IDs for registration.

After you schedule your test, Pearson VUE will send a confirmation letter listing your test date, your testing time, the address and phone number of the test center, and directions to the test center.

Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)

You will be required to agree to the NDA that will be presented at the beginning of your exam. Failure to read/accept the agreement within the allotted 5 minutes will result in your exam ending and a forfeit of your exam fees. Please take a moment to review the agreement now so that you are familiar with it when you sit for your exam.

I understand that taking the CFRE exam via remote proctoring has received provisional approval from the accrediting body for the CFRE certification program. In the event that the accrediting body does not approve remote proctoring for the CFRE Exam past the provisional period, I understand that the accrediting body may require CFRE International to revoke my CFRE exam score as a condition of the CFRE certification program’s continued accreditation. In that event, I will receive one free retake of the CFRE exam at a testing center and have six months in which to retake the CFRE exam. If I do not retake the CFRE exam and receive a passing score within six months from the date of notification of the revocation of my CFRE exam score, my CFRE certification will be revoked, and no refund of my CFRE initial certification fee will be issued.


About CFRE International

Founded in 2001, CFRE International is an independent nonprofit organization whose sole mission is dedicated to setting standards in philanthropy through a valid and reliable certification process for fundraising professionals aspiring to the highest standards of ethics, competence and service.

Last updated 2023-02-10