For Individuals
For Teams
  • FPAP™ certification program
  • 41 total courses (25 required)
  • Self-Paced & 100% Online
  • Get this program and CFI's full training catalog for your organization
  • Manage learning, create custom paths & measure progress
  • For teams of 2 or more learners

FPAP™ Program Overview

FP&A professionals play a pivotal role in business strategy and financial performance. CFI’s FPAP™ Certification equips you with the tools and training to excel in this high-impact field. You’ll build world-class financial models, create reliable forecasts, and deliver meaningful analysis that improves financial and operational performance.

This program sharpens your quantitative and qualitative skills and trains you in advanced Excel techniques for dynamic modeling, Power Query to streamline data processing, and Power BI to visualize your insights. These tools and techniques streamline workflows, helping you work faster with fewer errors and freeing up time for high-value analysis.

Whether you're working in finance today or pivoting into FP&A, this program gives you more than technical skills. An FPAP™ Certification positions you as a strategic thinker ready to influence business decisions and make a positive impact on any organization's financial performance.

What's in the Financial Planning & Analysis Professional Program?

41 courses

1032 lessons

120+ interactive exercises

Learn by doing with guided simulations

Blockchain certificate

To verify your skills

500,000+ 5-star ratings

Best-in-class training, as rated by you

Earning Your Certificate in Financial Analysis

Step 1.

Prep Courses

Optional

Choose from 5 optional courses to learn or review the fundamentals.

Excel Fundamentals - Quick Start Guide
4.8 (355 Ratings)
3h 30min
3h 30min
Introduction to 3-Statement Modeling
4.8 (208 Ratings)
6h
6h
Excel Fundamentals - Formulas for Finance
4.8 (4,986 Ratings)
3h 30min
3h 30min
Accounting Fundamentals
4.9 (7,555 Ratings)
5h
5h
Corporate Finance Fundamentals
4.8 (2,960 Ratings)
2h 30min
2h 30min
See All Prep Courses
Step 2.

25 Required Courses

The Role of The FP&A Professional
4.9 (142 Ratings)
1h 30min
1h 30min
FP&A for New Analysts
4.8 (31 Ratings)
3h
3h
Economic Analysis for FP&A
4.9 (24 Ratings)
4h
4h
Financial Analysis Fundamentals
4.8 (2,000 Ratings)
5h
5h
Budgeting Processes
4.9 (11 Ratings)
3h
3h
FP&A Modeling Pt.1 - Design
4.9 (18 Ratings)
1h
1h
FP&A Modeling Pt.2 - Formatting & Revenue
4.9 (20 Ratings)
2h 30min
2h 30min
FP&A Modeling Pt.3 - Headcount Analysis
4.9 (12 Ratings)
2h 30min
2h 30min
FP&A Modeling Pt.4 - Contractor Analysis
4.9 (8 Ratings)
1h
1h
FP&A Modeling Pt.5 - Debt and Capex Analysis
4.9 (7 Ratings)
1h 30min
1h 30min
FP&A Modeling Pt.6 - Financial Statement Aggregation
4.9 (7 Ratings)
2h
2h
FP&A Modeling Pt.7 - Dashboard Visualizations
4.6 (7 Ratings)
1h 30min
1h 30min
FP&A Modeling Pt.8 - 3-Statements
4.9 (11 Ratings)
3h
3h
FP&A Variance Pt.1 - Build & Configuration
4.8 (6 Ratings)
2h
2h
FP&A Variance Pt.2 - Roll Forward & Analysis
5 (7 Ratings)
2h
2h
FP&A Variance Pt.3 - Protection & Presentation
5 (7 Ratings)
2h 30min
2h 30min
Forecasting Techniques
4.8 (24 Ratings)
1h 30min
1h 30min
Data Visualization & Dashboards - The Basics
5 (19 Ratings)
1h 30min
1h 30min
FP&A Tool Selection
4.5 (2 Ratings)
2h
2h
Workflow Best Practice for Analysts
4.9 (40 Ratings)
1h 30min
1h 30min
Communication and Presentation Skills for Finance Professionals
4.8 (4 Ratings)
2h
2h
Professional Ethics
4.9 (5,059 Ratings)
1h
1h
Making Effective Business Decisions
5 (3 Ratings)
3h 30min
3h 30min
Managing Your Stakeholders
4.8 (4 Ratings)
1h 30min
1h 30min
Hide All Core Courses
Step 3.

Elective Courses

Choose a minimum of 3 electives (out of 11 available) to master more advanced topics and specialized areas.

Fundamentals of Data Analysis in Excel
4.8 (349 Ratings)
8h
8h
Power Query Fundamentals
4.9 (308 Ratings)
6h
6h
Power BI Fundamentals
4.9 (193 Ratings)
Presentation of Financial Information
5 (861 Ratings)
Scenario & Sensitivity Analysis in Excel
4.9 (834 Ratings)
1h 30min
1h 30min
Excel VBA for Finance
4.8 (47 Ratings)
7h 30min
7h 30min
Corporate & Business Strategy
5 (828 Ratings)
7h 30min
7h 30min
AI-Powered Scenario Analysis
5 (9 Ratings)
2h 30min
2h 30min
ESG Integration & Financial Analysis
4.9 (53 Ratings)
6h 30min
6h 30min
Risk Management for FP&A Analysts
5 (123 Ratings)
AI-Enhanced Financial Analysis
4.8 (30 Ratings)
2h 30min
2h 30min
See All Elective Courses
Step 4.

Final Exam

After completing the required courses, take the final exam (with a minimum passing grade of 70%) to earn your program certification.

Step 5.

Get FPAP™ Certified

Congratulations on becoming a certified Financial Planning & Analysis Professional! Upon completion of the program, you will receive a blockchain digital certificate with your new credentials.

Skills & Learning Objectives in Financial Planning & Analysis Professional

1
24%
Financial Modeling
2
24%
Excel
3
14%
Storytelling and Data Visualization
4
12%
Budgeting & Forecasting
5
12%
Financial Analysis
6
14%
Business Partnering
1
2
3
4
5
6
  1. 1.
    24%
    Financial Modeling
  2. 2.
    24%
    Excel
  3. 3.
    14%
    Storytelling and Data Visualization
  4. 4.
    12%
    Budgeting & Forecasting
  5. 5.
    12%
    Financial Analysis
  6. 6.
    14%
    Business Partnering

Financial Modeling

  • Explore best practices for designing FP&A models and understand how they differ from other financial modeling approaches.
  • Gain hands-on experience in Excel modeling and apply commonly used formulas and functions to specific FP&A workflows.
  • Master a step-by-step process for managing monthly forecast models, set new budget forecasts, and efficiently roll models forward into a new fiscal year.

Financial Analysis

  • Leverage FP&A model templates to efficiently analyze monthly financial data as it becomes available.
  • Assess historical year-over-year performance to identify seasonal trends and determine the right time to update forecasts.
  • Conduct both quantitative and qualitative analysis and craft clear, insightful commentary tailored for key stakeholders.

Excel

  • Use Excel efficiently by mastering time-saving keyboard shortcuts.
  • Enhance data analysis by using data tables, pivot tables, and other essential functions.
  • Apply advanced formulas and functions to increase the power and flexibility of your financial models.

Budgeting & Forecasting

  • Implement a range of forecasting methods to create accurate and reliable financial forecasts.
  • Monitor actual results versus budgeted figures through variance analysis and complementary techniques.
  • Evaluate how variances affect financial statements and use these insights to refine and enhance future budgeting processes.

Storytelling and Data Visualization

  • Design clear, impactful visuals that highlight key financial insights with clarity and precision.
  • Understand how to select the most effective visual representation based on the type and structure of your data.
  • Integrate multiple visuals into a cohesive narrative, enabling users to explore trends and issues through interactive dashboards.

Business Partnering

  • Apply economic thinking to understand key drivers of financial performance.
  • Streamline workflows and adopt best practices for consistency and efficiency.
  • Communicate financial insights clearly to non-financial stakeholders.
  • Build strong relationships across the business to influence decisions and drive strategy.

Meet Your Instructors

Duncan McKeen headshot

Duncan McKeen

Duncan is the Executive Vice President, Financial Modeling at CFI. Since 2014, Duncan has been focused on designing courses and teaching financial modeling to employees working in accounting, valuation, investment banking, equity research, and private equity.
Jeff Schmidt headshot

Jeff Schmidt

Jeff is the Vice President, Financial Modeling at CFI. Prior to joining CFI, Jeff Schmidt taught financial modeling and valuation to thousands of learners all over the world for over a decade.
Meeyeon Park headshot

Meeyeon Park

Meeyeon is based in Vancouver, BC. Having spent most of her career in Toronto, Meeyeon has previous experience in both the buy/sell-side of Finance with roles at Ontario Teachers Pension Plan in Fixed Income Portfolio Management and BMO Capital Markets in Investment Banking. Meeyeon holds a Bachelor of Business Administration, with High Distinction, from the University of Toronto.
Ryan Spendelow headshot

Ryan Spendelow

Ryan joins CFI having spent over a decade designing and delivering training solutions for the investment banking and investment management industries around the globe. Based in London, Ryan is experienced at creating innovative training solutions that deconstruct complex products and ideas into simple to understand concepts.
Sebastian Taylor headshot

Sebastian Taylor

Seb started his career in risk management, managing the implementation and operations of quantitative energy hedging strategies. Having since worked in several different industries, from finance to retail and service, Seb’s business intelligence skills were developed within the realities of real-world business requirements.
Scott Powell headshot

Scott Powell

Scott is the Co-Founder and Chief Content Officer of CFI. Over the past 30 years, he has focused on designing and delivering learning solutions for clients in the financial services sector, particularly in the areas of commercial banking, investment banking, capital markets, and asset management.

Paul Barnhurst

From his early days in procurement to leading FP&A functions across multiple companies, Paul shares how the role has evolved into one of the most strategic areas of corporate finance today.

Carl Seidman

Carl’s FP&A development methodologies and curriculums have been implemented by leading organizations as part of their financial leadership development programs (FLDPs) for top talent and emerging leaders.

Glenn Hopper

Glenn is a technology-minded CFO with more than two decades of experience in finance and accounting leadership. He is a consultant and author who writes about the intersection of artificial intelligence and corporate finance. His book, Deep Finance: Corporate Finance in the Information Age, provides a digital transformation roadmap for businesses to follow to become data-driven organizations. His expertise spans financial leadership and strategy, finance automation, data science, and operational efficiency. Glenn has a master's in finance from Harvard University with a graduate certificate in business analytics, and an MBA from Regis University.

Careers in Financial Planning & Analysis Professional

  • Financial Analysts

    Financial Analysts

    Financial Analysts play a key role in delivering insights and strategic recommendations to support high-level decision making. They also partner with departments such as sales, marketing, and operations to drive effective financial planning and guide business decisions.
  • Project Evaluator

    Project Evaluator

    Collaborate with project managers and senior leadership to assess potential initiatives and develop comprehensive project budgets. Project Evaluators also work closely with teams across marketing, engineering, and operations, while partnering with fellow financial analysts and FP&A professionals for peer reviews and cross-functional collaboration.
  • FP&A Manager

    FP&A Manager

    Lead the FP&A team while fostering cross-departmental collaboration to ensure integrated and strategic financial planning. FP&A Managers are responsible for developing and overseeing the annual budget and forecasts, analyzing financial reports to assess company performance, and delivering actionable recommendations to senior leadership.

The FPAP program has upskilled teams at:

Target logo
Verizon logo
exxon logo
Boeing logo
Marriott logo

What Our Students Say

FMVA certification is challenging, robust and interesting that equips an accounting/finance professional with world-class skills set to advance their careers excel in their endeavors!

Adrian Young

This course was very detailed and structured. I would definitely recommend this Certification for any budding Financial Analyst.

Anirudh Ganeshan

I believe the program fully performs what it promises, bridging the gap between work and higher education. For me it means an added value that I cannot describe in words. The program focuses on technical knowledge, which is highly valued since, on average, a student only learns theory before starting work.

Benjamin Briner

Strongly recommend to everyone who wants to receive new careers opportunities and enhance their knowledge in finance. CFI FMVA is perfect opportunity for everyone to obtain neccessary and strong background in financial modeling and valuation of companies. CFI helped me a lot with providing a financial aid and now my profile as a finance specialist is much more attractive and I receive additional confidence in my valuation skills. Thanks to everybody in the CFI team for creating such brilliant courses.

Alexandr Palienko

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Frequently Asked Questions

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