FDP Charter 
Will I receive an FDP Charter in the mail upon successful completion of the program?
Candidates will receive their Charter via mail to the address listed in your FDP Profile. Digital Badges are under development.

What are the benefits of earning the FDP Charter?
Machine learning and big data will play increasingly important roles in the financial industry. The FDP designation will provide you with the knowledge and the skills you will need to stand out in your field.  As the FDP Institute expands, additional benefits will be offered to FDP charter holders.

Registration & Fees
When can I register for the FDP exam?
You can Register for the Exam at any time. You will have access to the study materials, the readings and the sample exam.  

When is the exam for November 2020? 
From October 12th - November 8th

Can I transfer my exam date to the next window?
Exam registration is exam-specific and not open-ended. By registering for a single exam, you have committed yourself to a date- and time-specific exam and you may not postpone from one testing period to another, i.e. you cannot change your March exam registration to October.

Curriculum
What are the required readings for the October/ November 2020 exam?

• Topics in Financial Data Science - 13 readings that are available for free on the FDP website for Exam Registrants  
• Big Data and Machine Learning in the Financial Industry: Readings for the Financial Data Professional Exam  (PMR E-book) - 6 readings that are available on the website of the Journal of Financial Data Science.   ($99 for Exam registrants)

3 books:

• Data Science for Business. Provost, Foster and Tom Fawcett. O’Reilly Media Inc, 2013
• Big Data and Machine Learning in Quantitative Investment. Guida, Tony. Wiley, 2019 
• An Introduction to Statistical Learning. James, Gareth, Daniela Witten, Trevor Hastie and Robert Tibshirani. Springer, 2013 

Here is a 1 page overview of the required readings for the October/November 2020 exam 

Exam
What materials do I need to prepare for the FDP Exam?  
The FDP curriculum and Study tools  are the only preparation materials endorsed by the FDP Institute and are the Candidate’s best source of information regarding what content is eligible to be tested on the FDP exam. All the content on the FDP exam comes directly from the FDP curriculum readings. 

Will there be a sample exam?
Yes. We will have an online tool with sample questions. The Sample questions are representative of those on the actual exam, and the relative distribution of questions by topic is consistent with the topic weights on the actual exam, as published in the study guide. 

How many hours of study should I expect?
Depending on your experience, we are estimating approximately 200 hours for your FDP exam.  

Online Classes  
When can I start with my online classes? 
You can start at any time. 

How long can I take to complete the online classes?
Certificates do not expire.

Are R or Python easy to learn for beginners?
Yes! Both are easy to learn. Both offer excellent readability and uncluttered simple-to-learn syntax which helps beginners to utilize this programming language.

I am experienced in (R) (Python), do I still have to complete the prerequisite courses? 
At this time, yes. We have received lots of inquiries about a "test out" and are looking into a fitting solution. 

Do I have to have R or Python experience to complete the online classes?
No experience is required to start the classes.

How do I submit my Certificates of Completion for the online classes ? 
Upon completion of the required online classes, your Certificates of Completion should be submitted to certificates@fdpinstitute.org. After verification by the FDP staff, you will receive confirmation via email. 

Schedule Your Exam Seat 
When can I Schedule my Exam Seat? 
24 hours after you register for the exam

Where are the FDP Exam Locations?
The FDP Exam will be available at one of these locations 

Whom should I contact, and when, if I have a disability or require special accommodations?
Individuals with disabilities are entitled to a reasonable accommodation to ensure that they have full and equal access to the educational resources of the FDP Institute.  Individuals with disabilities wishing to request a reasonable testing accommodation must contact the ADA Compliance Coordinator at accommodations@fdpinstitute.org, at least six (6) weeks before the first day of the testing window for the level of exam he/she is registered.  The request should be made after registering for the exam and before scheduling an exam appointment with the testing provider.  For more information about how to request reasonable testing accommodations, see the Testing Accommodation and Grievance Policy in the Candidate Policy Manual on www.fdpinstitute.org

CAIA Members
Do I have to be a CAIA member to pursue my FDP credential?  
No, a CAIA membership is not required. We do however offer CAIA members a discount. Check here for details.

How can I get the CAIA member discount?
Email FDP at CAIA@fdpinstitute.org, include your FDP Profile number and your CAIA ID number, we will process the discount for you. Upon confirmation of the applied discount you will receive your adjusted invoice with the CAIA discount.

How do I obtain a CAIA membership? 
After you have successfully completed the CAIA Level I and CAIA Level II exam you are able to apply for CAIA Membership. Learn more about the CAIA membership and its advantages

Will the CAIA discount be available for the Q2 2020 Exam?
Yes, the CAIA discount will be available for the Q2 2020 Exam. We do recommend that you create your free FDP Profile where you indicate your desired exam window, so you can take advantage of early registration and the CAIA discount.