- What This Cheat Sheet Covers
- Exam Format and Delivery Facts
- Fees, Attempts and the 120-Day Clock
- The Three-Course Map
- RPA 1 Quick Review: Plan Design and Structures
- RPA 2 Quick Review: Investing and Fiduciary Oversight
- GBA/RPA 3 Quick Review: Regulation and Strategy
- Question-Style Traps to Rehearse
- Sequencing Your Review by Domain
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The Retirement Plans Associate designation requires three course exams: RPA 1, RPA 2 and GBA/RPA 3, each with its own examination.
- Each exam runs 90 minutes, uses multiple-choice and all-except questions, and is closed book with a nonprogrammable calculator allowed.
- The catalog sets a 70% passing standard; each USD 580 exam purchase includes two attempts within a shared 120-day window.
- The 36 modules are a topic index, not 36 weighted exam domains, so study breadth rather than guessing percentages.
What This Cheat Sheet Covers
The Retirement Plans Associate (RPA) designation is offered by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP), with curriculum developed by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. This page condenses the facts most candidates need on one scroll: how the exams are delivered, what they cost, how the attempt clock works, and which topics sit in each of the three required courses.
A note on scope. This sheet covers the complete U.S. designation, which requires three courses and three examinations. It is not a single-exam credential, and it is not the separate Canadian curriculum. If you are still deciding whether this credential fits your career, start with What Is RPA Certification? and then return here for the review material.
Exam Format and Delivery Facts
Every course has its own comprehensive examination. IFEBP gives a range of 75 to 85 questions per course, and each exam has a 90-minute timer. That works out to roughly a minute per question, so pacing matters more than most candidates expect on a first attempt.
| Item | What to Know |
|---|---|
| Number of exams | Three: RPA 1, RPA 2, GBA/RPA 3 |
| Questions per exam | Range of 75-85 |
| Time limit | 90 minutes per exam |
| Question types | Multiple-choice and all-except |
| Reference materials | Closed book |
| Permitted items | Blank sheet of paper, pencil, nonprogrammable calculator |
| Required equipment | Government-issued photo ID, webcam, microphone, screen sharing |
| Passing standard | 70% per the catalog |
| Result format | Pass/fail |
Delivery since June 18, 2026
Examinations are now delivered exclusively through IFEBP's learning platform, with Integrity Advocate virtual monitoring. Older advice referencing a legacy testing provider or fixed testing windows is out of date. If you see instructions mentioning those, discard them and check the current Virtual CEBS Exams page instead. For scheduling context, see RPA Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
Scoring facts
The catalog specifies a 70% passing standard, and results are reported as pass or fail. IFEBP does not publish a cohort pass rate, so any specific percentage you see circulating should be treated skeptically. For a deeper look at what is and is not known, read RPA Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows and RPA Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
Fees, Attempts and the 120-Day Clock
The fee structure is straightforward once you separate exam purchases from learning materials. The exam fee is USD 580 per course and includes two attempts. Three initial course-exam purchases total USD 1,740 (3 × USD 580), and that figure excludes learning materials.
| Item | Cost (USD) |
|---|---|
| Exam fee, per course (two attempts included) | 580 |
| Three exams combined | 1,740 |
| Study guide, each | 280 |
| Textbook, RPA 1 | 190 |
| Textbook, RPA 2 | 190 |
| Textbook, GBA/RPA 3 | 235 |
| Optional instructor-supported study group, per course | 270 |
| Additional attempt | 100 |
| Access extension | 150 |
For a full walkthrough of how these add up under different study approaches, see RPA Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
How the attempt window works
- Each purchase includes two attempts that share one 120-day access period.
- The 120 days begin when registration is processed, or with the future study-group start date when you are enrolled in a group.
- Unused attempts expire together at the end of the window.
- An additional attempt adds one attempt and 60 days.
- An access extension preserves your remaining attempts and adds 60 days under the applicable policy.
Key Takeaway
Do not register for an exam until you can realistically sit it within the 120-day window. Both attempts share a single clock, so a failed first try late in the window leaves little time to regroup without paying USD 100 or USD 150 for more time.
The Three-Course Map
The three courses split the curriculum into plan design, investing and fiduciary practice, and regulatory and strategic management. All three also count toward CEBS, which makes the RPA a natural stepping stone for candidates who may pursue the broader designation later.
| Course | Catalog Modules | Study Guide Edition | Textbook (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| RPA 1: Directing Retirement Plans Part 1 | Modules 1-11 | Second edition, updated July 2024 | 190 |
| RPA 2: Directing Retirement Plans Part 2 | Modules 12-23 | Second edition, updated January 2025 | 190 |
| GBA/RPA 3: Strategic Benefits Management | Modules 24-36 | Second edition, updated April 2022 | 235 |
There are no entry prerequisites and no overall designation-completion deadline, which means you can take the courses in whatever order suits you, though most candidates follow the numbering. Details are in RPA Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
RPA 1 Quick Review: Plan Design and Structures
RPA 1 builds the vocabulary for everything that follows. Expect questions that ask you to distinguish plan types by structure, funding responsibility and typical sponsor motivation. The eleven modules run from background context through IRAs and finish with an integrated case study.
Modules 1-3: Context, DC vs. DB, and Executive Arrangements
These cover private retirement plan background and context, the structural contrast between defined contribution and defined benefit designs, and defined benefit approaches along with executive plan arrangements.
- Know who bears investment risk under each structure
- Be able to explain why a sponsor would choose one design over another
- Recognize how executive arrangements differ from broad-based qualified plans
Modules 4-5: DC Structures, Stock Compensation, Profit-Sharing and Money Purchase
The catalog pairs an overview of defined contribution structures with stock compensation plans, then moves to profit-sharing and money purchase plans.
- Contrast discretionary and fixed contribution mechanics
- Place stock compensation within the broader DC landscape
- Expect "all-except" items asking which feature does not belong to a given plan type
Modules 6-7: 401(k) Foundations and DC Practice Issues
Foundations of 401(k) plans, followed by practical operational issues in defined contribution plans.
- Focus on how features fit together rather than isolated definitions
- Practice issues are where scenario-style questions tend to appear
Modules 8-10: Special Purpose Plans, Small Employer Alternatives, IRAs
403(b)s, 457s and ESOPs; small employer retirement plan alternatives; and individual retirement accounts.
- Match each plan type to the kind of employer that uses it
- Build a one-page comparison of who can sponsor what
- Keep IRA concepts distinct from employer-sponsored plan concepts
Module 11 is an integrated case study on retirement planning that ties personal participant goals to strategic results for senior management. Treat it as a synthesis exercise: you must hold both perspectives at once.
RPA 2 Quick Review: Investing and Fiduciary Oversight
RPA 2 shifts from plan architecture to how plan assets are invested and how sponsors govern the plan. It spans twelve modules, from retirement plan investing through an integrated fiduciary-litigation case.
Modules 12-15: The Investment Core
Retirement plan investing, balancing risk and return, portfolio theory, and portfolio selection and asset allocation.
- Be fluent in the risk-return trade-off and how diversification changes it
- Connect portfolio theory concepts to practical asset allocation choices
- Calculator-based questions are possible, so practice with a nonprogrammable model
Modules 16-18: Managers, Strategies and Behavior
Investment managers and plan intermediaries, active and passive strategies, and insights from behavioral finance.
- Distinguish the roles of the different parties serving a plan
- Weigh active against passive approaches on their stated merits
- Link behavioral finance findings to participant decision-making
Modules 19-22: Hybrids, Administration, Participants, Governance
Hybrid retirement plan approaches, plan sponsor administrative responsibilities, participant services, and fiduciary oversight and plan governance.
- Understand what makes a plan a hybrid and why sponsors consider them
- Separate administrative duties from fiduciary duties
- Know what governance structures a prudent sponsor puts in place
Module 23 is the integrated case study on assessing fiduciary concerns under threat of litigation. It rewards candidates who can walk through a fact pattern and spot where process failures create exposure.
GBA/RPA 3 Quick Review: Regulation and Strategy
The third course, Strategic Benefits Management, is the broadest and the one that stretches beyond retirement into health, vendor oversight and global benefits. Because it also counts toward CEBS, it covers more ground than the title suggests. It contains thirteen modules.
Modules 24-26: ERISA, the Industry and Documentation
The ERISA regulatory framework, the benefits industry, and plan documentation requirements.
- Anchor your regulatory knowledge here; later modules build on it
- Know which documents a plan must maintain and why
Modules 27-30: Cybersecurity, Audits and Vendors
Cybersecurity and privacy concerns, overseeing and managing plan audits, vendor management on the retirement side, and analytics and vendor management on the health side.
- Note that module 30 turns to health plans, a reminder that this course is not retirement-only
- Expect process-oriented questions about oversight responsibilities
Modules 31-35: Innovation, ERISA in Practice, Social Insurance, Retiree Health and Global Benefits
The impact of financial product innovation on retirement plans, key ERISA issues in practice, social insurance, health care coverage in retirement, and global employee benefits.
- Pair ERISA in practice with the framework module so theory and application reinforce each other
- Social insurance and retiree health coverage connect private plans to the wider system
Module 36 closes with an integrated case study on preparing for and surviving an employee benefits plan data breach, tying cybersecurity, vendor oversight and fiduciary duty into one scenario. The full module list with context is available in RPA Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 36 Content Areas.
Question-Style Traps to Rehearse
The two question types, multiple-choice and all-except, call for different habits. With roughly 75 to 85 items in 90 minutes, you cannot afford to reread every stem twice.
- All-except items: Circle the word "except" mentally before reading options. Identify the three true statements, and the leftover is your answer. Misreading the stem is the most common way to lose points on this format.
- Structure-versus-feature confusion: In RPA 1, options often blend features of two plan types. Anchor on who funds the plan and who bears investment risk.
- Role confusion in RPA 2: Questions about managers, intermediaries and sponsors test whether you know who is responsible for what. Do not assume the party closest to the money is the fiduciary.
- Scenario drift in the case studies: Modules 11, 23 and 36 reward holistic thinking. Read the whole fact pattern before judging individual statements.
For a calibrated sense of how demanding this actually is, see How Hard Is the RPA Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.
Sequencing Your Review by Domain
Because the shared 120-day window starts when registration is processed, sequence your review so that the densest material gets the most calendar time. One exam at a time is a common approach; the outline below assumes a single-course window.
Structures first
- Lock in DC versus DB contrasts and profit-sharing versus money purchase mechanics
- Build your plan-type comparison grid before touching 401(k) detail
Applied topics
- Work through 401(k) foundations and practice issues, then 403(b), 457, ESOP and small-employer alternatives
- Finish with IRAs and the integrated case study
Timed review
- Practice under the 90-minute limit with all-except stems
- Reserve the final days for weak modules, leaving margin before the window closes
For RPA 2, give the investment sequence (modules 12-15) the earliest weeks because later modules assume that vocabulary. For GBA/RPA 3, begin with the ERISA framework before the vendor, audit and cybersecurity modules. A fuller approach appears in RPA Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt, and you can test yourself against realistic items on the RPA practice test site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The U.S. Retirement Plans Associate designation requires RPA 1, RPA 2 and GBA/RPA 3, each with its corresponding examination. All three also count toward CEBS.
IFEBP gives a range of 75 to 85 questions per course, with a 90-minute timer. Questions are multiple-choice and all-except, and the exam is closed book.
Each exam purchase includes two attempts sharing a 120-day access period. If you need more, an additional attempt costs USD 100 and adds 60 days, while an access extension costs USD 150, preserves your remaining attempts and adds 60 days.
FINRA's entry for the RPA designation lists no continuing-education requirement. The catalog's separate CEBS Compliance recognition uses 30 hours over two calendar years, but it is not presented as a mandatory RPA renewal obligation.
No weights are published. The modules form a structural topic index drawn from the catalog, not an official blueprint, so prepare across all of them rather than betting on a few.
That depends on your role and goals, and the figure excludes materials. Weigh it against your situation using Is the RPA Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026.