Finally passed my CFTC exam after failing twice — here's what worked

by Jordan L. 11 views3 replies
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Jordan L.OP
May 27, 2026

So I just got my results back and I actually passed this time. Honestly didn't think it was going to happen after bombing it in November and again in February. The regulations section kept killing me — I'd blank out on the specific rule numbers and which acts covered what. My score the second time was a 68 and you need a 70, so I was so close it hurt.

What finally made the difference was switching up my approach about six weeks out. I stopped just re-reading the CFTC's own study materials and started doing timed practice sets instead. Found a solid CFTC practice test that actually mirrors the question style pretty well, and started tracking which topic areas I kept missing. Turns out I was weak on position limits and reporting requirements specifically.

Anyone else prepping right now? Happy to share the study guide I built out and some exam tips that helped me nail the commodity regulations questions. Also curious what scoring breakdowns others have seen — is the 70% cutoff consistent or does it vary by sitting?

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emily_w
May 27, 2026
Congrats! I passed mine last spring and honestly the practice test grind is what saved me too. I probably did 400+ practice questions in the last two weeks. The real exam felt harder than most of the free stuff online, but if you're consistently hitting 75-80% on timed sets you'll be fine. Derivatives disclosure rules were brutal for me — make sure you really know those cold.
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James R.
May 28, 2026
Wait, so you failed by 2 points the second time? That would have absolutely destroyed me mentally. Respect for coming back a third time. I'm sitting for mine in July and honestly the exam tips I keep seeing say to focus on enforcement actions and recent CFTC rule amendments. Did you find a study guide that covers the 2023-2024 updates or were you mostly working off older materials?
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rachel_s
May 28, 2026
The position limits section is genuinely confusing because there are so many exceptions. What helped me was making a one-page chart of the core limits vs. the hedge exemptions. Took maybe an hour to build but I still remember it six months later.

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