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NFPA Certification · Last updated November 2026

NFPA Certified Fire Plans Examiner (CFPE) Exam: free practice test

NFPA's certification for fire plans examiners, based on the job performance requirements in Chapter 8 of NFPA 1030 (2024 edition). Plan Review is 79% of the exam and Administration 21%: occupancy and construction type, occupant load and egress, sprinkler and fire alarm submittals, fire flow and access, and performance-based designs. A 10-activity practicum completes the certification.

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About the CFPE exam

NFPA's certification for fire plans examiners, based on the job performance requirements in Chapter 8 of NFPA 1030 (2024 edition). Plan Review is 79% of the exam and Administration 21%: occupancy and construction type, occupant load and egress, sprinkler and fire alarm submittals, fire flow and access, and performance-based designs. A 10-activity practicum completes the certification.

What's on the exam

CFPE
Plan Review Administration
6 key facts
Occupancy and Construction Type
6 key facts
Occupant Load and Means of Egress
6 key facts
Sprinkler Systems (NFPA 13)
6 key facts
Fire Alarm Systems (NFPA 72)
6 key facts
Fire Flow, Hydrants and Access
6 key facts
Performance-Based Design and Special Systems
6 key facts

Each branch is a topic in the official outline. Members see every key fact on the full mind map. Read the free study guide →

How to pass the CFPE exam

  • 73 questions in 3 hours gives you almost 2½ minutes each. Plan review questions often need two steps (occupant load, then egress width), so use the time.
  • Plan Review is 79% of the exam. Get fast at the NFPA 101 occupant load table, egress capacity factors and the NFPA 13 hazard and spacing tables.
  • Read every question for the edition: the exam uses NFPA 1 and 101 (2024) with NFPA 13 and 72 (2022). Older numbers you remember from the field may have changed.
  • Tab the books by task the way a plan reviewer works: classify, construction type, occupant load, egress, systems, site.

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Create a free account after the test: your score by topic, a mistakes bank, the complete study notes for the first topic, flashcards and the Fire Protection Formulas & Values Sheet.

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What's in the premium CFPE prep

Premium CFPE prep is studied one topic at a time. Each step starts with that topic's key notes and flashcard deck, then its own question sets of 25, so you master one topic before you move to the next. When every topic is strong, the 6 full mock exams show you're ready.

3,000practice questions, every answer explained
6full-length mock exams, 73 questions each, timed
800flashcards with spaced repetition, sorted by topic
60comprehensive key notes across 7 topics

Your step-by-step study path

  1. 1
    Plan Review Administration9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 450 practice questions in 18 sets of 25
    Notes free with an account
  2. 2
    Occupancy and Construction Type9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
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  3. 3
    Occupant Load and Means of Egress9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
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  4. 4
    Sprinkler Systems (NFPA 13)9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
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  5. 5
    Fire Alarm Systems (NFPA 72)8 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
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  6. 6
    Fire Flow, Hydrants and Access8 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
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  7. 7
    Performance-Based Design and Special Systems8 key notes, 110 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
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  8. Final step: 6 full mock exams73 questions each, timed like test day. Pass them, then book your exam.
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Free with an account

Read the complete CFPE study notes for “Plan Review Administration”

Our first full set of comprehensive notes, about 12 minutes of reading: Processing a submittal · Writing review comments · Checklists and forms · Alternatives and equivalency · Resolving deficiencies, a worked exam example, the traps examiners use and a one-minute recap. Create a free account to read it and see how premium notes work before you decide.

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Study tools included

3,000 practice questions

3,000 exam-style questions per exam, organized topic by topic in sets of 25. Every answer explained, with the rule it comes from.

6 full mock exams

6 full-length timed mock exams per exam, with real question counts and time limits, so test day feels like practice day.

Exam Readiness Score

One 0 to 100 number that tells you when you're ready to book. Reach 80 and you're covered by our Pass Guarantee.

800 flashcards + spaced repetition

800 flashcards per exam, in a deck for each topic, that come back right before you'd forget them. Five minutes a day keeps every number fresh.

60 comprehensive key notes

60 key notes per exam, split across its topics and each explained in full: the concepts, worked exam examples, the traps examiners use and a quick recap. Your first set is free with an account.

Mind maps

See the whole exam on one screen: every topic and the facts under it.

Sample questions with answers

These are the questions in the free test above, with answers. Try the test first. You'll learn more by getting some wrong.

1. Under NFPA 13, when must working plans for a new sprinkler system be submitted to the authority having jurisdiction?
Answer: Before any equipment is installed or remodeled. NFPA 13 requires working plans to be submitted for approval before any equipment is installed or remodeled. The contractor's material and test certificate comes at acceptance, after installation.
2. A designer proposes an alternative method that does not meet the prescriptive text of NFPA 101. What allows the plans examiner to accept it?
Answer: The equivalency provisions, with technical documentation showing at least equivalent protection, approved by the AHJ. Equivalency lets the AHJ approve alternatives of equivalent or superior quality, strength, fire resistance, effectiveness, durability and safety, when technical documentation is submitted to demonstrate equivalence.
3. Under NFPA 101, a building used for educational purposes through the twelfth grade becomes an educational occupancy at what minimum use?
Answer: 6 or more persons for 4 or more hours per day or more than 12 hours per week. Educational occupancy: used by six or more persons for educational purposes through the twelfth grade, for four or more hours per day or more than 12 hours per week.
4. A set of plans lists Type I (442) construction under NFPA 220. What do the three digits stand for, in order?
Answer: Exterior bearing walls, columns/beams/girders supporting more than one floor, and floor construction. The digits give fire resistance in hours for exterior bearing walls (4), columns, beams, girders, trusses and arches supporting more than one floor (4), and floor construction (2).
5. A conference hall has 3,500 ft² of net floor area set with chairs only (concentrated use, 7 ft² net per person). What occupant load should the plans examiner verify?
Answer: 500. Concentrated assembly use without fixed seating is 7 ft² net per person: 3,500 ÷ 7 = 500. Tables and chairs (less concentrated, 15 ft² net) would give 233.
6. A stair in a new office building must serve 300 occupants. Using the NFPA 101 stair capacity factor of 0.3 in. per person, what minimum width does egress capacity require?
Answer: 90 in.. Width = occupants × factor = 300 × 0.3 = 90 in. (Minimum stair widths in the code still apply if they are larger.) A door or corridor at 0.2 in. per person would need 60 in.
7. Under NFPA 101, what is the maximum travel distance to an exit in a new business occupancy protected throughout by an approved, supervised automatic sprinkler system?
Answer: 300 ft. New business occupancies allow 300 ft of travel in sprinklered buildings and 200 ft in nonsprinklered buildings.
8. Under NFPA 13, what hose stream allowance is added to the sprinkler demand for an Ordinary Hazard occupancy?
Answer: 250 gpm. Hose stream allowances: Light Hazard 100 gpm (30 min), Ordinary Hazard 250 gpm (60 to 90 min), Extra Hazard 500 gpm (90 to 120 min).
9. Standard spray upright sprinklers in an Ordinary Hazard area are limited to 130 ft² per sprinkler and 15 ft between sprinklers. Which spacing complies?
Answer: 10 ft × 13 ft. Area per sprinkler = S × L. 10 × 13 = 130 ft² complies. 12 × 12 = 144 and 11 × 13 = 143 exceed 130 ft², and 9 × 16 = 144 also breaks the 15 ft maximum spacing.
10. Under NFPA 13, how many spare sprinklers must be kept on the premises for a system with 450 sprinklers?
Answer: 12. Spare sprinklers: at least 6 for systems with fewer than 300 sprinklers, 12 for 300 to 1,000, and 24 for more than 1,000, with a sprinkler wrench for each type.
11. A heat detector has a listed spacing of 50 ft. Under NFPA 72, every point on a smooth ceiling must be within what distance of a detector?
Answer: 35 ft. All points on the ceiling must be within 0.7 times the listed spacing of a detector: 0.7 × 50 = 35 ft. Smoke detectors on smooth ceilings use a nominal 30 ft spacing in the same way.
12. Under NFPA 72, where must manual fire alarm boxes be located?
Answer: Within 5 ft of each exit doorway, operable part 42 to 48 in. above the floor, travel distance to a box not over 200 ft. Manual boxes go within 5 ft of the entrance to each exit on every floor, with the operable part 42 to 48 in. above the floor, and additional boxes so travel distance to the nearest box is no more than 200 ft.
13. What secondary (standby) power capacity does NFPA 72 require for a building fire alarm system without voice evacuation?
Answer: 24 hours standby, then 5 minutes in alarm. Fire alarm systems need 24 hours of standby followed by 5 minutes of alarm. Emergency voice/alarm communication systems need 15 minutes of evacuation alarm operation at maximum load after the 24 hours.
14. A hydrant flow test shows 80 psi static and 60 psi residual while flowing 1,000 gpm. Using Q₂ = Q₁ × [(S − R₂)/(S − R₁)]^0.54, about how much flow is available at 20 psi residual?
Answer: 1,810 gpm. Drops: S − R₂ = 80 − 20 = 60 psi; S − R₁ = 80 − 60 = 20 psi. Q₂ = 1,000 × (60/20)^0.54 = 1,000 × 3^0.54 ≈ 1,000 × 1.81 = 1,810 gpm. Flow doesn't scale linearly with pressure drop, so 3,000 gpm is the trap.
15. Which statement about the performance-based option in NFPA 101 is correct?
Answer: The design, its assumptions and design specifications must be documented and approved by the AHJ, and the features they depend on must be maintained. Performance-based designs need AHJ approval of the design fire scenarios and methods, full documentation of assumptions and specifications, and maintenance of the design features over the building's life. NFPA 101 requires multiple design fire scenarios, not one.

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Certification guide

How to get NFPA fire certification: CFPS, CFI and CFPE: NFPA runs several professional certifications for people who reduce fire loss. Three of them have open-book multiple-choice exams that suit most fire protection careers: the [Certified Fire Protection Specialist (CFPS)](https://www.nfpa.org/for-professionals/certification/cfps), the new [Certified Fire Inspector (CFI)](https://www.nfpa.org/en/for-professionals/certification/cfi) and the [Certified Fire Plans Examiner (CFPE)](https://www.nfpa.org/for-professionals/certification/cfpe). Here is who each one is for, what it takes and what it costs.

CFPE exam FAQ

How many questions are on the CFPE exam?

73 multiple-choice questions, with a time limit of 3 hours. Format: open book: printed nfpa 1 (2024), nfpa 13 (2022), nfpa 72 (2022), nfpa 101 (2024) and ifsta plans examiner for fire and emergency services, 2nd edition.

What is the passing score for CFPE?

Not published by NFPA; practise to 75% or higher. A 10-activity practicum must also be approved.

How much does the CFPE exam cost?

US$499 initial application and exam (2026); retest US$249; recertification US$225 every 3 years. Fees and reference editions change, so confirm on nfpa.org before you apply.

Which languages is the CFPE exam offered in?

English.

Where do I take the CFPE exam?

Prometric (in-person computer-based test centers).

Is this CFPE practice test free?

Yes. The 15-question practice test on this page is free, with an explanation for every answer and no signup. A free account also unlocks the complete study notes for the first topic. The full CFPE prep is Premium at $147 a month for this exam.

What's in the premium CFPE prep?

3,000 practice questions organized topic by topic (Plan Review Administration: 450; Occupancy and Construction Type: 425; Occupant Load and Means of Egress: 425; Sprinkler Systems (NFPA 13): 425; Fire Alarm Systems (NFPA 72): 425; Fire Flow, Hydrants and Access: 425; Performance-Based Design and Special Systems: 425), 6 full-length timed mock exams of 73 questions, 800 flashcards and 60 comprehensive key notes split across all 7 topics, plus a mistakes bank and the Readiness Score.

Compare CFPE with the other NFPA certifications

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Exam details are summarized from the official candidate information available in November 2026. NFPA changes formats and fees, so confirm with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) before you book. CFPSExamPrep is not affiliated with NFPA or Prometric.

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