Validates knowledge of fraud schemes, financial transactions, investigation techniques, relevant law and fraud prevention and deterrence.
A good CFE course covers all three exam sections: fraud schemes and financial crimes, investigations and the law, and fraud prevention. We compared the ACFE options on materials, practice questions, format and price.
Most people should start with ACFE's Silver package, which includes the Fraud Examiners Manual the exam is written from and about 1,400 practice questions. Choose Gold for the condensed study guide, and the Virtual Review Course when your employer pays for live review.
| Course | Best for | Format | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 CFE Exam Prep Course, Silver Package | Official prep course | Interactive | $899/year |
| CFE Exam Prep Course, Gold Package | Study guide included | Interactive | $1,150/year |
| Virtual CFE Exam Review Course | Employer-paid live review | Live online | $1,685 |
ACFE's self-study course, written from the same body of knowledge as the exam. It has more than 500 lessons, nearly 1,400 study questions, about 800 flashcards and the Fraud Examiners Manual online and as a PDF.
Great fit if you want the materials the exam is written from
Poor fit if you want live instruction rather than self-study; choose the Virtual CFE Exam Review Course
The Silver package plus the CFE Exam Study Guide, a condensed PDF summary of the tested content. It gives you a short document to review from alongside the full manual and the question bank.
Great fit if you want a shorter summary to review from as well as the full manual
Poor fit if the Silver package's lessons and questions are enough for you; choose Silver
Three days of instructor-led review online with a printed workbook and 23 CPE credits. It reinforces what you have studied rather than teaching topics from scratch, and the price includes the exam application fee.
Great fit if your employer is paying and you want live instruction before sitting the exam
Poor fit if you are studying the material for the first time; choose the Silver package
For most people, ACFE's Silver package. It includes the Fraud Examiners Manual, more than 500 lessons and nearly 1,400 study questions. Gold adds a condensed study guide.
ACFE's 90-Day CFE Exam Challenge is free for members, but it is a study plan that guides you through the paid Prep Course, not a course on its own.
The Prep Course is self-paced with a one-year access period. Plan for about 80 hours of preparation across the three sections, from 50 hours if your work already covers fraud to 110 if not.
No. It is a three-day review of what you have already studied. It costs $1,685 if you bought a Prep Course in the last two years and $2,285 if you did not.