Planning a finance qualification means planning around its exam windows. Here are the 2026 sittings for the four major exams, with the caveats that matter. Dates and deadlines change, and some exact days are only confirmed in each provider’s own tool, so always verify on the official page before you register.
CFA
CFA exams run quarterly: February, May, August and November, but each level uses different windows:
- Level I - all four windows (Feb, May, Aug, Nov)
- Level II - three windows (May, Aug, Nov)
- Level III - two windows (Feb, May)
The exact day-level dates and registration deadlines depend on your level and are set in the CFA Institute scheduling tool, so we link the official source rather than risk a wrong date: confirm yours on the CFA dates and fees page. Deadlines are 11:59 PM US Eastern Time, and you can sit at most twice per calendar year, at least six months apart.
FRM
GARP runs the FRM in May, August and November windows. The 2026 dates we verified:
- August 2026: Part I and Part II around 7-8 August. Standard registration ran 1 May - 30 June.
- November 2026: Part I around 14-20 November, Part II around 21-25 November. Standard registration 1 August - 30 September.
All deadlines are 11:59 PM US Eastern Time. Confirm the current windows on the GARP exam logistics page.
CAIA
CAIA runs twice a year, in March and September. The verified 2026-2027 windows:
- September 2026: Level I 31 August - 11 September, Level II 14-25 September. Registration opened 13 April; early deadline 8 June; final close 3 August.
- March 2027: Level I 1-12 March, Level II 15-26 March. Registration opens 12 October 2026.
Confirm on the CAIA registration page.
ACCA
ACCA runs four sessions a year: March, June, September and December. The verified 2026 exam weeks:
- March 2026: 2-6 March (entry deadline 26 January)
- June 2026: 1-5 June (entry deadline 16 April)
- September 2026: 7-11 September (entry deadline 27 July)
- December 2026: exact dates not yet published by ACCA at the time of writing
Earlier registration is cheaper, so enter early. Confirm on the ACCA important dates page. For how the cycle works, see our ACCA exam sessions guide.
Every date here was checked against the official provider pages linked above. Where a provider had not yet published a date (ACCA December) or sets it only in an interactive tool (CFA day-level dates), we say so rather than guess. Always confirm before you book.