• One PL credit is equal to one hour of educational activity.
• Credit may also be earned in half-hour or quarter-hour increments (rounded to the nearest quarter hour). 
• The minimum credit amount that can be assigned to any activity is 0.25.
• For such activities as readings and reviewing content, calculate credit hours earned using one of the following methods:
• Clock time: Allocate the actual time you spent engaged in the educational activity.
• Generalist readings: Allocate 2 minutes per page.
• Specialized/highly technical readings: Allocate 4 minutes per page.

No single self-study activity may earn more than 20 credit hours (e.g., reading a single textbook should qualify for no more than 20 credits).

See examples of qualifying credit activities for more information. 

You can record your PL activities with the following resources:

• Use the one-click functionality available on our website to add credit directly from PL-eligible content to your PL Tracker.
• Use your  PL Tracker to record your progress and add credits for other PL-eligible activities you've completed.
• Use any other method you prefer to track your activities, as long as you capture the following information:
• A description of the educational activity (include details such as title, author/presenter, event date, event location, etc.)
• The CFA Institute Global Body of Investment Knowledge (GBIK^®) (PDF) topic(s) the activity pertains to OR a description of how the activity contributed to your development as an investment performance professional
• Activity completion date
• Number of credits earned

We automatically enter PL credits after you have completed the following prequalified activities: 

Events 

• Attending CFA Institute conferences
• Attending prequalified programs or events offered through local societies and select organizations. (Contact your local society for their credit upload policy.)

Exams 

• Passing the CFA^® Program Level I, II, and/or III exam
• Passing the CIPM^® Program Level I and/or II exam

Volunteer 

• Participating in CFA Institute committees or other eligible volunteer opportunities

You will receive an email notification each time your online record has been updated.

Yes. While CIPM designation holders are required to complete a minimum of 15 PL credits annually, we encourage you to participate in the voluntary program for members. All PL credits earned are applied to both the required minimum for CIPM designation holders and the recommended minimum for members. To make this more convenient for CIPM designation holders, you are also eligible to carry up to a maximum of 20 credits over to the next cycle. 

You may be subject to a compliance review of your PL activities. Learn more about our compliance review policy in our guidebook.

Use the PL Tracker to create and export reports, or email us at professionallearning@cfainstitute.org to request a printable certificate.