GFOA CPFO Exam Syllabus

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Before starting your CPFO exam preparation, it is recommended to review the complete GFOA Certified Public Finance Officer exam syllabus and carefully go through the exam objectives listed below. Once you understand the exam structure and objectives, you should practice using our free CPFO questions. We also provide premium CPFO practice test, fully updated according to the latest exam objectives, to help you accurately assess your preparedness for the actual exam.

GFOA CPFO Exam Objectives

Section	Objectives
Accounting and Financial Reporting	Accounting Grant Accounting GASB Standards Governmental and Business-type activities Measurement focus and basis of accounting Cost Accounting Auditing Procurement Audit Standards Management and Auditor responsibilities Single audit Financial Reporting Government-wide financial statements Fund financial statements Budgetary reporting Transmittal and MD&A Sections of a comprehensive annual financial report PAFR Communicating Financial Information Interpretations and Analysis of Financial Statements Assessing near-term financial position Assessing net position Assessing economic condition Fund Balance Classification Internal Controls Comprehensive Framework Audit Committee Internal Audit
Compensation and Benefits	Salary/Compensation Variables Used to Determine Compensation Understanding Taxable/Not Taxable Salary and Benefits Negotiating Personnel Procedures Developing employee compensation and benefits policies Communicating Benefits to Employees Federal Fair Labor Standards Payroll General Cost Allocation Project and Grant Costing and Allocation Budget Implications and Payroll Pension Plans Actuarial Reporting Plan Design Plan Governance Pension Investment Health Care Plan Design COBRA 101 OPEB Actuarial Reporting Prefunding/Trusts Deferred Compensation Plan Design Governance/Fiduciary Responsibilities
Debt Management	Debt Program Debt Management Policy Policies and Procedures Capital Markets Bond Authorization Debt Management Policy Debt Capacity Analysis Legal Debt Capacity Debt Affordability Bond Sale Financing Instruments and Techniques GO Bonds Revenue Bonds Short-Term Financings Bank Loans and Direct Placements Taxable Debt Method of Sale Debt Structures Financing Team/ External Professional Services Legal Counsel Municipal Advisor Underwriter Trustees Rating Agencies Credit Enhancement Other Bond Pricing How Bonds are Priced Cost of Issuance Sale Execution Disclosure Responsibilities Primary Market Disclosure Continuing Disclosure Investor Relations Program Debt Management Post-Issuance Policies and Procedures Use of Proceeds Federal Tax Compliance Investing Bond Proceeds Refunding Opportunities Debt Service Payments
Planning and Budgeting	Overall Governance What is a budget? Roles and Responsibilities Legal Requirements Planning Overall Budget Policies Strategic Planning CIP Long-Term Planning / Forecasting (Long-Term) Revenue Revenue Diversification Taxes / Fees Grants Budget Process Approaches to Budget Process Public Engagement Priority Setting / Goal Definition Budget Calendar / Structure How to Cut the Budget? Budget Analysis Forecasting (Annual Projections) Fiscal Impact Analysis / Cost Benefit Analysis Policy Analysis / Economic Analysis Budget Techniques Basis of Budgeting (GAAP Accounting vs. Non-GAAP Budget) Funds (Transfers / Allocations) Cut-Back Budgeting / Budget Reductions General Fund vs. Enterprise Fund Capital Budget / Project Budget Personnel/Salary Budget Budget Monitoring Variance Analysis Budget Projections and Analysis Performance Management Communications Budget Document Internal Communications Understanding of Financial Statements and Accounting Elected Official / Public Communications and Reporting Budget Outcomes Measuring Outcomes / Accountability Equity Transparency
Treasury and Investement Management	Investing Program, Policies and Procedures Investment Products Investment Portfolio Strategies Risk Management Benchmarking and Reporting Treasury Operations Payables (15%) Policies and Procedures Types of Payables Payables Processing Receivables (15%) Policies and Procedures Types of Receivables Receivables Processing Reconciliation and Reporting Banking and Merchant Services (10%) Banking Services Merchant Services Selection Process Fraud Prevention (10%) Internal External Cash Flow Forecasting (10%)
Procurement	Public Procurement Function Value of Strategic Procurement Competition Legal Authority Ethics Procurement Structure Link Between Budget Monitoring and Procurement Competitive Procurement Requisition/Purchase Order Source Selection RFP/Bid Cooperative Procurement Contract Management Contract Negotiation Performance Management Supply Chain Management Vendor Management Inventory/Supply Chain Spend Analysis/Evaluation Evaluation Team Bid Analysis Fiscal Impact/NPV Managed Competition/Outsourcing Privatization Public Private Partnership Service Level Agreements Specialized Procurement Construction Software Financial Services Procurement Policy Procurement Policy Manual Social/Community Procurement
Risk Assessment	Enterprise Risk Management Risk Identification Risk Assessment Risk Response Internal Controls (Fraud Prevention) Local Government Law and Compliance Public Information/Records Tort Liability Workplace/HR Employment Law Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery Natural Disaster Disaster Preparedness Disaster Response Insurance Cyber Insurance Contractor Issuance Liability Insurance Information Technology Cyber Security Data Security Cloud Services
Official Information	http://www.gfoa.org/cpfo

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