Deferrals & Special Circumstances

Deferrals/Special Circumstances

Under special circumstances (i.e., medical or personal emergency), AFP may allow a deferral from the current testing window to the next testing window with no additional fee.

An event that can be anticipated is not considered an emergency. A candidate's inability to take the exam due to work commitments or insufficient or inappropriate preparation is not considered an emergency.

Emergencies include:

• Death in the immediate family
• Illness, either yourself or immediate family member
• Disabling traffic accident
• Court appearance or jury duty
• Military duty

Special circumstances must either immediately precede or coincide with the administration of the exam. All such circumstances must include supporting documentation (i.e., a doctor’s note, emergency room forms, death certificate). A medical or personal emergency may apply to you or one of your immediate family members (spouse, child or parent, as defined by the Family Medical Leave Act).

Documentation provided must be in English.  If the documentation was not originally in English it must be accompanied by an official certified translation.

Approval of a deferral request is granted on a case-by-case basis. Deferrals are permitted only once per new application.

Candidates must contact Pearson VUE at least one full business day (24 hours) prior to your scheduled appointment to cancel your exam appointment (Saturday and Sunday are not considered business days). For Pearson VUE contact information, please visit www.pearsonvue.com/afp. Failure to cancel a scheduled appointment will result in a $90 no show penalty fee.

The following circumstances may qualify for a deferral:

• The candidate or immediate family member (spouse/domestic partner, child, parent) is suffering from a severe illness or injury that has been diagnosed since the candidate submitted a registration for the testing window. 
• A member of the candidate's immediate family (parent, grandparent, sibling, spouse/domestic partner, or child) has recently died. Recently is defined as less than four weeks prior to the start of the testing window. 
• Jury duty
• Mandatory military service

The following circumstances do not qualify for a deferral:

• Sudden illness in the first six weeks of the testing window unless accompanied by a doctor’s note stating the candidate cannot sit for the exam during the entire two-month window.
• Sudden illness in the last two weeks of the testing window unless the candidate has an appointment scheduled in that time frame.
• Inclement weather in the first six weeks of the testing window.
• Work commitments, including business trips, business meetings, workload or new employment
• Family or personal functions or festivities, including, weddings, engagements, christenings or festivals
• Unwillingness to comply with testing center policies (ID requirements, mask or vaccination requirements, where applicable)
• Inability to make an appointment to test.