- The Short Answer: No Numeric Cut Score Is Published
- How a Criterion-Referenced Standard Works
- What You Are Actually Sitting For
- Where the Points Live: The Eight Weighted Domains
- What Published Outcomes Tell You About the Standard
- Results Timing, Retakes and Attempt Limits
- Fees and Eligibility That Come Before the Score
- After You Pass: Candidate Status and Recertification
- A Domain-Weighted Study Sequence
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The Litigation Forensics Board uses a criterion-referenced passing standard, and no numeric cut score is published for MAFF.
- The exam is 400 multiple-choice questions over five hours; the scored versus unscored split is undisclosed.
- Foundations carries 20% of the blueprint; five specialties carry 12% each; Bankruptcy and Digital Forensics carry 10% each.
- NACVA reports 19 of 21 examinees passed in 2025, but each annual cohort is very small.
The Short Answer: No Numeric Cut Score Is Published
If you searched for "MAFF passing score 2026" hoping to find a clean number like 70% or 75%, here is the honest answer: the issuer does not publish one. The Master Analyst in Financial Forensics (MAFF) credential is issued by the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts (NACVA), and certification decisions are overseen by the Litigation Forensics Board (LFB). The LFB applies a criterion-referenced passing standard, and the public materials do not state a numeric threshold, a scaled-score range, or a required number of correct answers out of 400.
Any website that confidently tells you "you need exactly 72% to pass the MAFF" is either guessing or importing a number from a different credential. This article sticks to what is verifiable, explains what a criterion-referenced standard means for your preparation, and shows you how to aim at the real target: demonstrable competence across all eight weighted domains of the official Core Body of Knowledge.
How a Criterion-Referenced Standard Works
Competence against a bar, not against other candidates
In a criterion-referenced model, your result is judged against a defined level of professional competence rather than ranked against the other people who tested that month. In practice this means there is no "curve" to rescue you and no penalty for a strong cohort. If the minimum standard for a minimally qualified Master Analyst is set at a certain level, every candidate who demonstrates it passes.
What you can and cannot conclude
- You can conclude that a pass reflects meeting the Board's competence standard, not beating a percentile.
- You cannot conclude a specific percentage, because none is disclosed.
- You also cannot assume all 400 questions count. The handbook says the scored/unscored allocation is undisclosed, so a raw "number correct out of 400" may not map neatly to your result.
- Adaptive delivery is not stated in the handbook, so do not plan around question difficulty shifting as you answer.
For a broader look at how demanding the exam is in practice, see our guide on how hard the MAFF exam is, and for the statistics behind it, the MAFF pass rate analysis.
What You Are Actually Sitting For
Understanding the format helps you reason about the passing standard, because stamina and pacing are part of what you are being measured against. The June 2026 CVA and MAFF Candidate Handbook describes the following:
| Element | MAFF Detail |
|---|---|
| Question type | Multiple choice |
| Number of questions | 400 |
| Testing time | Five hours |
| Scored vs. unscored items | Allocation undisclosed |
| Book policy | Closed book |
| Permitted items | Simple non-programmable calculator, one blank scratch sheet, a writing implement |
| Delivery | Kryterion test centers or live remote proctoring; computer or paper administrations also permitted in specified settings |
| Break | One restroom break of up to five minutes; the exam timer keeps running |
| Remote requirements | Government photo ID, external webcam, private room, room scan, live monitoring and recording |
The pacing math you should do yourself
Five hours is 300 minutes. Spread across 400 questions, that is an average of roughly 45 seconds per question with no allowance for review. Because the timer keeps running during your single five-minute break, there is effectively no pause in the clock. That arithmetic is the real pressure in this exam: it is a long, dense, closed-book sitting, and you need fast recognition of damages concepts, valuation methods, fraud indicators, and bankruptcy and digital evidence principles rather than slow derivation.
Where the Points Live: The Eight Weighted Domains
Even without a cut score, the official Core Body of Knowledge (revised September 5, 2023) tells you exactly how the exam content is weighted. These are official examination objectives, and the percentages total 100%. Our full MAFF exam domains guide goes deeper on each area; here is how the weights affect your strategy.
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Part I: Foundations of Financial Forensics | 20% |
| Part II: Specialty Areas-Commercial and Personal Damages | 12% |
| Part II: Specialty Areas-Business and Intellectual Property Damages | 12% |
| Part II: Specialty Areas-Business Valuation in Litigation | 12% |
| Part II: Specialty Areas-Matrimonial | 12% |
| Part II: Specialty Areas-Business Fraud and Deterrence | 12% |
| Part II: Specialty Areas-Bankruptcy, Insolvency, and Restructuring | 10% |
| Part II: Specialty Areas-Digital Forensics | 10% |
Foundations of Financial Forensics (20%)
The single largest block and the one that underlies every specialty. Treat it as the framework you apply inside each damages, valuation, matrimonial, fraud, bankruptcy, and digital question.
- Because it is weighted at 20%, a weak foundation drags down performance across the whole exam.
- Master it first so the specialty content has something to attach to.
The Five 12% Specialties
Commercial and Personal Damages, Business and Intellectual Property Damages, Business Valuation in Litigation, Matrimonial, and Business Fraud and Deterrence together account for 60% of the content.
- Each is individually worth more than either of the 10% domains.
- A candidate who skips one 12% area gives up a meaningful slice of the blueprint, and with an undisclosed cut score you cannot know how much margin you have.
Bankruptcy/Insolvency/Restructuring and Digital Forensics (10% each)
The smallest weights, but still a combined 20%, equal to the Foundations block.
- Candidates from a valuation or accounting background often under-prepare digital forensics.
- Candidates from a fraud or technology background often under-prepare insolvency and restructuring.
Strategic implication: Because the standard is criterion-referenced and no cut score is disclosed, the safest posture is balanced competence. Do not bet on a heavy domain to cover a skipped one.
What Published Outcomes Tell You About the Standard
NACVA's FAQ page reports the following annual results. The percentages below are calculated from the published counts; they are not published first-attempt rates.
| Year | Passed / Examinees | Calculated Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 19 of 21 | 90.5% |
| 2024 | 17 of 19 | 89.5% |
| 2023 | 22 of 25 | 88.0% |
| 2022 | 15 of 20 | 75.0% |
The same page states that about 20% fail on average, without defining the averaging period. No 2026 outcome and no attempt-level breakdown is provided. NACVA also reports 421 MAFFs as of 2025.
Key Takeaway
These cohorts are tiny, roughly 19 to 25 examinees per year, so a single person moving the percentage by about five points is normal noise, not a trend. Treat the numbers as evidence that prepared candidates generally pass, not as a promise. The candidate pool is also self-selected: you must already satisfy education and experience requirements before you can sit. For more context, read our dedicated MAFF pass rate breakdown.
Results Timing, Retakes and Attempt Limits
- Results timing: normally one to two weeks after your sitting.
- Attempt limits: at most three attempts per year, and no more than one per month.
- Retest fee: a retest fee applies, but the amount is unverified, so confirm it with NACVA before you plan a second attempt.
- Scheduling window: you have two months after application approval, or after completing optional NACVA training, to sit for the exam.
- Extensions: paid monthly extensions are available for up to ten additional months.
The one-per-month rule has a practical consequence: a failed attempt costs you at least a month, plus the time to diagnose weak domains. Scheduling details are covered in our MAFF exam dates guide.
Fees and Eligibility That Come Before the Score
You cannot reach the passing-score question until you are approved to sit. The verified fee and eligibility facts are below; our MAFF certification cost breakdown and MAFF requirements guide go further.
Fee mechanics
- The Certifications page lists USD 625 for the standalone exam, without separate member and nonmember exam rates.
- The designation application adds a one-time USD 100 application fee and requires a CV or resume plus eligibility evidence.
- Practitioner membership is listed at USD 599 per 12 months. Membership is optional, but active status requires annual dues or a nonmember credential administration fee.
- A reestablishment chart lists a USD 499 annual nonmember MAFF designee fee, but its effective date is unverified, so a complete current nonmember total is not established. Do not add an unverified nonmember enrollment fee to the application fee.
Eligibility in brief
- Basic education: an accredited business-focused bachelor's degree or higher, an LFB-approved equivalent, or specified military or federal alternatives (MOS 35L/351L, GS-1811, or FLETC CITP).
- Basic experience: at least 2,000 hours of relevant knowledge, or an approved active financial or accounting credential such as CPA, CVA, CFE, CFF, or CFA.
- Advanced requirement: at least 50 hours of applicable FFBOK training, OR NACVA's five-day Foundations course, OR 20 qualifying financial-forensics matters, OR 2,000 business-valuation hours including 500 in relevant specialties.
- References: two business and two professional, reduced to two total when an additional qualifying financial credential is documented.
CVA case-study requirements do not apply to MAFF.
After You Pass: Candidate Status and Recertification
If you pass but lack the advanced requirement
Basic education and experience must be met before you sit. If you pass without having completed the advanced requirement, MAFF Candidate status gives you up to three years to document it. You must use the MAFF Candidate designation and comply with recertification in the meantime. Failure to document the requirement within three years ends that designation entitlement.
Staying certified
- Recertification requires 60 applicable CPE hours, an attestation, and a USD 400 fee per three-year cycle, due December 31.
- The first cycle begins with the first full calendar year after certification.
- Completing 15 to 29 hours of NACVA courses offsets USD 200; 30 or more hours offsets the full USD 400.
- Keep supporting records for three years after the reporting cycle; compliance is subject to audit.
- Attestation rules apply from 2025 onward, and the former bonus-point and recommended-course program ended December 31, 2025.
Thinking about whether all of this is worthwhile? Compare MAFF earnings and our ROI analysis, and see where the credential leads in MAFF jobs.
A Domain-Weighted Study Sequence
Since there is no numeric target to chase, build a plan around the weighted blueprint. The sequence below is one reasonable way to order the domains; adjust the pace to your background. For official-source preparation options, see the MAFF study guide and MAFF training overview.
Foundations (20%)
- Study first because every specialty builds on it.
- Finish it with a timed set so you practice the 45-seconds-per-item pace.
Damages and Valuation (three 12% domains)
- Commercial and Personal Damages, Business and Intellectual Property Damages, and Business Valuation in Litigation share quantitative reasoning.
- Practice the arithmetic on a simple non-programmable calculator.
Matrimonial and Business Fraud and Deterrence (12% each)
- Pair them: both involve reconstructing financial reality from incomplete or manipulated records.
Bankruptcy/Insolvency/Restructuring and Digital Forensics (10% each)
- Give extra time to whichever sits furthest from your day-to-day work.
Full-length simulation
- Run a five-hour mixed session under closed-book conditions.
- Review misses by domain, not just by question.
Using practice results sensibly
Because the real cut score is unknown, a practice score is a diagnostic, not a prediction. Track results by domain on the practice test site and aim for consistent performance across all eight areas rather than one inflated overall number. A quick reference of core facts is available in our MAFF cheat sheet, and if you are new to the credential, start with what MAFF certification is.
Frequently Asked Questions
No numeric cut score is published. The Litigation Forensics Board uses a criterion-referenced passing standard, so the bar is a defined level of competence rather than a stated percentage of the 400 questions.
The handbook does not disclose how many items are scored versus unscored. Because of that, you should prepare to perform well across the whole exam rather than trying to guess which questions matter.
Results normally arrive in one to two weeks. If you do not pass, you may retest, but no more than once per month and no more than three times per year, and a retest fee applies (amount unverified).
Adaptive delivery is not stated in the candidate handbook. The documented format is 400 multiple-choice questions over five hours, so plan for a fixed-length sitting and pace yourself accordingly.
You may use MAFF Candidate status and have up to three years to document the advanced requirement, while complying with recertification. If you do not document it within three years, that designation entitlement ends. See our MAFF requirements guide for the qualifying routes.
The bottom line on the MAFF passing score: there is no published number to memorize, only a competence standard set by the Litigation Forensics Board. Prepare to the weighted blueprint, practice the five-hour pace, and use domain-level results from the MAFF Exam Prep practice tests to confirm you are strong everywhere before you sit.