AAPA study guide
AAPA · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The AAPA exam is a professional certification assessment built around four equally weighted domains: client communication and documentation, plan design and benefits and compensation, regulatory and compliance, and administration and operations. That even split is the single most useful fact for planning your study time - each domain carries roughly a quarter of the content, so a candidate who is strong in compliance but weak in operations should not assume strength in one area carries the day. The AAPA study guide has 4 sections and about 1,327 words.
01Client Communication and Documentation
Communication questions test whether you can translate technical plan mechanics into language a plan sponsor, participant, or payroll contact can act on. Know the difference between required disclosures (SPD, SMM, fee disclosures, QDRO procedures, 404a-5 participant fee notice) and good-practice communications that are not legally mandated.
334 words, about 2 min02Plan Design, Benefits, and Compensation
Design questions test whether you can read a plan's eligibility, allocation, and vesting provisions and predict outcomes for a specific participant. Master the building blocks: eligibility service and entry dates, compensation definitions, allocation formulas (integrated, age-weighted, new comparability), vesting schedules, and the limits that constrain design.
341 words, about 2 min03Regulatory and Compliance
Compliance questions test your command of ERISA and Internal Revenue Code requirements and the correction tools available when something goes wrong. Know the fiduciary duties - loyalty, prudence, diversification, and following plan documents - and how they attach to plan sponsors and service providers.
339 words, about 2 min04Administration and Operations
Operations questions test the day-to-day mechanics: payroll file handling, eligibility tracking, loan and distribution processing, reconciliation, and recordkeeping. You should understand the control environment - segregation of duties, reconciliation of trust assets to recordkeeper balances, and audit trails - and why each control exists.
313 words, about 2 min