If you are sitting exams on the road to CII Chartered status, one of the questions that we frequently get asked is ‘which CII exams should I sit next?’. Likewise, we also sometimes get asked about ‘what exams should I take to get CII Fellowship?’ Some exams could be considered for both. This is a big area – and it’s one that I’ve started to look at in two previous articles:
The road to CII chartered status is a long journey and that also means that many people want to select the subjects that help them to shorten this journey. So in this article, I’ll look at a few more ideas that will help you to decide.
In our article ‘which CII AF exams should I sit next?’, we looked at AF4 and the associated underpinning level 4 exams: R02 and J10. We also said that it is worth also considering J12 (Securitised advice and dealing). Taken together, all of these are worth a whopping 90 credits. The important point is that there is also a significant amount of overlap between each of them which makes revision for them that little bit less onerous.
Let me continue on a similar theme as there are also other investment-related subjects that you could also consider.
Individual savings account administration (FA5) is a level 3 exams that is worth 10 credits. It is a one hour long exam that has 50 multiple-choice questions. But this doesn’t mean that it can’t also be used to get credits towards Chartered and Fellowship.
In simple terms, the content of FA5 overlaps with much of the content of R02. ISAs (and their various reincarnations) are central to the financial planning process for many advisers.
Details of the syllabus for each can be found here.
Other options that are definitely worth looking at are Life and pensions customer operations (LP1) and Financial services products and solutions (LP2). These are worth 15 and 20 credits respectively and are again level 3 exams that test using multiple choice questions.
LP1 isn’t a technical paper. Instead it focuses on the fair treatment of customers, effective communication and teamwork. In contrast, LP2 looks at the basics of life and health insurance products, mortgages, the key asset classes and tax wrappers (investment bonds, ISAs and pensions). As this is level 3, these are all areas that are covered at a relatively basic level. Both of these could be the easiest 35 credits you’ll ever get!
Details for LP1, for example, can be found here.
The final combination I’ll look at is AF6 (senior management and supervision) and J07 (supervision in a regulated environment). If your current or future role might involve managing people (which is what J07 is all about) or managing a regulated firm (that’s what AF6 is about), then this combination also has some overlap. Both might provide a welcome break from the ‘technical’ subjects. AF6 is worth 30 credits at Level 6 so it can count towards the four AF subjects that are required to get to Chartered. J07 is worth another 20 credits. People sometimes think that J07 is just about regulation and training and competence; it’s not so don’t let that put you off particularly if you manage people.
We believe that the purpose of exams is to make people more knowledgeable and effective. Sensibly, people who are on the road to CII Chartered status would choose the exams that are most useful to both themselves, and their business. That said, it pays to know what your exam options are and how to use this knowledge to your benefit.
Remember, work smarter, not harder. Until the next time.
Ian Patterson
Ex-examiner and author of the current CII study texts: CF8, J07 and AF6