This exam can be sat throughout the year, 7 days a week.
This study plan is based on 60 hours of study time over an 8 week period. The CII recommendation is 60 hours of study time, however this is only an indication of how long you will need. You may take more or less time than this depending on your prior knowledge and experience, and work/study/home commitments.
Our student-led forums are a space for you to chat to other candidates about all things study and exam.
Click on the ‘BTS Forums’ in the menu on the left and check out the CF1 forum.
There is no avoiding a thorough study of the syllabus. This unit requires candidates to focus on the three inter-linked topics of regulation, financial products and services, and ethics within financial services in the UK.
Start by working through the BTS study guide covering the full exam syllabus and guidance on the necessary exam question answering techniques.
Having an exam date booked can help to focus your study goals.
Practise as many exam-standard questions as you can before the real thing. It is good practice to start attempting mock exam questions when you are around two-thirds of the way through the study guide. Use them to review your weaker areas and target your study.
Make sure to use questions that match the standard of the exam, like those in the BTS R0 Study Buddy app.
You may take more or less time than this depending on your prior knowledge and experience, and work/study/home commitments.
The CF1 exam has 100 questions on the paper. The pass mark is 70% so you need to get 70 correct answers to pass.
Some learning outcomes have more questions than others. Spend your study time wisely by targeting the heaviest weighted ones.
If you do have a deferred success on this exam, have a look at your exam feedback to see where you dropped the most marks. For example, scoring less than 50% on LO10 is less of a concern than scoring less than 50% on LO5.
This CF1 study plan has been designed by the team at BTS. Our highly-qualified and experienced team sit the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) Level 3, Level 4 and Level 6 exams annually. This helps to ensure that the materials we produce are as up to date and ‘exam style’ as possible for our customers.
The BTS resources provide a structured study path through the R01 syllabus, covering both the technical knowledge and exam technique required to achieve a pass.
Below you will find an overview of the BTS recommended study plan with details of how the BTS materials can be used to support your learning. You don’t need to use every element, but we recommend starting by working through the BTS study guide. The R0 Study Buddy app is designed to be used to practise exam-standard questions, little and often from the mid-way point in your study plan.
What is the aim of this guide?
As you read each chapter of the guide you will gradually work through the CF1 syllabus and practise the necessary exam question answering techniques, using:
You should aim to complete at least 2/3 of your wider study before attempting mock papers.
What is the aim of the app?
The BTS R0 Study Buddy app replicates the CII exam standard as closely as possible. There are two volumes of CF1 questions available for purchase – each giving you 400 questions to practice on.
Exam bookings are made directly with the CII.
Before booking an exam, candidates must purchase the unit from the CII website.
There is an option to purchase ‘assessment only’ which means just the exam sitting. This allows candidates to purchase study materials elsewhere, e.g. BTS.
Information and guidance on booking and sitting your exam can be found in our Exam FAQs:
