How Long Should You Study for CMFAS RES5?

Neither MAS nor SCI publishes a recommended study time for RES5, so any "X hours" figure you find online is somebody's guess. But you do not have to guess, because the size of the job is published: SCI sets the RES5 syllabus at 27 numbered topics. Work out how many of those you can genuinely finish in a week, add a fixed block at the end for timed mocks, and you have a runway you can defend — rather than a number you hope is right.

Step 1: size the job — 27 topics, not "a paper"

RES5 is a single closed-book, computer-screen exam of 150 multiple-choice questions over 3 hours, marked as two separately-passed parts. Here is what you are actually being asked to cover:

Two things fall out of that table, and both change your timeline. First, Part II covers more distinct topics than Part I(14 against 13) on barely a quarter of the questions — so it is not the small afterthought most candidates treat it as. Second, Part II's 80% bar leaves room for only eight wrong answers, which means it needs a higher standard rather than fewer weeks. The full breakdown is in our Part I vs Part II guide.

Step 2: convert topics into weeks

The useful unit is topics per week, because a topic is a fixed amount of material whereas an hour is not. Assume roughly 2–2.5 hours to read a topic once and then practise questions on it until you stop making the same mistake. That gives this planning table:

For most working candidates the middle row is the honest one: around 10 hours a week over roughly two months. That is exactly the shape of our free 8-week RES5 study plan — one topic a day on weekdays, weekends for reviewing what you got wrong, with the last stretch given over to mocks. If you want the decision made for you, start there and set it to your own target date.

Step 3: the two weeks that are not about learning

Notice that every row above adds two weeks after the syllabus is covered. Do not cut them. Those weeks are for full timed mock papersand for fixing what the mocks expose — a different activity from learning the material, and the one that actually moves you from "I have read everything" to "I can score under time pressure".

• Stamina. Three hours of concentration is its own skill. The first full mock is usually a shock even to well-prepared candidates.
• Pacing. 150 questions in 180 minutes is about 72 seconds per question, including reading the stem. Comfortable for recall, tight for applied Part II scenarios.
• Blind spots. Mocks surface the look-alike rules you only think you have straight — CKA vs CAR, EIP vs SIP, Selected Client vs Accredited Investor. See common RES5 traps.

Step 4: check the SCI calendar before you commit

Three scheduling rules can stretch or compress your runway, and none of them are within your control once you have booked:

• Registration cannot be cancelled.SCI's examination rules state that cancellation of examination registrations is not allowed. Booking is a spend, not a placeholder — so book only once your runway is realistic.
• Rescheduling is tiered by working days. SCI sets the administrative fee in bands based on how many working days before the exam you ask, so an early change is cheap and a last-minute one is not. Buying yourself an extra fortnight late is expensive.
• Your date decides which study text you are examined on. SCI publishes a release date for each new RES5 study text version and a separate effective datefor examinations based on it. Sitting just after a changeover means revising from a version you may have bought before it existed. Check SCI's Important Notice on study text versions before picking a slot near one.

Our RES5 exam dates guide covers the scheduling and absence rules in full, and the registration guide covers what locks in when you pay.

Practice volume beats reading time

The least effective way to spend a runway is reading the study text cover to cover. Retention comes from active recall: read a topic once, then immediately practise questions on it and review every wrong answer until you can name the rule you should have applied. A split that works well is roughly 30% reading, 70% practising — which is the assumption baked into the table above.

Part II deserves dedicated drilling rather than leftover time — it rewards applying conduct and suitability rules to a scenario, not reciting definitions. Work through our worked scenario questions to see the difference.

How to know the runway was long enough

Forget the calendar — the signal is your scores, read as two separate hurdles. You are ready when you are clearing 75%+ on Part I and 80%+ on Part II, scored separately, on timed mocks rather than untimed practice, across more than one paper. A blended 82% overall can hide a Part II sitting at 72%, which fails.

If you are not there yet, another week costs far less than a re-sit: SCI standardised its fees from 1 April 2024, so a second attempt is a full examination fee, not a discounted one. See what RES5 costs.

Test where you stand right now with a free timed mock — no sign-up needed.

Bottom line: size the job at 27 topics, divide by the topics you can honestly finish each week, add two weeks of mocks, and book the sitting that lands on the far side of that. Most working candidates land near two months. Follow the free 8-week plan and start today — the first 15 questions in every topic are free.