CISI Exam Results — What to Expect After Your Sitting

You have just walked out of the Pearson VUE test centre. Here is what happens next.

You Get a Provisional Result Immediately

The CISI UK Financial Regulation exam is computer-based, which means you do not leave without knowing whether you passed or failed. As soon as you submit your paper, the screen shows a provisional result — pass or fail — along with your score. That result is provisional in name, but in practice it is definitive.

What Your Score Means

Your score is shown as the number of correct answers out of 75, or as a percentage. The pass mark is approximately 70% — around 53 correct answers. You will also see a breakdown by syllabus section, showing how you performed across each chapter. This is useful if you are resitting — it tells you exactly where the marks were lost.

Formal Results

Formal confirmation comes from the CISI shortly after your sitting — typically within a few days. If your exam was arranged through your employer, the compliance or HR team will usually be notified automatically.

If You Passed

Your result is reported to the CISI and recorded against your candidate profile. If the exam was sat as part of a mandatory qualification requirement for your role, your firm's compliance team will have what they need.

If You Did Not Pass

There is a mandatory waiting period before you can resit. Before you resit, look at the section breakdown from your result screen — it tells you exactly where the preparation needs to change. For a full guide to approaching the resit, see how to approach the CISI resit differently.

Most candidates who fail and resit do pass second time — but only if they change their approach, not just repeat the same preparation with more hours. More reading is not usually the answer. More drilling with proper explanations is.