Published May 2026 · 6 min read
One week out is not the time to start reading the workbook from the beginning. If you are here, you have studied. The question now is how to use the next seven days to make sure that preparation actually shows up on the day. If you have two weeks rather than one, see the two-week plan instead.
If you have not already made this switch, make it now. Reading feels productive but it does not build the sharpness the exam demands. Testing does. For the next seven days, the vast majority of your preparation time should be practice questions. Read the explanation for every question, including the ones you get right. The wrong options are where the exam's precision lives.
COBS and CASS first, every day. Chapter 2 carries roughly 35 of the 75 questions on the real paper. If there is any uncertainty here — suitability vs appropriateness, client categorisation, the ECP rules, best execution — this is where to spend the most time. An hour on COBS is worth twice as much as an hour on any other chapter.
Identify your weak spots and go there. Whatever practice questions are revealing as gaps — specific topics you are consistently getting wrong — drill those specifically. Do not cycle through everything evenly.
Do not ignore Chapters 3 and 4. Market abuse and AML are on the paper. The elements of an insider dealing offence, the three stages of money laundering, suspicious activity reporting — all testable. A focused two hours across these chapters is enough if your fundamentals are solid.
Do at least two full timed mock exams this week. 75 questions, 90 minutes, no pausing. The timed element is more important than most candidates realise. Candidates who have only ever practised untimed sometimes find the pace more stressful than the content on the day.
Do not try to learn anything new in the 48 hours before your sitting. In the final two days: a short drill on COBS, a review of your weakest areas from the week's practice, and then rest. Sleep matters. Showing up fatigued to a 90-minute exam costs marks that preparation will not recover.
Arrive early. Read every question properly — the wording is deliberate. The pass mark is approximately 70% — 53 out of 75. You can get 22 questions wrong and still pass. When you hit a question you do not know, make your best call, flag it, and move on.
MockSmith has 1,000+ practice questions for the CISI UK Financial Regulation exam with full explanations for every answer. The resource you need for this final week.
Get access for £29.99 →One week is enough time. The candidates who are most prepared at this stage are not the ones who studied the longest — they are the ones who tested themselves properly and know their weak areas.