Published May 2026 · 7 min read
Two weeks is enough time to pass the CISI UK Financial Regulation exam. It is not comfortable, but it is enough — if you use the time correctly. If you have more time available, the four-week study plan gives you more breathing room.
You cannot cover everything equally in two weeks. You should not try. The CISI UK Financial Regulation exam is 75 questions, and nearly half of them come from one chapter — Chapter 2, which covers COBS and CASS. If you spend the next two weeks spreading time evenly across all four chapters, you are making the exam harder than it needs to be.
This is not a plan for getting everything right. It is a plan for getting enough right to pass.
Adjust start day to match your sitting date and work backwards.
| Day | Focus | Task |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | COBS — Part 1 | Client categorisation: Retail, Professional Client, Eligible Counterparty. What changes at each level. Appropriateness — when it applies, what it requires, when it can be waived. |
| Day 2 | COBS — Part 2 | Suitability — when it applies and what it requires. Financial promotions: what fair, clear and not misleading means. Approval requirements. Practice questions on all of Day 1 and Day 2. |
| Day 3 | CASS | Segregation principle. CASS 6 (custody assets) and CASS 7 (client money). Timing requirements. Reconciliation obligations. Practice questions immediately after. |
| Day 4 | COBS/CASS Drill | Question bank — COBS and CASS only. Read every explanation. Flag any topics where you get questions wrong and revisit the workbook for those specific areas. |
| Day 5 | Chapter 1 | FCA and PRA. The 12 FCA Principles (including Principle 12 — Consumer Duty). SM&CR: Senior Managers, Certified Persons, Conduct Rules. FSCS and FOS. Practice questions after. |
| Day 6 | Chapter 3 | Inside information and its definition. Insider dealing offences and defences. Market manipulation. Safe harbours. UK MAR obligations on firms. Practice questions after. |
| Day 7 | Chapter 4 | Three stages of money laundering. Suspicious Activity Reports — who files, to whom, when. Tipping off prohibition. Terrorist financing. Money Laundering Regulations. Practice questions after. |
| Day 8 | Full Drill | Mixed question bank across all four chapters. Read every explanation. No skipping. Identify your three weakest topics. |
| Day 9 | Weak Area Focus | Return to the workbook only for the weak topics identified on Day 8. Then do targeted practice questions on those areas only. |
| Day 10 | Full Drill | Another full mixed question session. Are the Day 8 weak areas improving? Track your score by chapter. |
| Day 11 | COBS/CASS Top-Up | Extra drill on Chapter 2 — the highest-yield chapter. Focus on any COBS or CASS questions you are still dropping. |
| Day 12 | Timed Mock 1 | 75 questions. 90 minutes. No stopping, no looking anything up. Record your score and which chapters cost you marks. |
| Day 13 | Timed Mock 2 | Second full timed mock. Review every wrong answer. Short targeted drill on any chapter still underperforming. |
| Day 14 | Light Revision Only | No new material. Brief review of weakest areas. Short COBS/CASS drill — 20–30 questions maximum. Rest. Early night. |
Do not read the workbook cover to cover from the beginning. You do not have time, and reading is the least efficient preparation activity at this stage. You need to be tested, not informed.
Do not cycle through a small set of practice questions until you recognise the answers. Improving scores on familiar questions is not the same as being ready for unfamiliar ones. The real exam will not repeat questions verbatim.
Do not spread your time evenly across chapters. This is the most common mistake with a short timeline. The exam does not test chapters equally — Chapter 2 is nearly half the paper.
Once you are in the final week, see what to do in your final week for the end-of-plan approach.
With two weeks to go, the most important thing is a large bank of quality practice questions with full explanations. MockSmith has 1,000+ exam-style questions for the CISI UK Financial Regulation exam, with complete explanations for every answer. Full timed mock exams and targeted drill by section.
Get access for £29.99 →Two weeks is tight but it is enough. Focus on Chapter 2, test rather than read, and use the time you have efficiently.