Financial Plan based on a Case Study
Candidates are supplied with a case study which outlines client circumstances. Candidates will be
provided with a case study where the client(s) to be advised are either retired or pre-retired. A
confidential questionnaire is also supplied with the case study which provides further information.
Candidates should prepare a financial plan for the clients on the basis of the information provided
in the case study, which will be assessed against the assessment standards. It is important that all
candidates spend sufficient time studying the assessment standards in detail before they begin the
process of creating the financial plan.
This will help candidates to understand what is required of them in writing and submitting their
plan. The CFPTM Assessment standards can be found in the CFPTM
certification handbook.
Once you have completed your financial plan it will be assessed against the CFPTM
Assessment standards by two assessors. This process will take eight weeks. They will
either pass the plan or provide feedback on which parts of the plan need to be clarified or
improved.
If a candidate opted for the Home Study route, they should expect feedback after eight weeks of
submission of their financial plan.
The feedback will state whether the financial plan has met the required standards (Pass / Fail). If
the result is a pass, candidates may be provided with helpful guidance to improve further the
standard of their financial plans. If the financial plan does not meet the required standards,
written feedback will be provided which will include:
- General comments on the financial plan and helpful comments for
improvement in order to meet the standards
- Comments on each failed unit
You have a total of three chances to pass the case study assessment. The first submission counts as
one entry. A response to the feedback is your second attempt and you have one further attempt after
this. If, after the third attempt, your plan fails to pass, a new case study will have to be
selected for you to produce a fresh plan.
Undertaking CFPTM certification is a twelve week process. It starts once you receive the
case study which you have ordered from the CISI and candidates are recommended to begin working on
the case study right away and not to waste time before getting it underway as time is tight. You are
required to submit your Financial Plan to CISI for assessment before the end of the twelfth week.
Candidates who request a new case study or fail their final attempt will be subject to the new
assessment process including the exam.
Applications
If you are eligible for entry to the Diploma in Financial Planning, please include information about
the basis of your eligibility on the exam booking form.
Please complete the exam booking form and return to: fpexams@cisi.org
Once you have passed the assessment, you can then apply to CISI for certification
as a CFPTM professional.
Submissions
Candidates have 12 weeks, from the date of receipt of the case study material, to submit their
financial plan.
Plans should be submitted to the Head of Qualifications Management, CISI, 20 Fenchurch Street,
London EC3M 3BY in hard copy.
Soft copy should be sent to fpexams@cisi.org.
Candidates should ensure they return the submission with a completed booking form and the
completed Assessment
Submission Form.