CeFA course

raskitty

Hi every one this is new to me
I have degree in computing but I havent really secure a decent role and I apply to for a trainee finance advisor and what told that I need to take the CeFA 1-4 exams.

At the moment looking into best place to take the exams and please any guide on where to start and website that can be useful for course material or exam samples, textbook etc
Many Thanks
Ras

wontfallforit

raskitty wrote: »

Hi every one this is new to me
I have degree in computing but I havent really secure a decent role and I apply to for a trainee finance advisor and what told that I need to take the CeFA 1-4 exams.

At the moment looking into best place to take the exams and please any guide on where to start and website that can be useful for course material or exam samples, textbook etc
Many Thanks
Ras

I'm sitting my Certificate in Financial Planning, which is essentially exactly the same as CeFA, except that CFP splits "retirement" and "protection" into 2 modules, whereas CeFA seems to combine the two into one (despite the fact that you still need to sit 2 exams....confusing).

The reason why I chose the CFP over the CeFA, despite their huge similarities, is because you purchase course material directly from the Chartered Insurance Institute, and you can purchase course material before you go ahead and book/pay for an exam. The IFS (CeFA) requires you to pay the £135 per module upfront, including the exam fee, whereas with the CII (CFP), you can purchase course material seperately from exams. In my case, that means purchasing a coursebook costing around £60 (2 of the 5 books are only £40), and booking the exam later, when I can afford it, and when I'm good and ready.


CeFA costs £540 in total (assuming you pass everything first time)
CFP costs £650 in total (assuming you pass everything first time)

I chose CFP simply because of its flexibility, but if you're looking to save a few quid, CeFA is just as acceptable. Both courses take exactly the same amount of time, and follow the same syllabus.

http://www.cii.co.uk/financialservices/qualifications/Qualification.aspx?award=CertFP

http://www.ifslearning.ac.uk/qualifications/courses/cefa.cfm

Whichever you choose, be prepared for it to be difficult (I too am a graduate, but it really is quite taxing), but most importantly, don't be tempted to enrol on any courses that are not offered directly by the IFS or the CII. No matter how cheap they seem, or how quickly they promise you'll get your certificate. There are a lot of rip-off CeFA courses (there's a long thread here on this forum). Nobody needs to go through a 3rd party, it's best to go direct.

Both of the links above contain material about course syllabi, etc., but there is very little useful free information that can be accessed before purchasing your first module. Both sites offer free supplementary study material when you enrol - such as online mock tests. The CII's is very good, I can't speak for the IFS.

I might be able to scan some sample questions that I have in my CF1 coursebook (I passed last week! ) and PM you, but, if you've not ventured into the world of financial planning before, it might be gobbledegook! They're very specific questions with very specific answers - there's not much room for guesswork in these exams, and there are also tons of trick questions!