CME-2A (Global Financial Compliance) Syllabus and Chapter Weightings

Last verified: 31 October 2026. Fees, dates and syllabus versions can change, so check the CME-2A page on the Financial Academy website before booking or starting to study. This is an independent study guide, not affiliated with the Financial Academy, the Capital Market Authority, the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) or any government body.

CME-2A is the Financial Academy's name for the Global Financial Compliance exam, which CISI provides. It is the same international exam taken around the world. Saudi rules on compliance and anti-money laundering are tested separately in CME-2B, so the CME-2A syllabus does not cover any specific Saudi regulation.

The exam format at a glance

The Financial Academy estimates about 100 hours of study. The exam page lists no prior certificate or training course as a requirement to register.

The five chapters and their weightings

Every paper is built from a specification. The number of questions per chapter can vary slightly from one paper to the next so that each exam stays at a consistent level of difficulty, but CISI states that the count for any chapter should not change by more than two. The weightings published on the Academy's page (20%, 24%, 20%, 19% and 17%) match this specification.

Chapters 2, 3 and 1 supply 64 of the 100 questions, and chapter 2 alone supplies 24, the largest share of any chapter.

What each chapter tests and how questions are framed

Each learning objective in the syllabus Learning Map starts with either "Know" or "Understand". "Understand" dominates in all five chapters, which means you must be able to explain an idea and apply it to a situation, not just recite a definition. "Know" appears with specific lists to be learned as written, such as the three stages of money laundering (placement, layering and integration), IOSCO Principles 1 to 8 and the BIS principles on corporate governance. The syllabus contains no calculation objectives, so there are no formulae to revise.

• Chapter 1 (20 questions): expect questions on how supervisory approaches differ (rules-based, principles-based, risk-based), which international body plays a given role, and cross-border cases such as memoranda of understanding between regulators.
• Chapter 2 (24 questions): expect questions on the responsibilities of management and staff, on the independence of the function (BIS Principle 5) and adequate resources (BIS Principle 6), and on what to do when a breach occurs or an unscheduled regulatory visit arrives.
• Chapter 3 (20 questions): expect questions on which stage a given laundering activity belongs to, on the controls a firm should have in place, and on the criteria for an effective suspicious transaction reporting system.
• Chapter 4 (19 questions): expect situations where profit conflicts with the client's interest or market integrity, the tools that reduce exposure (watch lists, gifts policies, personal account dealing), and which information may be shared and which must stay confidential.
• Chapter 5 (17 questions): expect questions on board structures (unitary board and two-tier structure), the roles of internal and external audit, and the components of the risk management process and how they relate to the compliance function.

This describes what the syllabus asks of candidates; these are not questions from the exam.

Revision order by weighting

This order puts the heaviest chapters first. If regulatory vocabulary is new to you, start with chapter 1 instead, because it introduces the bodies and concepts that return in the other chapters.

The plan is only a suggestion: it splits 85 hours roughly in proportion to the number of questions and keeps 15 hours for timed practice and review. If you have more time, scale every row up.

• Do not skip chapter 5. Its 17 questions count exactly as much as any others, and a score below 70 out of 100 is a fail.
• Study chapters 2 and 3 in the same week if you can, because the compliance officer and the Money Laundering Reporting Officer appear in both.
• In the final two weeks, sit full 100-question papers in 120 minutes, then reopen the chapter for every question you missed.

Which workbook to study from

The Financial Academy provides the workbook free as a PDF under "study material" on the exam page: the Arabic edition (4th edition) and the English edition. The English edition is newer than the Arabic one and adds topics such as ESG and operational resilience. Some section titles differ between the two (for example "Fair Dealing" in Arabic and "Client Outcomes" in English). Study in the language you will sit the exam in, and compare the chapter weightings with the Academy's page if you notice a difference.