No, some exams are provided by the Financial Academy and some are provided in partnership with local, regional or international specialized institutes, and some are in cooperation with specialized institutes.
Partnership: means that the Financial Academy contributes in the production of the learning material, the question bank, or both, which gives FA the ability to receive a retroactive impact of the learning material and the question bank. For example, the partnership between the Financial Academy and the Chartered Institute for Securities Investment (CISI).
Cooperation: means that FA is only a center the hosts and administers exams without contributing to the production of the learning material or the question bank. For example, the cooperation between the Financial Academy and the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF).The Chartered Institute for Securities Investment (CISI) exams (partnership)
The Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) exams (cooperation)
The Institutes of Insurance exams (cooperation)
The Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) exams (cooperation)
The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) exams (cooperation)
Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS) exams (cooperation)
Certified Investor Relations officer (CIRO) exam provided by IR Society and MEIRA (cooperation)Yes, it does provide exams in Arabic and English, but some exams are
available in Arabic only. It is possible to know the language
availability through the exam page and examinees can select the exam language during the registration process.
A different set of exams is divided into the following sub-sectors:
Banking Sector: (Press Here)
Capital Market Sector: (Press Here)
Insurance Sector: (Press Here)
Common Sectors: (Press Here)
Target examinees vary by exam; we are pleased to clarify them according to the following exams:
Retail Banking Foundations Professional Exam:
Frontline employees of banks operating in the Saudi market (including but not limited to: Branch employees and managers, sales staff, call center staff, including employees who contracted through a third party) as well as Bank's Customer Care staff.
Credit Adviser Professional Exam:
Employees of banks and finance companies directly involved in granting credit, including employees contracted through a third party, and branch managers.
Foreign Exchange Professional Exam:
Frontline employees at banks' financial transfer centers (including but not limited to branch employees and managers, sales staff, call center employees, and that includes employees who contracted through a third party), as well as all employees of Money Exchange companies and institutions.
Securities Rules and Regulations - Part1 Exam:
All registered persons or those intending to register with CMA to perform registerable functions for authorized persons. It is required to obtain the General Securities Qualification certificate.
Operations - Part 2 Exam:
All registered persons or those intending to register with CMA to perform registerable functions for authorized persons. It is required to obtain the General Securities Qualification certificate.
Compliance AML/CTF - CME2 Exam:
All registered persons or those intending to register with CMA to perform compliance AML/CTF functions for authorized persons.
Broker-Dealer Qualification Certificate - CME3
Local or international brokerage/dealership functions of all job categories with an authorized person for all registered persons or those intending to register with CMA.
International Certificate in Wealth and Investment Management (CME4), in partnership with (CISI)
All registered persons or those intended to register with CMA to perform duties of, investment funds management, Customer portfolios Management, Management of private non-real investment funds, managing the portfolios of experienced investors.
Trader Professional Exam (Registered Broker) - Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul)
Anyone who desires to be a broker (registered trader) in the Saudi Stock Exchange, in addition to everyone who works for market members and capital market institutions.
IFsah Professional Exam - Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul)
Securities issuer's liaison officers that entitles them to deal with the IFsah system for Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul).
Corporate Finance Technical Foundations Exam (CME5), in partnership with (CISI)
Corporate Finance Specialist with authorized person to all registered persons or those intended to register with CMA.
Insurance Foundations Professional Exam:
Employees of insurance, reinsurance companies and service providers; either by direct contract or through a third party, as follows:
- All employees in technical departments including but not limited to reinsurance, actuarial, claims, underwriting, and sales for all career levels.
- All employees in supervisory departments including but not limited to internal audit, anti-money laundering, compliance, risk management for all career levels.
- All employees in following support departments, Finance, Marketing, Customer Service departments in all career levels.
- All employees who have direct or indirect contact with customers in all job levels.
- Members of the Board of Directors who occupy positions in insurance and reinsurance companies and service providers.
Underwriting Officer Professional Exam:
All workers in the field of underwriting insurance companies.
Insurance Claims Professional Exam:
All claims’ employees in the insurance sector (claims officers, claims quality managers, loss adjusters, anti-fraud workers, internal auditors).
Compliance Foundations Professional Exam:
No, not all professional exams at the Financial Academy are mandatory.
The entities that are entitled to require a specific group to take an exam are the legislative, regulatory, or supervisory bodies of the financial sector, which are currently (SAMA, CMA, Tadawul)
Yes, there are specific policies, which are divided into policies for exams provided by the Financial Academy or for exams provided in partnership or in cooperation with local, regional or international specialized agencies. If you wish to view more details of this policy, you can visit the Exams Professional Qualifications page. Link (Press Here)
By following the steps:
Access the Academy's website Press Here
Create a new account then fill out the company registration form.
After filling, signing and stamping it from the company's administrator, you send it to the Customer Service email: cs@fa.gov.sa
Adding your company will be confirmed and then a representative will be registered to enter the registration data for the examinees.By the following steps:
- Access the Academy's website www.fa.gov.sa
- Create a new account and then fill in the form.
- You will receive a confirmation email to activate your account.No, you can register before you start a job if you want to develop your capabilities and increase your knowledge. To learn more about the registration requirements, including but not limited to (specific nationality, passing a specific professional exam, etc.); we hope you visit our exam pages through (Press Here)
Through Contacting the Examinations Delivery Unit by e-mail: Exams@fa.gov.sa
Yes, via e-mail.
No, the confirmation of registration is after fee payment.
Yes, via e-mail, and you may receive it as a SPAM junk mail.
Financial Academy exams can be retaken after 15 calendar days while CISI exams can be retaken after 3 calendar days.
Five attempts are allowed for each exam in one calendar year, and these attempts are renewed at the beginning of each calendar year. Except for exams provided in partnership with the (CISI) six attempts are allowed for each exam in one calendar year. These attempts are renewed at the beginning of each calendar year.
There is no specific period and no minimum time that should separate the two exams. Examiners can take the exam at any time, but the certificate will only be issued after passing the exams' two parts.
Yes, you can.
No, it is better to use two different emails to avoid registry conflicts between the two websites.
Yes, you will receive a confirmation email from CISI with the learning material. The email also contains a link to the training platform Revision Express which provides mock exams in order to train and qualify examiners to pass the exam. For more info kindly check the learning material page.
Yes, you can depending on announced policies; you can view the policies through (Press Here)
Yes, exam fees are different and those who wish to register for exams can view exam fees on each exam page.
Yes, the entire fee shall be paid again except for exams provided in partnership with the CISI, the retake fee is less than the basic exam fee. Those who wish to know the retake fees can view exams' pages.
The registration and fee payment is done separately for each part.
Yes, you can. Please note that there is a special policy for fee refund to regulate the percentage of the refund. Kindly view the link for more information: Press Here
Yes, there is a learning material for each exam, and it is free of charge.
You can get the learning material via the learning material icon in the exam page on the Financial Academy's website. It is worth mentioning that the learning material for exams provided in partnership with the CISI will be e-mailed to the examiners after registration and payment of the exam fee within a maximum period of two days.
The language of the learning materials is the same language of the exam. If the exam is available in Arabic and English, the material is also available in both languages. The option remains available for those examinees to register in any preferred language.
Yes, they are updated and updates are announced on FA's website, and the “edition number for each exam shows which edition is it.
Contact the Professional Standards and Qualifications Department via the e-mail: exams@fa.gov.sa , In order to fix these mistakes directly.
Yes, there are preparatory questions at the end of the learning materials to give the examinee a glimpse of how the actual exam questions are, but they are not the real exam questions.
Questions in current exams are multiple choices, and the number of questions varies from one exam to another, you can check the number of questions for each exam on its page on the website.
Yes, and it is working with its partners (Human Resources Development Fund Hadaf and “Takamul Company) on this, and a platform to train for the Insurance Foundations Professional Exam is currently available on Droub website.
Yes, there is a preparation program for each exam and those wishing to view more information can visit the link under the preparatory programs icon on the exam page.
Yes, it provides exam training, and you will receive a registration confirmation email from CISI that contains a link to access the training platform, as the platform Revision Express provides summary and mock exams for the registered exam to help examiners to pass the exam.
Attending the training program is optional and not mandatory; self-studying or attending training courses depends on the learner's ability to obtain the knowledge found in the learning materials.
Training programs are charged and fees vary according to the exam and those wishing to get more information can visit the link under the preparatory programs icon on the exam page.
one of your identification documents that enables us to verify your identity:
Yes, Financial Academy allows examiners to enter their cars to the Academy's car park.
Candidates are allowed to use calculators for Financial Academy exams while for CISI exams candidates must use the built-in calculator only.
Examiners must attend at least 30 minutes before the exam to complete the procedures to entering the exam room.
Yes, there is a waiting area where you can sit and study if you wish.
Yes, the place is prepared to receive any examinee who arrives with a wheelchair, and FA provides devices for people with visual impairments. Our team at the Financial Academy cooperates with specialized requests but an email shall be sent earlier to take the necessary procedures:exams@fa.gov.sa
The result appears directly after you finish the exam on the computer screen then the invigilator will print your result. However, in the case of exams provided in cooperation or in partnership with specialized institutes, the examinee receives the result later through the institute by email.
Yes, in the Financial Academy's exams the details of the results are clarified. On the other hand, in the case of exams provided in cooperation or in partnership with specialized institutes, the examinee will be provided with result's details later through the institute by email.
By clicking the link below using the (last name and Old number) in English with the same characters used in registration. (http://www.fa.gov.sa/certificates/login.aspx?lang=en)
Yes, it is possible to verify the certificate by entering the Certificate issue number then click Validate Certificate (Press Here)
No, because the electronic certificate on the website is the original certificate.
The result cannot be objected, but you can request to review specific questions within a period of no more than 3 working days from the date of the exam. You can view the rest of detailed policy of reviewing exams by visiting Financial Academy's website, the page of Exams and Professional Qualifications, link:
Press Here
Yes, there is a list of certificates equivalent to the professional certificates accredited by Capital Market Authority, and obtaining any of them means an exemption from taking the exam provided by the Financial Academy according to the following table:
|
The certificate approved by CMA and provided by FA |
Equivalent certificate |
Provider Institute |
| General Securities Qualification Exam (CME1) Securities Operations Part 2 | CFA Institute Passing Level 1 | CFA Institute |
| International Certificate in Wealth and Investment Management (CISI) | Completion of CFA program | CFA Institute |
| | Certified International Investment Analyst (CIIA) | Association of Certified International Investment Analyst (ACIIA) |
| | CISI level 4 International Certificate in Advanced Wealth Management: Applied Financial Advice and Management | Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI) |
| | CISI level 6 Certificate in Private Client Investment Advice Management | Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI) |
| | CISI Level 7 Diploma in Wealth Management: Chartered Wealth Manager Qualification | Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI) |
| Corporate Finance technical Foundations | CFA Institute Passing Level 2 | CFA Institute |
| | Series 79 | FINRA |
| |
Diploma in Corporate Finance | Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI) |