The entry-level qualification covering how banks, equities, bonds, derivatives and markets fit together. 180 calibrated MCQs across all 8 chapters, £39.
Fundamentals of Financial Services is the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment's entry-level qualification. It explains the basics of the industry: why savers and borrowers need intermediaries, how banks work, what shares and bonds are, how derivatives and stock markets operate, and the other areas of financial services such as insurance, pensions, funds and foreign exchange.
It's a sensible pick for anyone who:
30 multiple-choice questions in 1 hour, computer-based. This bank is built on the current edition (Edition 7, syllabus v7.0, exams from 1 August 2026). Check CISI's own site for the latest exam details before you book.
| Ch | Topic | Exam weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ethics and Integrity in Financial Services — the four ethical principles, ethical and unethical selling, responsible and impact investing, ESG criteria | 1 / 30 |
| 2 | Saving and Borrowing — savers and borrowers, surplus and deficit, equity versus debt, mortgages, overdrafts, insurance | 4 / 30 |
| 3 | Banking — retail, commercial and investment banking, central banks, loans and credit cards, secured and unsecured borrowing, effective interest rates | 5 / 30 |
| 4 | Equities — ownership, voting rights, dividends and dividend yield, IPOs and listing, sources of return, risks of owning shares | 5 / 30 |
| 5 | Bonds — coupon, redemption, yield and yield to maturity, gilts, credit ratings, green and blue bonds, interest rates and prices | 5 / 30 |
| 6 | Derivatives — futures, options, hedging and speculation, calls and puts, the origin of derivatives markets | 1 / 30 |
| 7 | Markets — the function of a stock exchange, listing, and major indices such as the FTSE 100, S&P 500, Nikkei 225, DAX and Hang Seng | 4 / 30 |
| 8 | Other Areas of Financial Services — funds, foreign exchange, insurance, pensions, estate planning, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer lending, cryptocurrencies, robo-advisers | 5 / 30 |
Five chapters carry 5 questions each — Banking, Equities, Bonds and Other Areas — which together make up two thirds of the paper. The maths is light but real: expect effective interest rates, dividend yield, bond yield and simple FX conversions.
The full £39 FFS product covers:
Full FFS bank — 180 Qs across 8 chapters — £39 one-time. Or try 12 free questions per chapter first.
Assuming 6-8 hours a week alongside a full-time job:
Aim to average 80%+ across timed mocks before booking. If you can't hit that, you're not ready — better to delay a week than fail and re-sit.
3-4 weeks at 6-8 hours per week is typical for a first finance qualification. Faster if you already work in the industry.
30 multiple-choice questions in 1 hour, delivered computer-based. Confirm the pass mark and booking details on CISI's site — they set and can change them.
It's built on Edition 7 of the workbook (syllabus v7.0, exams from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2029). When CISI publishes a new version we review the bank against it and update.
Gumroad-backed 30-day refund. If you buy and decide it's not what you needed within 30 days, request a refund directly through Gumroad's receipt email.
No. One-time payment, permanent access. Useful if you're delaying the exam or want to keep the bank as a workplace reference.
CISI, FFS, GSO, CFR, ICWIM, IISI, GFC, CFC and RFS are trademarks of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment. FinStudyHub is not affiliated with CISI. Content is original preparatory material calibrated to the published FFS syllabus.