CISI AFP Exam Guide: Sections A, B and C Study Plan

Table of Contents

• • Where Advanced Financial Planning fits
• • CISI AFP exam format
• • What each section requires from your writing
• • A practical 200-hour study plan
• • Build one integrated client-planning map
• • Stay current for your sitting
• • Final takeaway

The CISI Advanced Financial Planning Level 6 exam, often shortened by candidates to CISI AFP, is a written assessment of integrated financial-planning judgement. It does not use the computer-based multiple-choice format familiar from many earlier CISI units.

Quick answer: the exam lasts three hours and carries 100 marks. Section A is worth 40%, Section B 20%, and the compulsory structured case study in Section C 40%.

Where Advanced Financial Planning fits

Advanced Financial Planning is the Level 6 examination stage in the UK CISI Certified Financial Planner pathway. The official syllabus states that it builds on an RDR-compliant qualification for FCA Activities 4 and 6. It is separate from the later Level 7 Financial Plan Case Study.

That distinction changes the search and study intent. A candidate looking for the CISI AFP exam needs Level 6 syllabus coverage and written-exam technique. A candidate working on the Level 7 case study needs a different assessment plan and should not treat the two products as interchangeable.

CISI AFP exam format

Section	Marks	What it tests
A	40%	Compulsory short answers across the full syllabus; elementary calculations may appear
B	20%	One or more compulsory applied questions; advanced calculations and financial analysis may appear
C	40%	One compulsory structured case study requiring critical analysis, prioritisation and presentation

The ten syllabus outcomes do not have published percentage weights. Section A can cover the whole syllabus, while the applied and case-study sections can connect several planning areas. A sound plan therefore protects broad coverage before increasing depth.

What each section requires from your writing

For Section A, retrieve the exact point requested and stop. If a prompt appears to offer four marks, plan four distinct, relevant points rather than one long paragraph. Show calculation workings clearly enough that a marker can follow the method.

For Section B, move from knowledge to application. Identify the client fact, state its planning implication, complete any necessary analysis and reach a supported conclusion. A generic list may be technically correct but still fail to answer the scenario.

For Section C, build a decision hierarchy. Deal first with a regulatory deadline, uninsured catastrophic risk or immediate cash-flow failure before optimising investment or tax. Then compare viable strategies, state which objective is deferred when goals conflict, recommend an integrated course of action, and explain implementation and review.

A practical 200-hour study plan

The official material uses approximately 200 hours as the study benchmark. This starting allocation gives every outcome coverage while reserving a substantial block for written integration:

Workstream	Hours
Financial-planning process and principles	28
Financial management and tax	28
Wills, trusts and estate planning	30
Investment planning and asset management	28
Risk, insurance and retirement	30
Business financial planning	20
Mixed written practice and case analysis	36
Total	200

Treat this as a baseline, not an official chapter weighting. After an early diagnostic, move time towards the combination of weak technical areas and weak answer execution. Knowing a rule but failing to apply it is a separate problem from not knowing the rule.

Build one integrated client-planning map

Do not keep ten isolated sets of notes. Build a single map that follows the advice process:

1. client type, circumstances, vulnerability and scope;
2. objectives, constraints, conflicts and assumptions;
3. net worth, cash flow and emergency resilience;
4. risk profile, capacity for loss and required returns;
5. tax, trust, investment, protection, retirement, estate and business interactions;
6. recommendation, implementation responsibilities and professional referrals;
7. review frequency, benchmarks and changes requiring action.

For every recommendation, record the reason, client evidence, benefit, limitation, action and review trigger. That pattern creates concise Section B paragraphs and becomes the backbone of a Section C plan.

Stay current for your sitting

This guide was reviewed against the latest official syllabus available in 2026, Version 7.1, which is valid for examinations from March 2026. Tax, regulation and topical planning issues can change. Always check the latest official CISI syllabus and CISI Candidate Update page for your sitting.

The CISI AFP preparation page shows the ten-outcome storefront syllabus and official assessment structure. The course now includes ten lessons, a formula bank with worked calculations, 300 answer-planning practice questions and five timed written practice papers. These independent practice resources support the published assessment structure and do not reproduce official CISI papers.

Final takeaway

Prepare in two layers: first secure usable knowledge across all ten outcomes, then practise selecting, applying and prioritising that knowledge in writing. The exam rewards a planner who can turn client evidence into a clear course of action—not a candidate who reproduces the longest list of facts.