RES5 Version 1.3: Which Study Text Applies to Your Exam?

If your RES5 exam is near 22 September 2026, the date of the sitting decides which study text you should use. The Singapore College of Insurance (SCI) released RES5 First Edition Version 1.3 on 20 July 2026 and states that examinations will use it from 22 September 2026.

That creates a simple boundary: candidates sitting before the effective date should not assume the newest released text is already examinable, while candidates sitting on or after 22 September should not rely on an older set of notes without checking every change.

The RES5 Changeover Date

SCI’s official regulatory-examination notice gives these dates for RES5:

For a sitting on or before 21 September 2026, use the version identified for that earlier exam window in your candidate materials. For a sitting from 22 September 2026, Version 1.3 is the controlling text.

Do not choose by download date. A newer eBook can be available before it becomes the examination basis. Your exam date—not the date you opened the file—controls the version.

For example, moving a booking from 18 September to 25 September crosses the boundary. Recheck your materials when you reschedule; do not simply carry the earlier revision deck into the later sitting. Conversely, downloading Version 1.3 in August does not make it the applicable text for an 18 September exam.

What Has Not Changed on the Public Exam Page

The official SCI RES5 page continues to describe the assessment as:

• 150 multiple-choice questions in three hours;
• 110 questions in Part I and 40 in Part II;
• a minimum of 75% in Part I and 80% in Part II;
• one mark for a correct answer, with no deduction for a wrong or blank response; and
• a closed-book, English-medium computer-screen examination.

The version change does not remove the separate-pass problem. You must clear both thresholds; a high Part I result cannot rescue a failed Part II result.

How to Check Your Materials in 10 Minutes

Open the RES5 eBook you intend to study and find its title page and Version Control Record. Record the edition, version and your exam date at the top of your notes. Then use this sequence:

1. Confirm the exam date in your SCI booking.
2. Match it to the 22 September effective-date boundary.
3. Confirm the version shown inside the eBook, not only its filename.
4. Read the Version Control Record before revising old notes.
5. Mark every changed chapter, rule, notice or example for replacement.

If the version inside your portal conflicts with the public notice or booking date, ask SCI before guessing. Screenshots shared by another candidate are not a reliable source because their sitting may fall in a different window.

The public notice establishes the changeover date, not a chapter-by-chapter list of amendments. Use the Version Control Record inside your authorised eBook for that list. Do not assume every chapter changed, or that an older practice answer is wrong merely because the file has a newer version number.

Prevent Mixed-Version Revision

Mixed notes are dangerous because the error often looks familiar. A candidate remembers a number, requirement or notice from an older card and selects it quickly without noticing that the question tests the updated rule.

Create one change log with four columns: chapter, old point, Version 1.3 point, and action. The action should say whether to delete a card, edit it, or add a new scenario. Do not maintain two active decks. Archive the earlier version and keep only the deck that matches your sitting.

For every changed regulatory point, practise three forms:

• direct recall: state the rule;
• recognition: identify the correct rule from close alternatives; and
• application: choose the action in a short adviser-and-client scenario.

That last form matters because RES5 tests both regulation and its practical application.

A Seven-Day Changeover Plan

Day 1: verify the version and extract every Version Control Record item. Days 2–3: repair Part I notes and flashcards chapter by chapter. Day 4: retest changed Part I rules in scenarios. Day 5: confirm Part II ethics and advisory-process notes against the correct eBook. Day 6: complete a timed mixed mock and calculate the two section results separately. Day 7: repair only the errors and uncertain guesses.

Use an average pace of about 72 seconds per question, but do not force every question into that exact time. Bank time on direct recall items, mark close distinctions and return later. Because there is no negative marking, every question should have a response before time expires.

The RES5 exam guide explains the full 27-chapter scope and two-part study method. Use it after resolving the version question.

Your Final Pre-Exam Check

Before sitting, you should be able to answer all five questions without opening your notes:

1. Which study-text version applies to my exact exam date?
2. Which Version Control Record items changed my notes?
3. Am I above target in Part I when scored alone?
4. Am I above target in Part II when scored alone?
5. Can I finish 150 questions within three hours without leaving blanks?

If one answer is no, repair that specific weakness. The correct goal is not to reread everything after a version update; it is to remove version ambiguity and prove that both separately scored parts are ready.