Financial Risk Manager (FRM) is a well-known professional title awarded by the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP) to persons with specific expertise in risk evaluation in banks, insurance companies, and accountancy consultancies. The FRM certification assesses the student's understanding of controlling and analysing market risk, credit risk, and other financial-related issues.
The FRM Part I Exam is scheduled to take place from May 6 to 19, 2023. The fee for one-time enrollment in the FRM Exam is $400, while the fee for FRM Part-1 registration is $550. So, make an informed decision on when to take the exam.
Topics Addressed in the FRM part -1 certification (along with their respective weightage):
SUBJECT |
WEIGHTAGE |
FOUNDATION OF RISK MANAGEMENT |
20% (20 marks) |
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS |
20% (20 marks) |
FINANCIAL MARKETS AND PRODUCTS |
30% (30 marks) |
VALUATION & RISK MODELS |
30% (30 marks) |
Financial Markets and Products Incorporate a 'FRM Part 1 study plan' focusing on Financial Markets and Products (FMP), the most extensive of the four sections in the FRM study plan, to allocate a significant percentage of your preparation time effectively. It contains 20 chapters covering various topics like the options market, swaps, and others. It is advisable to study these chapters thoroughly since their concepts will be essential frm part 2 study plan. Though there is no negative marking, the students should choose the best-suited answer.
CHAPTER |
MARKS WEIGHTAGE |
DAYS REQUIRED |
BANKS |
1 |
DAY1 |
INSURANCE COMPANIES AND PENSION PLAN |
1 |
DAY 1 |
FUND MANAGEMENT |
1 |
DAY 2 |
INTRODUCTION TO DERIVATIVES |
1 |
DAY 3, 4 |
EXCHANGE AND OTC MARKET |
2 |
DAY 5, 6 |
CENTRAL CLEARING |
1 |
DAY 7 |
FUTURE MARKET |
1 |
DAY 8, 9 |
USING FUTURES FOR HEDGING |
2 |
DAY 10,11 |
FOREIGN EXCHANGE MARKETS |
2 |
DAY 12, 13 |
PRICING FINANCIAL FORWARD AND FUTURES |
2 |
DAY 14, 15 |
COMMODITY FORWARD AND FUTURES |
2 |
DAY 16, 17 |
OPTIONS MARKETS |
1 |
DAY 18, 19 |
PROPERTIES OF OPTIONS |
2 |
DAY 20, 21 |
TRADING STRATEGIES |
2 |
DAY 22 |
EXOTIC OPTIONS |
1 |
DAY 23, 24 |
PROPERTY OF INTEREST RATES |
2 |
DAY 25 |
CORPORATE BONDS |
1 |
DAY 26 |
MORTGAGE AND MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES |
2 |
DAY 27 |
INTEREST RATE FUTURES |
2 |
DAY 28, 29 |
SWAPS |
1 |
DAY 30 |
As we have a short time, you must be judicious in selecting and focusing on the FRM exam topics. We have highlighted the chapters from which the certainty of getting the maximum number of questions is high. In a time crunch, some chapters can be skipped or done later.
Suggestions to study better:
- Try to devote at least 300 hours to preparing. (ie. 10 hours per day without a break).
- Analysing the time constraint, if you are finding difficulty in any chapter, mark it to do later. You don’t have to be perfect in every topic.
- Written practice is necessary for the numerical problems in Financial Markets and Products (such as derivatives, insurance, trading techniques, and so on). Do try the Bionic Turtle and Analyst prep practice questions.
- Allocate sufficient FRM preparation time to solve at least 3 mocks before the FRM exam without taking a break in between. Utilize Schweser and GARP mock test papers to simulate the exam experience effectively.Understand the concept and readings thoroughly because GARP will mostly test you on them.
- If you are doing self-study, you can either go with Schweser or with GARP books. However, GARP books will help you prepare in a detailed manner.
- Try to keep a buffer of a week to revise FMP (Financial Markets and Products).
Pro Tip: Book III and Book IV of the FRM part-1 exam have some common chapters. You can study them together for better understanding.
Disclaimer: These are our research-based suggestions. You can either stick to your schedule or take our recommendation.
In synopsis, the preparation method should include selecting the best source for understanding the ideas, backed up by extensive practice.Financial Markets and Products (FMP) and Foundation of Risk Management get the highest scores, and if you want to pass with good results, you must be well-versed in these frm subjects.
We wish you all the luck for exams!
Also Read:
What are some of the Benefits Received while Pursuing FRM Courses?