CPH — CSI Conduct and Practices Handbook Study Plan

This Study Plan is for candidates preparing for the Canadian Securities Institute CSI Conduct and Practices Handbook (CPH), exam code CPH. It is built for a conduct, compliance, and applied-scenario exam: expect to spend more time on judgment, terminology, documentation, supervision, client facts, disclosure, and prohibited practices than on calculations.

Use this plan alongside the current Canadian Securities Institute materials and the current CPH syllabus. Treat the schedule below as a practical preparation framework, not as an official outline or guarantee of exam coverage.

Which plan should you use?

If you are not sure

CPH study priorities

The CPH is best approached as an applied conduct and practices exam. Your goal is not only to recognize definitions, but to choose the proper conduct, documentation, disclosure, or supervisory response in a client or firm scenario.

Use the current CSI materials as the source of truth. For scheduling, organize your review around these practical buckets:

Daily practice rhythm

Use the same study rhythm most days. CPH preparation improves when you repeatedly connect rules to scenarios.

60-90 minute weekday session

2-3 hour weekend session

Minimum effective day

If you only have 20-30 minutes, do not skip entirely.

1. Review 5-10 missed-question log entries.
2. Answer 10-15 targeted questions.
3. Write one sentence explaining why each missed answer was wrong.
4. Mark one topic for the next full session.

Missed-question review method

Do not only record the correct answer. The value is in identifying why your judgment failed.

Use an error log with these columns:

Common CPH error types

When to use timed mock exams

Timed mock exams are most useful after you have enough content coverage to learn from the result. Use the current Canadian Securities Institute exam information to match timing and format as closely as possible.

Mock review rules

After every timed mock:

1. Review missed questions first.
2. Review guessed correct answers second.
3. Review questions that took too long third.
4. Assign each miss to a topic bucket.
5. Re-study only the rules connected to your misses.
6. Retest weak buckets within 48 hours.

A mock exam without explanation review is mostly a stamina exercise. The learning happens after the timer stops.

7-day final review plan

Use this plan if your exam is one week away. This is not the time to read everything slowly from the beginning. Prioritize the topics most likely to affect scenario judgment: client facts, suitability-style reasoning, disclosure, conflicts, documentation, supervision, and improper conduct.

7-day rules

• Stop broad new reading after Day 4 unless a topic is completely unknown.
• Do not take multiple full mocks back-to-back if review quality drops.
• Spend at least as much time reviewing explanations as answering questions.
• Keep a short “must not forget” sheet for rules you repeatedly miss.
• Sleep and timing discipline matter in the final 24 hours.

14-day focused plan

Use this plan if you have two weeks and need a concentrated path. The goal is to finish core content quickly, then shift to mixed application.

14-day study allocation

Stop adding major new material after Day 11. From Day 12 onward, your main job is to stabilize performance and avoid repeating known errors.

30-day balanced plan

Use this plan if you want a practical balance between learning and testing. The first half builds coverage. The second half converts knowledge into exam judgment.

Week 1: Build the foundation

Week 2: Conduct, disclosure, and trading scenarios

Week 3: Supervision, compliance, and applied judgment

Week 4: Mock exams and final readiness

30-day rules

• Begin mixed practice by the end of Week 1.
• Use at least one full timed mock or long timed set in Week 4.
• Stop broad new learning around Day 24.
• From Day 25 onward, focus on known weaknesses, pacing, and decision rules.

60/90-day full preparation path

Use this path if you are starting early, studying around work, or want more spaced repetition. The 60-day version compresses each phase. The 90-day version gives more review and retest time.

Phase overview

Phase 1: Orientation and first pass

Do not try to memorize everything on the first pass. Your goal is to understand the structure of the conduct rules and where each topic fits.

Phase 2: Topic mastery

For each topic, complete this loop:

1. Read or review the topic.
2. Write a one-page summary in plain language.
3. Complete a targeted question set.
4. Review explanations.
5. Add errors to your log.
6. Retest the topic 2-4 days later.

Phase 3: Mixed application

This is where many candidates improve the most. Once topics are mixed together, you must recognize the issue without being told the chapter name.

Phase 4: Final review

How to review explanations

Explanation review is not passive reading. Use it to sharpen decision rules.

For every missed or guessed question, ask:

1. What topic was actually being tested?
2. Which fact in the scenario controlled the answer?
3. Did I choose an answer that was incomplete, too aggressive, too passive, or not documented?
4. Was the correct answer a representative action, supervisor action, firm action, or client communication step?
5. What phrase should trigger the correct rule next time?

Create comparison notes

CPH questions often reward distinctions. Build short comparison tables like these:

Practice schedule by study time available

If you have 3-5 hours per week

Use the 60/90-day path if possible.

If you have 6-10 hours per week

The 30-day plan is realistic for many candidates at this pace.

If you have 12+ hours per week

This pace can support a 14-day focused plan if you already have some familiarity.

Final-week rules

Use these rules during the last week regardless of plan length.

Exam-readiness checks

You are not ready just because you have finished reading. Use these checks before exam day.

What to do next

Pick the plan that matches your exam date, schedule your first three study sessions, and start with a diagnostic practice set. After that, let your missed-question log drive the rest of your CPH review: study the rule, drill the scenario, review the explanation, and retest until the mistake stops repeating.