FP II — CSI Financial Planning II Study Plan
A practical 7-day, 14-day, 30-day, and 60/90-day study plan for Canadian Securities Institute CSI Financial Planning II (FP II) candidates.
How to use this Study Plan
This Study Plan is for candidates preparing for the Canadian Securities Institute CSI Financial Planning II (FP II) exam, exam code FP II.
Use it to turn your remaining calendar time into a practical review schedule. FP II preparation should not be only reading. The exam requires you to apply financial planning concepts to client situations, so your schedule should include:
- Client fact pattern review
- Suitability and recommendation judgment
- Tax, retirement, estate, insurance, and investment planning links
- Documentation, disclosure, and compliance concepts
- Calculation practice where relevant
- Missed-question review
- Timed mock exams before the final week is over
If your CSI course materials organize topics differently, keep the schedule structure and map the topic blocks to your own modules.
Which plan should you use?
| Time left | Best plan | Use this if | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 days | Final review plan | You have already studied most content and need exam readiness | Trying to relead everything instead of fixing weak areas |
| 14 days | Focused recovery plan | You know some topics but have gaps or limited practice | Spending too long on notes and not enough on questions |
| 30 days | Balanced plan | You can study consistently for about a month | Delaying mock exams until too late |
| 60 days | Full preparation path | You are starting early and can study most weeks | Forgetting early topics without spaced review |
| 90 days | Full preparation path with lighter weekly load | You have a demanding work schedule or want more repetition | Studying passively without enough scenario practice |
Recommended weekly study time
| Plan | Suggested total time | Typical weekday rhythm | Typical weekend rhythm |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7-day plan | 12-20 hours | 1.5-2.5 hours per day | 3-5 hours split into blocks |
| 14-day plan | 25-35 hours | 1.5-2 hours per day | 4-6 hours across the weekend |
| 30-day plan | 45-65 hours | 60-90 minutes per day | 3-5 hours across the weekend |
| 60-day plan | 70-100 hours | 45-75 minutes per day | 2-4 hours across the weekend |
| 90-day plan | 80-120 hours | 30-60 minutes per day | 2-3 hours across the weekend |
Adjust the hours upward if you are new to Canadian tax, estate, retirement, or insurance planning concepts. Adjust downward only if your first diagnostic practice results are already strong and your mistakes are mostly wording or pacing errors.
Core FP II study priorities
FP II preparation should emphasize applied planning rather than isolated memorization. Build your schedule around these workstreams.
| Workstream | What to practice | Good evidence you are improving |
|---|---|---|
| Client discovery | Goals, constraints, time horizon, risk tolerance, family situation, cash flow, net worth, tax status | You can identify missing facts before recommending |
| Suitability and recommendations | Matching strategies to client facts | You can explain why the best answer fits and why the tempting answer does not |
| Tax-aware planning | Registered and non-registered implications, taxable events, deductions, credits, income attribution concepts, estate/tax interactions | You avoid recommending strategies without considering tax consequences |
| Retirement planning | Income needs, government/private sources, registered plans, sequencing, withdrawal logic | You can compare planning trade-offs, not just define terms |
| Estate planning | Beneficiaries, wills, powers of attorney, probate concepts, liquidity, tax at death, family objectives | You can spot estate issues from a client scenario |
| Insurance and risk management | Life, disability, critical illness, long-term care, property/casualty context, needs analysis | You can distinguish risk transfer, retention, and funding strategies |
| Investment planning | Asset allocation, product characteristics, risk/return, tax treatment, liquidity, income needs | You can connect portfolio recommendations to client objectives |
| Compliance and documentation | Know-your-client, suitability, disclosure, conflicts, records, professional conduct | You can identify what must be documented or disclosed |
| Calculations | Time value logic, tax/cash-flow estimates, retirement needs, insurance needs, ratios where relevant | You can perform the method without depending on a memorized example |
| Integration | Full case review across multiple planning areas | You can prioritize recommendations in a realistic order |
Daily practice rhythm
Use the same rhythm regardless of plan length. Short, repeated cycles are better than occasional long reading sessions.
| Block | Time | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Warm-up retrieval | 5-10 minutes | Write from memory: key rules, formulas, definitions, or decision criteria from yesterday |
| Topic study | 25-45 minutes | Review one focused topic from CSI materials or your notes |
| Application practice | 30-60 minutes | Complete topic questions or a case-based set without looking at notes |
| Missed-question review | 20-40 minutes | Log every missed or guessed question using the method below |
| Integration checkpoint | 5-10 minutes | Ask: “What client fact would change the recommendation?” |
For longer sessions, repeat the cycle. Do not turn a three-hour session into three hours of reading.
Missed-question review method
Your error log is the highest-value study tool for FP II. It should identify why you missed a question, not just what the right answer was.
| Error type | What it means | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Knowledge gap | You did not know the rule, concept, or product feature | Re-read the narrow section and create a short recall card |
| Misread client facts | You overlooked age, income, goal, risk tolerance, liquidity need, family status, or tax issue | Underline facts before answering case questions |
| Wrong priority | Your answer was technically true but not the best next step | Practice ranking recommendations by urgency and suitability |
| Calculation setup error | You knew the formula but used the wrong input or sequence | Redo the calculation twice: once slowly, once timed |
| Overgeneralization | You applied a rule without checking exceptions or context | Write the trigger conditions for when the rule applies |
| Compliance/documentation miss | You focused on product advice and missed disclosure, KYC, suitability, or recordkeeping | Add a compliance check to every recommendation |
| Guess between two answers | You narrowed correctly but could not choose | Write why the correct answer is more directly supported by the facts |
Error-log template
| Date | Topic | Question type | Why I missed it | Correct rule or reasoning | Retest date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tax / retirement / estate / insurance / investments / compliance | Definition, case, calculation, suitability | Knowledge, misread, priority, math, wording | One or two sentences only | 2-4 days later |
Retest missed items within a few days. If you wait until the final night, the error log becomes a record of mistakes rather than a tool for improvement.
When to use timed mock exams
Timed mocks should be used after you have enough content coverage to learn from the result. Do not save all mock exams for the final weekend.
| Study timeline | First timed mock | Second timed mock | Final mock or timed set |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 days | Day 1 or Day 2 | Day 4 or Day 5 | Day 6, only if stamina or pacing is uncertain |
| 14 days | Day 4 or Day 5 | Day 9 or Day 10 | Day 12 or Day 13 |
| 30 days | End of Week 2 | End of Week 3 | 3-5 days before exam day |
| 60 days | End of Week 4 | End of Week 6 or 7 | Final week, early enough to review |
| 90 days | End of Month 2 | 3 weeks before exam day | Final week, early enough to review |
After every mock, spend at least as much time reviewing as you spent writing it. A mock without review is mostly a stamina exercise.
7-day FP II final review plan
Use this plan if the exam is one week away. The goal is not to relearn the entire course. The goal is to identify weak areas, repair high-impact gaps, and enter the exam with a stable process.
7-day schedule
| Day | Main goal | Study actions |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Diagnose | Complete a timed mixed practice set or mock. Mark every guessed question. Build an error log by topic. |
| Day 2 | Repair largest weakness | Review the weakest planning area. Do focused topic drills. Redo missed questions without notes. |
| Day 3 | Tax, retirement, and calculations | Practice tax-aware recommendations, retirement income logic, cash-flow or needs calculations, and formula-based items. |
| Day 4 | Estate, insurance, and risk | Review estate planning issues, beneficiary/liquidity considerations, insurance needs, and risk management decisions. |
| Day 5 | Investments, suitability, and compliance | Practice case questions involving asset allocation, product fit, KYC, disclosure, documentation, and conflicts. |
| Day 6 | Timed readiness check | Complete a timed mock or large mixed set. Review errors the same day. Stop adding new sources after this session. |
| Day 7 | Light final review | Review error log, formulas, definitions, and decision rules. Do a small confidence set only. Rest and prepare exam logistics. |
7-day rules
- Do not reread full chapters unless your diagnostic result shows a specific gap.
- Spend most of the week on mixed application questions.
- Review guessed correct answers. A lucky guess is still a weakness.
- Stop adding new material after Day 6.
- On the final day, review only your error log, high-yield notes, formulas, and recurring decision rules.
14-day focused FP II plan
Use this plan if you have two weeks and need a structured recovery path. The first week closes content gaps. The second week shifts to mixed practice and exam readiness.
Days 1-7: content repair and topic practice
| Day | Focus | Study actions |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Diagnostic and planning | Complete a diagnostic mixed set. Categorize errors by topic and error type. |
| Day 2 | Client facts and planning process | Review fact-finding, objectives, constraints, prioritization, and recommendation structure. Practice case questions. |
| Day 3 | Tax-aware planning | Review tax logic relevant to financial planning decisions. Drill tax consequence and after-tax reasoning questions. |
| Day 4 | Retirement planning | Review retirement needs, income sources, registered plan concepts, withdrawal logic, and trade-offs. |
| Day 5 | Estate planning | Review estate objectives, beneficiaries, tax at death concepts, liquidity, family issues, and documentation. |
| Day 6 | Insurance and risk management | Review risk exposures, insurance types, needs analysis, policy suitability, and coverage distinctions. |
| Day 7 | Investments and suitability | Review asset allocation, product characteristics, risk/return, liquidity, tax treatment, and client fit. |
Days 8-14: mixed practice and final readiness
| Day | Focus | Study actions |
|---|---|---|
| Day 8 | Compliance and professional conduct | Practice KYC, suitability, disclosure, documentation, conflicts, and supervision-related scenarios. |
| Day 9 | Timed mock | Complete a timed mock or large timed mixed set. Review all misses and guesses. |
| Day 10 | Weak-area repair | Re-study the two weakest topics from the mock. Do targeted drills. |
| Day 11 | Integrated case practice | Work through multi-topic client scenarios. Practice choosing the best recommendation, not just a correct statement. |
| Day 12 | Calculation and formula cleanup | Review calculation methods and common setup errors. Redo prior calculation misses. |
| Day 13 | Final timed set | Complete a shorter timed mixed set. Confirm pacing and reduce careless errors. |
| Day 14 | Final review | Review error log, high-yield notes, formulas, and exam-day process. No heavy new study. |
30-day balanced FP II plan
Use this plan if you have about a month. It gives enough time for full topic coverage, spaced review, and multiple timed checkpoints.
30-day overview
| Week | Objective | Main outputs |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Build planning foundation | Organized notes, first topic drills, client-fact checklist |
| Week 2 | Cover major technical areas | Tax, retirement, estate, insurance, investments, and calculations reviewed |
| Week 3 | Shift to application | Mixed case practice, first full timed mock, error-log repair |
| Week 4 | Exam readiness | Final mock, weak-area closure, final review routine |
Week 1: planning process and baseline
| Day | Focus | Study actions |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baseline diagnostic | Complete a short diagnostic set. Identify strongest and weakest topics. |
| 2 | Client discovery | Review goals, constraints, KYC-style fact patterns, risk tolerance, and missing information. |
| 3 | Recommendation process | Practice identifying best next step, suitable recommendation, and required documentation. |
| 4 | Compliance and conduct | Review disclosure, conflicts, suitability, records, and professional responsibilities. |
| 5 | Investments overview | Review asset allocation, product fit, risk, liquidity, income, and tax treatment. |
| 6 | Topic drill day | Complete mixed drills from Days 2-5 topics. Update error log. |
| 7 | Light review | Redo missed questions and write a one-page planning-process checklist. |
Week 2: technical planning areas
| Day | Focus | Study actions |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Tax planning logic | Review taxable income concepts, deductions/credits at a planning level, taxable events, and after-tax decision making. |
| 9 | Retirement planning I | Review retirement goals, income sources, registered plans, and contribution/withdrawal considerations. |
| 10 | Retirement planning II | Practice retirement case questions and cash-flow or income-need calculations where relevant. |
| 11 | Estate planning I | Review wills, beneficiaries, powers of attorney, estate liquidity, family objectives, and tax at death concepts. |
| 12 | Estate planning II | Practice estate case questions. Identify what fact would change the recommendation. |
| 13 | Insurance and risk | Review life, disability, critical illness, long-term care, and needs analysis concepts. |
| 14 | Weekly integration | Complete a mixed set across tax, retirement, estate, and insurance. Review deeply. |
Week 3: applied practice and first mock
| Day | Focus | Study actions |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Investments and tax integration | Practice cases where investment choice affects tax, liquidity, income, and risk. |
| 16 | Insurance, estate, and family needs | Practice multi-topic cases involving dependants, debt, liquidity, and beneficiary decisions. |
| 17 | Retirement and estate integration | Practice sequencing recommendations for clients approaching or in retirement. |
| 18 | Calculation block | Drill formula-based and numeric reasoning items. Record setup mistakes. |
| 19 | Timed mock | Complete a timed mock or large timed mixed set. Simulate exam conditions. |
| 20 | Mock review | Review every miss and guess. Sort errors by topic and cause. |
| 21 | Weak-area repair | Re-study the two weakest areas and redo missed questions without notes. |
Week 4: readiness and final review
| Day | Focus | Study actions |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | High-value weak topic 1 | Targeted review and drills. Keep notes short. |
| 23 | High-value weak topic 2 | Targeted review and drills. Redo relevant mock errors. |
| 24 | Integrated client cases | Practice full scenarios across planning areas. Emphasize recommendation priority. |
| 25 | Timed mixed set | Complete a timed set. Confirm pacing and accuracy. |
| 26 | Final mock | Complete the final full mock or closest available timed simulation. |
| 27 | Mock review | Review all errors. Create final “do not forget” sheet. |
| 28 | Formula and terminology review | Review calculations, vocabulary, documentation triggers, and common distinctions. |
| 29 | Light mixed practice | Complete a small set to maintain rhythm. Do not chase new sources. |
| 30 | Final review | Review error log, checklist, and exam-day strategy. Stop heavy study. |
60/90-day full FP II preparation path
Use this path if you are starting early. The 60-day version uses a steadier weekly load. The 90-day version spreads the same work over more time and adds more repetition.
Phase overview
| Phase | 60-day timing | 90-day timing | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Days 1-10 | Weeks 1-2 | Set baseline and organize materials |
| Phase 2 | Days 11-30 | Weeks 3-6 | Learn and review core planning areas |
| Phase 3 | Days 31-45 | Weeks 7-9 | Build integrated case skill |
| Phase 4 | Days 46-55 | Weeks 10-11 | Timed mocks and weak-area repair |
| Phase 5 | Days 56-60 | Week 12 or final week | Final review and exam readiness |
Phase 1: baseline and setup
| Task | What to do |
|---|---|
| Take a diagnostic | Complete a mixed practice set before heavy review. Do not worry about the score; use it to identify gaps. |
| Build a topic map | List every FP II module or chapter from your CSI materials. Assign each to a calendar week. |
| Start an error log | Track topic, error type, correct reasoning, and retest date. |
| Create a formula sheet | Add only formulas or calculation methods you must be able to reproduce. |
| Create a client-fact checklist | Include age, family, employment, income, tax status, assets, liabilities, goals, time horizon, risk tolerance, liquidity, insurance, estate documents, and constraints. |
Phase 2: core topic coverage
For each major topic, use the same three-step method.
| Step | Action | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Study the assigned topic from CSI materials | Short notes focused on rules, decision criteria, and exceptions |
| 2 | Complete topic drills | List of missed concepts and calculation errors |
| 3 | Apply to a client scenario | One paragraph explaining the recommendation and why it fits the facts |
Suggested sequence:
| Study block | Focus |
|---|---|
| Block 1 | Financial planning process, client discovery, objectives, constraints, and documentation |
| Block 2 | Investments, asset allocation, risk/return, liquidity, income, tax treatment, and suitability |
| Block 3 | Tax-aware planning and after-tax reasoning |
| Block 4 | Retirement planning, income sources, registered plan concepts, and withdrawal logic |
| Block 5 | Estate planning, beneficiaries, powers of attorney, wills, liquidity, and tax at death concepts |
| Block 6 | Insurance and risk management, including needs analysis and coverage distinctions |
| Block 7 | Compliance, disclosure, conflicts, KYC, suitability, and professional conduct |
| Block 8 | Calculation review and mixed technical drills |
Phase 3: integrated case skill
This phase matters because FP II questions can require more than one topic at once.
| Practice type | How to do it |
|---|---|
| Multi-topic cases | For each client scenario, identify the primary issue, secondary issue, missing facts, and best next step. |
| Recommendation ranking | Rank possible actions by urgency, suitability, tax impact, liquidity, and client objective. |
| “What changes the answer?” review | After each question, identify the one client fact that would make another answer better. |
| Explanation writing | Write a two-sentence explanation for missed questions. If you cannot explain it simply, review the concept. |
| Calculation translation | Convert word problems into inputs, formula/method, and conclusion. |
Phase 4: timed mock and repair cycle
Run this cycle at least twice before the final week.
| Step | Action | Time rule |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Complete a timed mock or large mixed set | Use exam-like conditions |
| 2 | Mark misses and guesses | Do this immediately after finishing |
| 3 | Review explanations | Spend at least the same amount of time reviewing as writing |
| 4 | Categorize errors | Topic gap, misread, calculation, priority, compliance, or pacing |
| 5 | Re-study weak areas | Use narrow review, not full rereading |
| 6 | Retest | Redo similar questions 2-4 days later |
Phase 5: final review
| Final-week task | What to do |
|---|---|
| Confirm pacing | Use one timed set early in the week if needed |
| Close recurring gaps | Focus only on topics that keep producing errors |
| Review formulas | Practice setup and interpretation, not just memorization |
| Review compliance triggers | Recheck suitability, disclosure, documentation, and conflict concepts |
| Review client-fact checklist | Make sure you know which facts drive recommendations |
| Stop adding new material | Do not introduce new study sources in the last 48 hours unless correcting a specific error |
| Rest before exam day | Light review only on the final day |
Topic rotation checklist
Use this checklist to make sure your plan does not overemphasize comfortable topics.
| Topic area | Minimum practice before exam |
|---|---|
| Client discovery and planning process | At least 2 mixed sets or case reviews |
| Suitability and recommendation priority | Practice throughout every week |
| Tax-aware planning | Several focused drills plus mixed case practice |
| Retirement planning | Focused review plus calculation or cash-flow reasoning where relevant |
| Estate planning | Scenario practice involving beneficiaries, liquidity, family needs, and tax considerations |
| Insurance and risk management | Needs analysis and coverage distinction drills |
| Investments | Product fit, risk, tax, liquidity, and income questions |
| Compliance and documentation | Dedicated review plus mixed scenario questions |
| Calculations | Short recurring practice sessions, not one long cram session |
| Integrated cases | At least 2 timed mixed sets or mock exams before the exam |
Calculation practice rhythm
If you struggle with calculation-based questions, do not wait until the final week.
| Frequency | Task |
|---|---|
| 3-4 times per week | Complete a short set of calculation or numeric reasoning questions |
| Weekly | Redo all calculation misses from your error log |
| Before each mock | Review formula sheet and common setup errors |
| After each mock | Identify whether errors came from formula memory, inputs, sequence, or interpretation |
For each calculation, write:
- What is being asked?
- What information is relevant?
- What information is distracting?
- What method or formula applies?
- Does the answer make sense for the client situation?
Scenario judgment checklist
For case-based questions, use the same decision process every time.
| Step | Question to ask |
|---|---|
| 1 | What is the client’s primary objective? |
| 2 | What constraints limit the recommendation? |
| 3 | What risks must be addressed first? |
| 4 | What tax, estate, insurance, retirement, or investment issue is embedded in the facts? |
| 5 | Is the answer suitable for this client, not just generally correct? |
| 6 | Is there a required disclosure, documentation, or compliance step? |
| 7 | Is the best answer the next action, the final recommendation, or the reason for a recommendation? |
Final-week rules
Follow these rules no matter which study plan you use.
| Rule | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Stop broad content expansion in the last 48 hours | New material can create confusion without enough time for practice |
| Review guessed correct answers | They reveal unstable knowledge |
| Prioritize recurring errors | A repeated error is more important than a one-off miss |
| Keep mocks early enough to review | A mock the night before the exam gives little time to improve |
| Practice under time limits | FP II readiness includes pacing and decision discipline |
| Keep final notes short | The final review should be usable in one sitting |
| Protect sleep before exam day | Tired candidates misread client facts and make avoidable judgment errors |
Exam-readiness checks
You are closer to ready when most of these statements are true.
| Readiness check | Yes / No |
|---|---|
| I can explain why my missed questions were wrong, not just identify the right answer. | |
| I have completed at least one timed mixed mock or large timed practice set. | |
| I have reviewed every guessed answer from my timed practice. | |
| I can identify the key client facts that drive suitability. | |
| I can connect tax, estate, insurance, retirement, and investment issues in a single case. | |
| I have a short formula and calculation-method sheet. | |
| I have reviewed compliance, disclosure, documentation, and suitability concepts. | |
| I know my recurring error types and have retested them. | |
| I can finish timed practice without rushing the final questions. | |
| I have stopped adding broad new material and am in final-review mode. |
Practical next step
Choose the timeline that matches your exam date, take a diagnostic or timed mixed practice set, and build your first error log today. Then use topic drills, free practice questions, explanation review, and timed mock exams to keep the rest of your FP II preparation focused on the gaps that matter most.