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WME Exam 1 Overview — Exam Format, Weighting, and How to Study

WME Exam 1 overview (official CSI structure): 100 multiple-choice questions in 3 hours, topic weightings, what gets tested, and a practical study strategy.

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Quick facts (official CSI exam structure)

  • Proctored (remote or in-person at a test centre)
  • Duration: 3 hours
  • Question format: multiple-choice
  • Questions: 100
  • Attempts allowed per exam: 3
  • Passing grade: 60%

If you also need the case-based exam, see WME Exam 2.

What WME Exam 1 is really testing

Exam 1 rewards knowledge + recognition:

  • terminology and process vocabulary
  • how chapters connect (client discovery → planning → investments → monitoring)
  • basic calculations used in planning conversations (TVM, returns, payment math)

Official topic weighting (and target question counts)

Source: CSI WME Exam & Credits page.

Exam One TopicsWeightTarget questions (out of 100)Chapters (CSI curriculum)
Getting to Know the Client and Assessing their Financial Situation19%193–5
Family Law, Risk Management and Tax Planning16%166–9
Retirement Planning17%1710–14
Estate Planning8%815–16
Investment Management and Asset Allocation12%1217–19
Equity and Debt Securities14%1420–22
Managed Products, Portfolio Monitoring and Evaluation14%1423–24

How to prepare

  1. Use the Syllabus as your checklist by weighting.
  2. Build a compact formula sheet from the Cheatsheet.
  3. Drill recognition: definitions, comparisons, and “which statement is true?” items.
  4. Do timed mixed sets weekly; keep a miss log and fix vocabulary gaps first.

✅ Next: open the Study Plan or jump into the Syllabus.

Study Plan