FRM Part I Study Plan: Practice, Review and Timed Sets
Build an adaptable FRM Part I preparation routine around topic coverage, calculation review, fresh questions and four-hour practice.
Plan around your time and starting point
Begin with the official learning objectives for your sitting. Mark the areas you can explain, those you can calculate only with help, and those you have not studied. Set study sessions around those gaps rather than treating every reading as equally familiar.
The phases below are an adjustable study routine, not a prescribed preparation duration or a passing guarantee.
| Stage | Work | Evidence to keep |
|---|---|---|
| Establish a baseline | Attempt a short mixed set without checking notes between questions. | Topic, time spent, confidence and the reason for each missed or guessed answer. |
| Build foundations | Study a topic, work examples and attempt fresh topic questions. | A concise explanation of the method and its assumptions. |
| Connect topics | Alternate quantitative tools with instrument and valuation cases. | Whether you selected the right model before doing the arithmetic. |
| Rehearse pacing | Attempt a full 100-question practice session when you can work without frequent reference checks. | Pacing by block, unfinished questions and avoidable mistakes. |
| Repair weaknesses | Revisit your error log and attempt different questions on the same capability. | Whether the improvement carries over to fresh evidence. |
Keep an error log that changes the next session
Use four categories: concept, method selection, execution and reading. For example, knowing the duration formula but using dollar DV01 as a percentage measure is a method-selection error. A wrong sign after correctly identifying the exposure is an execution error. Confusing an annual rate with a period rate may combine reading and execution.
Write one correction you can apply next time. Avoid copying the entire answer explanation into a note that you will never use.
Practise under time constraints
The four-hour reference gives an average of 2.4 minutes per question across 100 questions. Individual questions will take different amounts of time. Practise deciding when to move on, then return to questions that need more calculation.
The public set is a useful fixed pacing exercise. Use varied app questions for later attempts. Compare progress across fresh sets and review correct guesses; repeated exposure can inflate familiar-question scores.
Before your appointment
Check current scheduling, identification and calculator requirements directly through GARP . Keep logistics separate from your content revision. Use the Cheat Sheet for a concise original reference, then verify any weak area against your official study materials.