The qualification

Your route to becoming a mortgage adviser

What the CeMAP qualification is, who awards it, what it costs, how the exams work, and what happens after you pass. In the order you will meet it.

1Understand
2Register
3Study
4Exams
5Certificate
6Join a firm
7CAS
8Keep it valid

Checked against LIBF and FCA pages on 9 October 2026.

At a glance

CeMAP in six numbers

Level

Equivalent to A-level

Units

In three modules

Study time

3 to 9 months

Typical, at your own pace

Pass mark

70%

On every unit exam

Fee

£735

Full registration, first attempts included

Expires?

Never

No renewal for the qualification

Quick answers

The questions everyone asks first

Short answers here. Each one points to the step that explains it properly.

Who awards CeMAP?

LIBF, which is now part of Walbrook Institute London (formerly The London Institute of Banking & Finance). You register with them directly, even if you also use a training provider.

See step 1 ↓

How long does it take?

Most people take three to nine months of study, according to LIBF. If you register for the whole qualification you have up to 18 months to finish.

See step 3 ↓

How long is it valid for?

It does not expire. CeMAP is awarded once and LIBF publishes no expiry date for it.

See step 8 ↓

Are there refreshers or annual fees?

Not for the qualification itself. CPD is not a regulatory requirement for mortgage advisers. LIBF does offer optional extras such as CeMAP Professional (£50 to £70 a year).

See step 8 ↓

What is CAS?

Competent Adviser Status. It is your firm’s sign-off that you can advise without close supervision. It is not a qualification, and neither the FCA nor LIBF issues it.

See step 7 ↓

How do I book the exams?

You do not. CeMAP exams are on demand: sit each one from home, whenever you are ready, while your registration is open.

See step 4 ↓

Step by step

From first idea to qualified adviser

Follow the line down the page. It is the order you will meet each stage in real life.

Step 1 · Before you start

What CeMAP is, and who awards it

5 minutes to read

CeMAP stands for Certificate in Mortgage Advice and Practice. It is the standard entry qualification for UK mortgage advisers, and it proves you have the knowledge the regulator expects.

Level 3, equivalent to A-level. It is registered with Ofqual on the Regulated Qualifications Framework, and it meets the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) examination standard for mortgage advisers.
Awarded by LIBF. LIBF is now part of Walbrook Institute London, the new name (from April 2025) of The London Institute of Banking & Finance. LIBF is still the name used for professional qualifications such as CeMAP, so it is what you will see when you register and on your certificate.
No entry requirements. You only need to be confident studying in English at Level 3.
Five units in three modules. Financial Services, Regulation and Ethics (FSRE) has two units. Mortgages (MORT) has two units. Assessment of Mortgage Advice Knowledge (AMAK) has one.
On its own it is not a licence. CeMAP is the knowledge half of what the industry calls a ‘licence to practise’. The other half is working for an FCA-authorised firm that assesses you as competent (steps 6 and 7).

Level: 3 (A-level equivalent)
Awarded by: LIBF, part of Walbrook Institute London
Regulated qualification: Ofqual, RQF
Entry requirements: None
Total study time: About 250 hours

LIBF: CeMAP qualification page LIBF is now Walbrook Institute London

Step 2 · Day one

Register with LIBF

About 10 minutes

You register directly with LIBF, even if you also use a training provider. Registration gives you your study materials and your exam entries.

Full qualification: £735, with 18 months to finish. All three modules together. LIBF says this saves £75 compared with booking them separately.
Module by module: £810 in total, with 12 months for each module. FSRE is £330, MORT is £320 and AMAK is £160. Handy for spreading the cost, but each module has its own 12-month clock.
Your first attempt at every unit exam is included in the registration fee. Resits cost extra (see step 4).
You might not need every unit. LIBF can recognise earlier qualifications as exemptions through recognition of prior learning.
Training courses are optional. Accredited learning support providers can help, but you still register and sit the exams with LIBF.

Full qualification: £735, 18 months
Module by module: £810 total, 12 months each
First exam attempts: Included
Where: Directly with LIBF

Check before you payThese prices and time limits were correct when this page was checked (October 2026). LIBF can change them, so confirm on its registration page.

LIBF: fees and registration LIBF: recognition of prior learning

Step 3 · At your own pace

Work through the five units

Most people take 3 to 9 months

There is no timetable. You study online whenever it suits you and sit each exam when you feel ready.

Suggested order: FRE1, then MRT1, then FRE2, then MRT2, and finally the AMAK unit (ASEW in England and Wales, ASSC in Scotland). You may study in any order, but the last unit pulls the earlier ones together, so it works best saved for last.
How long: LIBF’s own guidance says most people take between three and nine months. Its specification allows about 250 hours in total, roughly 50 hours per unit.
What LIBF gives you: online study texts for the first two modules, interactive revision for the third, unit introduction videos, a weekly study planner, a tax table, syllabus updates, a student forum and one specimen exam per unit.
Where Revision Companion fits: practice questions, mock exams, flashcards and study guides to test what you have read. It supports LIBF’s materials and does not replace them.

Suggested order: FRE1, MRT1, FRE2, MRT2, AMAK
Typical pace: 3 to 9 months
Study time: About 250 hours

LIBF: how to get your CeMAP qualification CeMAP qualification specification (PDF)

Step 4 · When you are ready

Sit the five unit exams

1 hour each, 2 hours for the last

Each unit ends with an online multiple-choice exam. There is nothing to book.

Unit	Exam	Time	Pass mark
FRE1	25 standalone questions and 3 case studies of 5 questions (40 marks)	1 hour	28/40
FRE2	25 standalone questions and 3 case studies of 5 questions (40 marks)	1 hour	28/40
MRT1	50 standalone questions (50 marks)	1 hour	35/50
MRT2	40 standalone questions (40 marks)	1 hour	28/40
AMAK	6 case studies of 10 questions (60 marks)	2 hours	42/60

No booking. Exams are on demand. You log in to the same learning site you study on and start one whenever you are ready, day or night, while your registration is open.
Remote invigilation. You sit it at home on a PC or laptop. Before you begin you scan your room with your webcam, a full 360 degrees, so test your equipment and clear your desk first.
Pass mark: 70% on every unit. 80% earns a pass at merit level and 90% at distinction level, unit by unit. The qualification overall is simply pass or fail.
If you do not pass: a resit costs £120 per unit. The specification limits you to three attempts a week and ten in any 12 months.

Why no booking?Some LIBF qualifications use fixed exam sessions with set dates. CeMAP does not, according to LIBF’s specification and exam information page.

LIBF: exam and assessment information CeMAP qualification specification (PDF)

Step 5 · After your fifth pass

Collect your certificate

Digital certificate

Once you have passed all five units, LIBF issues your CeMAP certificate digitally.

Results and feedback appear in your MyLIBF account, including analysis sheets that show your strengths and the areas to develop.
Keep your certificate somewhere safe. Firms will ask to see it, and it is your evidence of the qualification half of your licence to practise.
Your units count towards a bigger picture. You can later add the Level 4 CeMAP Diploma or the equity release qualification (see ‘What comes next’).

Format: Digital certificate
Overall grade: Pass or fail
Unit grades: Pass, merit or distinction

LIBF: CeMAP qualification page

Step 6 · Before, during or after your studies

Work for an FCA-authorised firm

Timing varies

Passing the exams does not give you the right to advise customers on your own. Regulated mortgage advice is given through a firm that is authorised by the FCA.

Your firm carries the responsibility. Under the FCA’s Training and Competence sourcebook (TC), the firm must make sure you are trained and competent for your role, and it assesses and supervises you accordingly.
Typical set-ups include being employed by a broker, bank or building society, or working as an appointed representative of a network.
Apprenticeships are another route. CeMAP is a required qualification in the Mortgage Adviser Apprenticeship standard, so you can earn it while you work.
The job search can overlap with your studies. Some people look for a trainee role while they are still working through the units.

Who authorises firms: The FCA
Who checks your competence: Your firm (TC sourcebook)

FCA Handbook: TC 2.1, assessing and maintaining competence

Step 7 · After you qualify

Supervised practice and CAS

Commonly reported: 3 to 12 months

CAS stands for Competent Adviser Status. It is the point at which your firm formally decides you can advise without being closely supervised.

What it is: an industry term for your firm’s own sign-off. It is not a qualification, the FCA and LIBF do not issue it, and it does not appear on your CeMAP certificate.
Why it exists: under the FCA’s TC rules a firm cannot treat you as competent until you have shown the necessary skills and passed the relevant qualification. Until then you work under supervision, which should be much more intensive than for a competent adviser.
How you get there: usually you shadow meetings, then handle cases yourself while a supervisor or the compliance team reviews your work, until the firm is satisfied. The FCA leaves it to firms to set clear criteria, so every firm’s bar is different.
How long and how many cases: there is no official figure. Training providers commonly report three to twelve months and around five to eight reviewed cases, but it depends mostly on how many real client cases your firm can give you.
After CAS: you can advise without that close supervision. Your firm still reviews your competence regularly, and because CAS is your current firm’s decision, a new employer will usually run its own assessment.

Issued by: Your firm
Governed by: FCA TC sourcebook
Official minimum cases: None set
Commonly reported: 3 to 12 months

A good question for interviewsAsk: what does the path to CAS look like here, how many cases are needed, and how quickly are they reviewed? A clear answer is a good sign.

FCA Handbook: TC 2.1, assessing and maintaining competence

Step 8 · Ongoing

Does it expire? Refreshers and fees

No renewal for the qualification

The short answer: CeMAP is awarded once. After that, staying competent is mainly a matter for you and your firm.

No expiry and no annual fee for CeMAP itself. LIBF’s published specification gives no expiry date and no annual fee for the qualification. Your costs are registration and any resits.
Staying competent is shared. The FCA requires firms to review your competence regularly and keep you up to date with changes in products, markets and rules. Many firms run their own training scheme.
CPD: LIBF states that CPD is not a regulatory requirement for mortgage advisers. If you also give retail investment advice, different FCA rules apply: an annual Statement of Professional Standing and at least 35 hours of CPD a year.

CeMAP Professional

Optional status that shows you keep your knowledge current. You need to have held CeMAP for 12 months and commit to 15 hours of mortgage CPD a year.

£50 a year for LIBF members, £70 for non-members

LIBF membership

Paid membership brings the MLIBF designation, a CPD logging tool and, if you are actively advising on mortgages and listed on the FCA Register, Certified Mortgage Adviser status at no extra cost.

£102 a year

Optional, not requiredNone of these extras is an FCA or legal requirement for mortgage advisers, although your employer may ask for something similar.

LIBF: CeMAP Professional LIBF: Certified Mortgage Adviser FCA: professional standards for advisers

Qualified, competent and advising

What comes next

CeMAP is a starting point

CeMAP is a starting point. When you are ready to go further, LIBF offers the Level 4 CeMAP Diploma, which builds on CeMAP, and the Certificate in Regulated Equity Release (CeRER), for which CeMAP counts as part of the qualification if you want to advise on equity release.

Check it at the source

Where this page comes from

Revision Companion is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by LIBF or the FCA. This page is a plain-English summary checked on 9 October 2026. Fees, formats and rules change, so always confirm the details with LIBF and your firm before you act. It is general information, not advice.

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