How to give yourself the best chance of an R0 exam pass with Luiza Todd from Bespoke training solutions
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1. Why is passing the CII R0 exams not an easy ask?
Anyone that has ever sat a CII R0 exam will know the main answer to this question! The CII use a language in their questions and answers that is unique to them, and not in a good way. The use of features such as double negatives, grids, tables, and calendars in question stems is a regular occurrence in the R0 exams.
R01/2/3 and 4 also include the gorgeous multi-response style questions - these are questions where there is more than one correct answer to. And there is always one answer a candidate is not sure of!
There are also six papers that candidates must sit and pass, and this takes a lot of time, effort, and money. Some candidates are also working full time and have families. All of these factors impact on the answer to this question.
2. Which R0 is the most difficult and why?
The R0 with the lowest pass rate is R03 personal taxation. The main reason for this is that candidates have 60 minutes to complete 50 questions in, and if you get quite a few calculations-based questions this can be a really big ask.
The most common reason that BTS hear for candidates failing R03 is that they run out of time.
One of the ploys that the CII also use is to make the question stems very wordy, combining both important facts and ‘fluff’ that the candidate does not need to work out the answer. Candidates have to spend time working out what they need and what they don’t need and this eats into their 60 minutes.
One of the best things a candidate can do is sit specimen exam papers in a timed environment. The BTS App R0 study buddy is an electronic questions system that allows timed exams to be sat on a smartphone or tablet - ideal to practice this crucial requirement before attempting the R03 exam for real.
3. Which R0 is the easiest?
The word on the street is that the R05 financial protection exam is the easiest, as it is a level 3 exam and has no multi-response questions in it. Well having sat R05 myself again in December 2020 I can tell you that I did not find it easy. I was surprised by how many taxation questions were in it, one at least that I had no idea of what the correct answer was. And I have 35 years of experience in the financial services industry. Imagine someone new into the industry with little to no base knowledge - none of the R0s are to be underestimated.
4. What can help a candidate pass their R0s the first time?
A couple of things. Firstly, there are generally no shortcuts. The CII recommends a minimum number of study hours required for each R0 and many candidates end up doing more than this in their preparation.
Secondly, make sure you buy and revise from materials that truly are exam style. The amount of time BTS has candidates coming to us saying materials they have been using are either too easy (R01 is a classic here) or too difficult (R04). BTS specialises in making our R0 materials as exam-style as we possibly can.
Short of sitting the exam for you (and that’s obviously illegal) we can’t do much more to improve our R0 offering. So take a look!
5. What would be your top BTS tip in relation to these exams?
Avoid making assumptions - they are likely to be incorrect.
First incorrect assumption - that your only study option is one of the examining bodies packages. You have a choice of providers and material types out there, from study guides alternative options (BTS), calculation workbooks (Brand Financial), eLearning (BTS/Brand Financial/Expert Pensions), practice papers (Brand Financial/Redmill Advance), and an App (BTS only).
Second incorrect assumption - that the examining body materials are going to be the best, the most like the exam etc. BTS often hear comments about CII study text and generally they are not good ones! These texts are technical not learner guides so some candidates can struggle to read them and understand the key areas for their exam.
The third incorrect assumption - that all R0 provider materials are of the same standard - they are not. Look for a company with real experience, that sits the exams themselves regularly and that gets lots of mentions on social media. Don’t bother with anyone that does not.
Biggest top tip - shop around for your R0 support.
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