FAQ Exam Syllabus turnover between May and November

[sparty]

Hi Nicole, David,

I'd initially planned to take the FRM in May 2019. Turns out, we might be in the middle of a major move just prior to that, and May 2019 may not be very safe. So I decided to punt the exam to November 2019.
My question is - will the exam syllabus (AIMS? Topics?) change between May and November, or has it been fixed for all of 2019? I vaguely remember reading somewhere that GARP establishes all syllabus changes for one calendar year at a time, after each November exam. Is that accurate?

To complicate matters even more, my BT subscription ends in June 2019. So for the last 5 months or so before Nov 2019, I'd be BT-less.

Thanks in advance.

 

[David Harper CFA FRM]

Hi @sparty Nicole is likely to move this thread to the appropriate pre-existing FAQ, but I can quickly tell you that you are accurate, your recollection is correct: the FRM syllabus does not change from May to November within the calendar year (and we offer affordable extensions ....). For this reason, punts from May to November do not involve a "loss of time" with respect to invested study time. However, the syllabus does change from Nov to the next year (May) such that Nov -> May punts are a gamble. The syllabus did not change at all--sans T9 CI--from Nov 19 to May 19, but this appears to be a one-time exception (it has never happened before ...), and is part of the reason that I do expect a (more) significant change from Nov 2019 to May 2020. I hope that helps, good luck!

 

[sparty]

Crystal clear, thank you David!

Also appreciate the assurance re: affordable extensions. Since I'm punting by 6 months, I may eventually sign up for both parts on the same day in Nov and roll my current Part 1 Pro subscription into Part 1 and 2 Pro subscription.

Am I correct in understanding that for them to even score your part 2 exam, you must have first passed part 1 (same day or previously). However, if you take both parts, pass part 1 and fail part 2, you are credited with part 1, and allowed to take only part 2 next time.

 

[David Harper CFA FRM]

Hi @sparty Yes, that is correct: Part 2 is only scored conditional on having passed Part 1, which can the morning before (ie, same day) or up to four years previously. To be candid, I'm not current on the latest candidate views about the tactics or experience of "same-day" P1+P2 attempts, but in general, it's been the sort of tactic recommended only for "somewhat or highly confident" candidates (which sort of means: they have the quant down pretty good). Thanks,