How to become FRM certified: exams, experience and deadlines

From registration to certification

You can register without an educational or professional prerequisite. Plan the two exams and the experience requirement separately: eligibility to sit is not the same as permission to use the designation.

1. 1

   Register, then book

   Create a GARP account, pay for the chosen exam window, then select an available appointment. Registration does not reserve a seat.

2. 2

   Pass Part I

   Build the foundations and keep your result date. It starts the deadline for completing Part II.

3. 3

   Pass Part II

   GARP’s policy requires a pass by December 31 of the fourth year after the year you pass Part I.

4. 4

   Submit qualifying experience

   Document two years of relevant full-time professional risk work. The current policy sets a ten-year submission window from sitting Part II. Check your personal deadline with GARP.

Registration and seat booking are separate

Paying the exam fee registers you for a window. You must then schedule an appointment. Seats depend on availability, so check the booking confirmation rather than treating a payment receipt as an exam admission document. Candidates in mainland China, Hong Kong SAR and Thailand use ATA; other locations use PSI under the current logistics guidance.

• GARP candidate account ↗
• Dates, fees and process ↗

Write an experience record that explains your work

A title such as analyst does not explain your risk responsibilities. Describe the decisions you supported, the exposures or controls involved, and how risk identification, measurement or management formed a meaningful part of your work. GARP decides whether the experience qualifies.

Put the two deadlines on different lines

The exam policy is the reference for the deadline language. Some older duplicated FAQ passages still mention five years for experience, while the current policy says ten. Use the current policy and confirm any case-specific ambiguity with GARP.

Build a candidate record before paying

Keep one record containing your account name, intended exam part, selected window and the deadlines that apply to that window. Compare the name with the original identification you plan to bring. A registration receipt, appointment confirmation and result notice serve different purposes; save each when it becomes available instead of assuming one document covers the whole process.

Budget examination charges separately from preparation. The enrollment charge, exam registration, printed curriculum, optional learning access and third-party study subscriptions are different items. Your exact invoice also depends on the applicable taxes and payment method. Use the dated fee table rather than treating an old promotional course price as the cost of becoming certified.

After registration, complete the appointment step while suitable seats are available. Check the actual address and time in the confirmation. If your circumstances change, review the relevant rescheduling or deferral policy before its deadline; changing an appointment within a window and moving to a later administration are different actions.

• Current dates, deadlines and fees ↗

Turn a job description into an experience explanation

Use accurate descriptions of work you actually performed. “Prepared monthly reports” is too broad to show the risk responsibility. A more informative description explains the exposure covered, the analysis you performed and how someone used it. For example, an analyst might describe monitoring counterparty exposures and explaining limit exceptions to a credit team. This is an illustration of clear writing, not a promise that GARP will approve a particular role.

Distinguish supporting a risk decision from merely working in a financial organization. Record the relevant full-time dates and describe how the duties changed if your role changed. If an experience period or responsibility is ambiguous, ask GARP how it applies to your candidate record. Do not inflate the duration or relabel unrelated work.

Keep confidential positions, client names and internal reports out of a public preparation document. You can explain the nature of your responsibilities without disclosing protected information. Submit the required account information through GARP’s official process and retain the approval; a draft description or two exam passes is not confirmation that certification has been awarded.

• GARP candidate account ↗

Common questions

Do I need a degree to register?

GARP lists no educational or professional prerequisite for registration.

Can experience be gained before the exams?

Yes, qualifying experience can precede the exam passes. GARP evaluates the role and timing.

When may I use the designation?

After GARP approves completion of the certification requirements, not just after an exam pass.