How to Pass CMFAS M5, M9, and M9A in 10 Days

Navigating three finance exams in just 10 days wasn’t exactly how I envisioned my summer, but it turned out to be a rewarding challenge. Despite a late start, I managed to pass three papers—M9A, M9, and M5—by utilizing the Pomodoro technique to maintain focus during a high-intensity study sprint.

If you are facing a large volume of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) under a tight deadline, here is the breakdown of the strategy that worked for me.

The Backstory

My plans for a summer internship were disrupted by the pandemic, leaving me with a sudden block of free time. To stay productive, I decided to explore the finance and insurance industry in Singapore. Since I was being sponsored, it felt like a low-risk way to gain new credentials and test my interest in the field.

My Step-by-Step Strategy

1. Know the Goal
The first step was identifying the passing threshold. Most papers required a 70% score, while M5 required 75%. Knowing the exact target allowed me to gauge how much effort was required for each module.

2. Prioritize Summaries Over Textbooks
Rather than getting bogged down in dense textbooks, I focused on slide decks and condensed summaries. Using reliable notes from others allowed me to get a high-level overview quickly, which was essential given the 10-day limit.

3. The Pomodoro "Deep Dive"
To manage the long hours, I relied heavily on the Pomodoro technique (25 minutes of intense focus followed by a 5-minute break). During these sessions, I took a first pass at practice questions.

• The Correction Phase: My initial scores were usually around 50%. I would then spend several Pomodoro cycles looking up every incorrect answer in the official textbook. I made sure to understand why the right answer was correct and why the other options were wrong.

4. Targeted Revision via Mock Exams
Next, I tackled the official mock questions. Once I hit a score between 65% and 70%, I would track which chapters the missed questions came from. Instead of re-reading the whole book, I used my Pomodoro blocks to only revisit the specific chapters where my knowledge was weakest.

5. The Final Refresh
Just before heading into the exam, I would do one final, quick walkthrough of the summaries to ensure that specific definitions and regulations were fresh in my mind.

6. Strategic Exam Taking
During the online exam, I used the "mark for review" feature to track questions I was 100% sure of. I used a simple calculation: if I was certain of 35 out of 50 questions and could guess the remaining 15 with a 50% success rate, I knew I was safely above the passing mark. This gave me the confidence to submit the exam without over-analyzing every choice.

Time Investment

Over this 10-day sprint, I spent approximately 36 hours studying and testing for these three papers:

• M9A (50 MCQs): ~7 hours (plus some untracked prep)

• M9 (100 MCQs): 16 hours

• M5 (100 MCQs): 13.2 hours

As I refined the Pomodoro rhythm and the "question-first" method, I became much more efficient. I finished the M5 preparation significantly faster than the M9, despite the material being equally complex.

Key Takeaways

• Active Recall is Essential: If you’re short on time, skip the reading and go straight to the questions. Getting an answer wrong creates a "mental hook" that makes the correct answer much easier to remember.

• Trust the Process: If you are consistently hitting a comfortable margin in practice, trust your preparation. There’s no need to burn out trying to achieve a perfect score when the goal is a pass.

• The Retention Trade-off: This is a "sprint" technique designed for passing exams. While highly effective for short-term results, I’d likely need to keep my notes handy if I were to enter the industry full-time.

Ultimately, this experience taught me that with a structured approach and disciplined time management, you can master a daunting amount of material in a very short window.