Booking the CMFAS M9A exam: portal, fees and dates

Registering for the M9A exam takes about ten minutes online: open an account on the Singapore College of Insurance (SCI) portal, pick the M9A module, choose a date and session, then pay the fee to confirm your seat. The only screen that trips people up is module selection, so slow down there before you reach payment.

This guide walks through the booking flow, the one mistake worth avoiding, and what to have ready on exam day.

M9A registration at a glance

Fees move between peak and non-peak slots, and SCI updates its schedule from time to time, so treat the range above as a guide and confirm the exact amount on the booking page before you pay.

Pick the right module: M9 vs M9A

M9A is the second half of the CM-LIP paper. M9 is Part 1; M9A is Part 2, which is the investment-linked policy paper most life and investment advisers need. The two sit separately on the SCI menu, and the codes look almost identical at a glance.

The mistake to watch for is selecting M9 when you meant M9A, or booking both parts when you only need one. Sort out which paper applies to you before you log in. If you are not sure, our M9 vs M9A breakdown explains who sits each one and why.

Step 1: create your SCI account

Go to the SCI exam portal and register a candidate account. Use a personal email, not your company address. People change agencies, and you do not want your exam history and result slips locked behind an inbox you lose access to later.

You will need your NRIC or work pass details to set up the account, so have them on hand.

Step 2: open exam registration and find M9A

Once you are logged in, go to the exam registration section and look under the CMFAS or CM-LIP listing. Select the entry that reads M9A, Life Insurance and Investment-Linked Policies II. Read the full module name on screen rather than matching the code alone, since M9 and M9A appear next to each other.

If the system offers a combined or Part 1 booking and you only need Part 2, skip it and choose M9A on its own.

Step 3: choose your date and session

SCI runs day, evening, and weekend sittings, and popular slots fill weeks ahead. Book 4 to 6 weeks out so you get a date that fits your study plan instead of whatever is left over.

Morning sittings tend to be the easier choice. M9A is an application paper, not a recall test, so you want a clear head for the questions that ask you to match an ILP to a client's risk profile rather than just define a term.

Step 4: pay and confirm

Pay online to lock in the seat. The booking is not confirmed until payment goes through, so a held but unpaid slot can still slip away. Save the confirmation email and note the exam centre address and reporting time.

What M9A actually tests

M9A covers investment-linked policies and the thinking behind them rather than long lists of product names. The syllabus runs across ILP structures, fund types and fund selection, bid-offer spreads and ILP charges, fund allocation and switching, risk profiling and suitability, disclosure rules for ILPs, and the surrounding insurance law.

It is 50 questions in an hour, so you have a little over a minute per question. The pass mark is 70%, which means you can afford to miss 15 questions and still pass. The pressure comes from the suitability questions, where two answers look reasonable and only one matches the client scenario. Drilling those is the fastest way to lift your score, and you can do it in Practice by Chapter mode so you spend time on your weak topics instead of the ones you already know.

Exam day logistics

Bring your physical NRIC or work pass for ID. A photo or photocopy is usually not accepted, so carry the original. Arrive at least 30 minutes early to clear registration without rushing.

Check your confirmation email for the centre's rules on what you can bring into the hall, including whether a calculator is allowed, since item rules can differ by sitting. Sort this out the day before so nothing surprises you at the door.

After you book: don't leave prep to the last week

A booked date is a deadline. M9A is short, but the suitability and ILP-charge questions catch people who only memorised definitions. If you start the week before, you are betting on luck.

Two things make the biggest difference. First, work through full-length timed mocks so the one-hour limit feels normal before exam day. Second, use your results to find weak chapters instead of re-reading the whole guide. Our guide to passing M9A covers a study order that works, and the best M9A mock exam comparison helps you pick practice material with current 2026 questions.

A retake costs you another fee and another few weeks of waiting, so the prep is cheaper than the gamble.

Common questions about M9A registration

How far ahead should I book? Four to six weeks. Slots for evening and weekend sittings go first, and booking early lets you set a study timeline backwards from a fixed date.

Can I register for M9A without passing M9 first? M9 and M9A are separate papers with their own bookings. Which ones you need depends on your role and licensing, so check the M9 vs M9A guide and your firm's requirements before booking.

What does M9A cost? SCI charges S$109.00 to S$149.33 including GST, depending on the time slot and whether your company is an SCI or IBF member. Confirm the current figure on the booking page, since the schedule changes.

What if I fail? You rebook and pay the fee again, then wait for the next available date. That is the case for treating mocks as the real practice, not the official sitting.

How many questions are there and what is the pass mark? 50 multiple-choice questions in one hour, and you need 70% to pass.

Ready to start

Book your slot, then put the time between now and exam day to work. Run timed mocks, fix your weak chapters, and walk in knowing the suitability questions cold. You can practise the full M9A question bank on CMFAS Prep and track which chapters still need work before your date.

Sources

• SCI, M9A exam details, fees and calculator policy, read 20 October 2026