RES 5 exam registration 2026: booking, fees and dates
RES 5 exam registration step by step: the MAS entry rules to check first, member vs non-member fees, picking a session, changing dates and what to bring.
RES 5 exam registration happens on SCI's website. RES 5 is the CMFAS paper MAS Notice FAA-N26 requires of nearly every financial adviser representative, and booking it takes four steps: create an account, choose RES5 under the CMFAS papers, pick a date and session, and pay by Visa or MasterCard. Your company's membership and the session you pick set the fee: S$185.30 to S$236.53 a sitting, GST included. Before you pay, check you meet MAS's entry requirements, and find out whether your firm can get you the member rate.
Before you book: can you be appointed?
Passing RES 5 doesn't make you eligible to advise. MAS Notice FAA-N26 sets separate entry requirements for representatives. You must be at least 21 and hold one of these:
- a GCE A Level certificate with passes in at least three H2 subjects and two H1 subjects
- an International Baccalaureate Diploma
- a diploma from a Singapore polytechnic
- an equivalent qualification
If you don't meet them yet, a pass can sit unused, and FAA-N26 says a RES 5 pass lapses if you don't start as an appointed representative within three years, so sort out eligibility before you book.
Ask your firm two things before you pay. Does it pay the fee or book for you? And is it an SCI or IBF member?
Member or non-member: decide before you register
The member rate applies when your company is an SCI or IBF member and you register either through its corporate account or on SCI's individual form with your own company email address, the company's name and its UEN. A personal email address won't get the member rate.
That matters more than any tip about which day to book. A member sitting on a weekday before 5pm costs S$185.30. The same sitting at the non-member rate costs S$218.00.
Pick member only if your company really is one. If the fee you pay is short, SCI makes you or your company pay the difference before the exam.
The exact-match rule: the costliest registration mistake
The name, ID number and date of birth you register with must match your ID exactly. On exam day, SCI's rules turn away a candidate whose details don't match, and you pay all fees again to re-register. SCI won't change those details at the exam either. To correct one, you go to SCI in person with the original documents before your exam starts, and SCI's policy says soft copies aren't accepted.
Step by step on SCI's website
1. Create your account
Register as a candidate on scicollege.org.sg, with your name, ID number and date of birth typed exactly as your ID shows them.
2. Choose RES5
Under the exam registration section, go to the CMFAS papers and pick RES5, Rules, Ethics and Skills for Financial Advisory Services. It sits in the same list as M8, M8A, M9, M9A and the combined papers. Check the paper name on the summary page before you pay.
3. Pick a date and session
SCI runs RES 5 every weekday at its centre on level 14 of Suntec Tower Two. Weekday sessions before 5pm are the cheapest. Evening sessions, and weekend daytime sessions when they're offered, are charged the after-5pm rate.
Aim for a date three to four weeks out. A fixed date gets the study done, and in our view three weeks is about the shortest stretch that covers 27 chapters properly.
4. Pay
Individual online registrations take Visa or MasterCard only. Once you've paid, SCI emails a Confirmation of Examination Registration.
5. Open your eBook
That email carries the link to the RES 5 eBook. SCI no longer issues printed study texts. Exams from 22 September 2026 use the 1st Edition, Version 1.3. If the email doesn't arrive, check your junk folder, and make sure the address on your registration form is the one you use.
RES 5 fees in 2026
| Rate | Weekday 9am to 5pm | After 5pm or weekend |
|---|---|---|
| Member company | S$185.30 | S$203.83 |
| Non-member | S$218.00 | S$236.53 |
Every fee includes GST and a S$21.80 non-refundable registration fee. A retake costs the same as a first attempt, and SkillsFuture Credit doesn't apply. SCI's fee tab for each paper lists its own rates, and our fee guide puts all nine side by side.
Changing your date, and why you can't cancel
SCI doesn't allow cancellations or refunds, and you can't hand your slot to someone else. You can move it:
| When you ask | What it costs |
|---|---|
| 7 or more working days before | First change free, then S$32.70 a request |
| 3 to 6 working days before | S$32.70 a request |
| 2 working days or less | No change allowed |
Moving from a day session to an evening one also means paying the difference in fees by credit card. Moving the other way is allowed, with no refund of the difference.
What you're booking: the RES 5 paper
| Part | Chapters | Questions and pass mark |
|---|---|---|
| Part I, rules | 1 to 13 | 110 questions, 75% |
| Part II, ethics and skills | 14 to 27 | 40 questions, 80% |
You get 3 hours for all 150 questions and must clear both pass marks in the same sitting, and Part II, with only 8 wrong answers allowed, is the tight one. Our guide to the RES 5 pass marks shows how the two lines work, and the RES 5 study plan fills the weeks between booking and the exam.
Booking M9, M9A and HI after RES 5
Most life insurance recruits book RES 5 first, then the product papers. SCI runs RES 5, M9, M9A and HI every weekday, so the calendar won't hold you back; your mock scores should. Book one paper at a time, sit it, then book the next once your timed mocks clear its pass mark, because each booking falls under the same no-refund and date-change rules. Our papers by role page sets out which papers your role needs and the order to sit them.
On exam day
- Bring two forms of photo ID: your Singpass ID on the Singpass App, with face login working, and a physical photo ID. Foreign candidates on a Short-Term Visit Pass can use their passport.
- Arrive at least 15 minutes early. The room opens 15 minutes before the start, and if you're more than 30 minutes late you may be turned away and marked absent, with no refund.
- Phones and smart watches go switched off into your bag in the area set aside for belongings. Being caught with one means disqualification and at least six months' ban from all SCI exams.
- Bring your own calculator if you want one, because SCI provides none. Its exam rules allow any non-programmable model without a graphic or word display, and the RES5 page lists approved models such as the Casio FC 200V and Texas Instruments BA2+. A model on that list meets both.
After the exam
Your result shows on screen when you click Finish, and you collect your result slip from the invigilator before you leave. There's no certificate, and SCI doesn't recheck results or hear appeals. If you fail, register for another date. There's no limit on attempts.
Practise before the date arrives
Booking is the easy part. Our RES 5 bank has full mocks of 150 questions in 3 hours, practice for every chapter, and an explanation on every answer, and after each mock your results flag up to three chapters below the pass mark. Try a few RES 5 sample questions, see what's covered on the RES 5 page, or start RES 5 as a single paper.
Sources
- SCI, RES5 exam details, fees, schedule and registration policies, read 4 November 2026
- SCI, examination rules and regulations, version 2.5, read 4 November 2026
- SCI, release of new versions of study texts for regulatory examinations, read 4 November 2026
- MAS, Notice FAA-N26 on competency requirements for representatives of financial advisers, read 4 November 2026
Practise RES 5 now
700+ exam-style RES 5 questions with instant explanations.
Frequently asked questions
S$185.30 for a weekday sitting before 5pm through an SCI or IBF member company, up to S$236.53 for a non-member after 5pm. A retake costs the same again.
Yes, but not cancel it. The first change is free if you ask 7 or more working days ahead. Later changes, and any request 3 to 6 working days ahead, cost S$32.70 each. Within 2 working days you can't change.
Two forms of photo ID: your Singpass ID on the Singpass App and a physical photo ID. Your name and ID number must match your registration exactly.
It's optional, and SCI provides none. Bring a non-programmable model without a graphic or word display; one from SCI's approved list, such as the Casio FC 200V, meets every rule.
No. SCI doesn't recheck results or hear appeals. You can register again, and there's no limit on attempts.
