Congratulations to our latest CII R04 Exam: Pensions and Retirement Planning qualification success story. Coventry University London Campus student Faisal has recently achieved a pass in his R04 exam and he is now just one more exam away from completing his Certificate in Financial Planning. Faisal is currently studying on our part-time IFS Level 4 Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning course, which includes the following exams: R01, R02, R03, R04 and R05. This course provides those who are new to financial services with a sound knowledge of the UK financial services industry; it also explores a range of personal tax, pension and investment products as well as examining the importance of regulation and ethics within financial services. This qualification is delivered over a two year period with classes being held every Saturday morning between 10am and 12pm at our London campus in Central London (Holborn). You will also be provided with online study materials for each module you study. Upon completion of this course you will be able to apply for roles such as Paraplanner, Trainee Adviser, Wealth Planner and Investment Analyst. I am a financial adviser and have completed my CII R04 Certificate in Regulated Financial Planning. I also run an investment portfolio, which is likely to be of interest to some prospective students of this course. This is not something which I would have even attempted without the help and advice that I received from the course tutors. I was very impressed by the content and delivery of the course materials, and the depth of knowledge that was available from the tutors. They were always prompt in responding to queries, and were able to provide real-world examples to illustrate their points.
There are many aspects of financial planning which are subjective, but in my experience, the areas relating to pension planning were very precise and there was a clear answer (and explanation) for every question that I asked. Many issues had been covered in previous modules, so it was possible to join all the dots together. One of the biggest issues with this type of learning is knowing where to start, and what is relevant (and what isn't). I found that my knowledge grew incrementally over time, so that I could approach each exam with increasing confidence about what I was trying to achieve. The exams were very tough; however, there are many case studies available so you can practise writing answers I found your mock exams extremely helpful as they were structured in exactly the same way as the exam itself. They helped me focus on what I needed to know and get used to how the questions were asked. The test papers gave me a real confidence boost before I sat the exam which was useful. They didn't make me over confident but they made me feel prepared.
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