A practical IFC study plan (30/60/90 days): weekly focus areas mapped to the official CSI blueprint and chapters, with a repeatable syllabus → drills → review loop.
IFC prep improves fastest when you build a simple loop and repeat it:
Syllabus → drills → review misses → mixed sets → checkpoint.
CSI’s official guidance is 90 – 140 hours of study for IFC (your actual time depends on your background).
Source: https://www.csi.ca/en/learning/courses/ifc/exam-credits
Choose a timeline based on hours per week:
| Time you can commit | Recommended plan |
|---|---|
| 25–35 hrs/week | 30‑day intensive |
| 12–18 hrs/week | 60‑day balanced |
| 8–12 hrs/week | 90‑day part‑time |
Target pace: ~25–35 hours/week.
Goal: cover all chapters once, then harden decision speed with mixed practice.
| Week | Focus (CSI chapters) | What to do | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ch 1–3: Marketplace + financial system + economics | Build vocabulary and the “why”: the representative role, market basics, and economic intuition. | Overview • Syllabus |
| 2 | Ch 4–6: KYC + behavioural finance + tax/retirement concepts | Drill client fact-finding, constraints, and bias-aware communication. | Cheatsheet • Practice |
| 3 | Ch 7–10: Products, portfolios, statements, modern mutual fund | Classify products quickly; practice return/risk questions; learn mutual fund structure and regulation. | Cheatsheet • Practice |
| 4 | Ch 11–18: Fund types + alternatives + performance + selection + fees + regulation/ethics | Master fund categories, performance comparisons, selection steps, fees/services; finish with 2–3 mixed sets and close gaps. | Syllabus • Practice |
Target pace: ~12–18 hours/week.
Goal: steady learning with repeated review so terms and “best answer” reasoning stick.
| Week | Focus | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ch 1–2 | Role of the representative + market basics; start miss log. |
| 2 | Ch 3 | Economics fundamentals; connect inflation/rates to portfolios (concept). |
| 3 | Ch 4 | KYC and planning process; build a KYC checklist. |
| 4 | Ch 5–6 | Behavioural finance + tax/retirement concepts; practice scenario language. |
| 5 | Ch 7–8 | Products + portfolio construction; drill return/risk vocabulary. |
| 6 | Ch 9–10 | Financial statements + modern mutual fund; learn NAV/fees language. |
| 7 | Ch 11–13 | Mutual fund categories + alternative managed products; match products to client profiles. |
| 8 | Ch 14–18 + review | Performance, selection, fees/services, regulation, ethics; finish with mixed sets and gap-closing. |
Target pace: ~8–12 hours/week.
Goal: consistent cadence with frequent short drills and spaced repetition.
| Week | Focus | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ch 1 | Build role/responsibility vocabulary and client-service priorities. |
| 2 | Ch 2 | Market structure and regulatory framework (high level). |
| 3 | Ch 3 | Economics: rates/inflation/business cycle intuition. |
| 4 | Ch 4 | KYC + planning approach; practice fact-finding questions. |
| 5 | Ch 5–6 | Behavioural finance + tax/retirement concepts (concept-first). |
| 6 | Ch 7 | Products: fixed income, equity, derivatives, new issues. |
| 7 | Ch 8 | Portfolios: diversification, risk/return, portfolio management (concept). |
| 8 | Ch 9–10 | Financial statements + modern mutual fund basics. |
| 9 | Ch 11–13 | Fund categories + alternatives; suitability and risk mapping. |
| 10 | Ch 14 | Performance evaluation; benchmarks/universes and ranking (concept). |
| 11 | Ch 15–16 | Selection process + fees/services; build a due diligence checklist. |
| 12 | Ch 17–18 + review | Regulation + ethics; finish with mixed sets and close gaps. |
✅ Next: open the Syllabus and begin Topic 1.