CeMAP Exam Structure and Pass Marks: All Five Unit Exams

The CeMAP® pass mark is the same 70% in all five unit exams of the Certificate in Mortgage Advice and Practice, but the number of questions, the time and the format differ by unit. This page sets out the exam structure for FRE1, FRE2, MRT1, MRT2 and CeMAP 3 (ASEW/ASSC), how marks and grades work, and what happens if you fail. The rules are UK-wide; only part of the CeMAP 3 syllabus differs for Scotland. Every figure was checked on 30 October 2026 in the CeMAP qualification specification from Walbrook (LIBF). cemapexam.co.uk is an independent study aid, not part of LIBF.

What is the CeMAP pass mark?

The CeMAP pass mark is 70% in every unit exam: 28/40 in FRE1, FRE2 and MRT2, 35/50 in MRT1 and 42/60 in CeMAP 3. Each question is worth 1 mark, and you must reach the pass mark in each unit separately.

Unit	Module	Pass mark	Wrong answers allowed
FRE1	CeMAP 1 (FSRE®)	28/40	12
FRE2	CeMAP 1 (FSRE)	28/40	12
MRT1	CeMAP 2 (MORT)	35/50	15
MRT2	CeMAP 2 (MORT)	28/40	12
ASEW/ASSC	CeMAP 3	42/60	18

The "wrong answers allowed" column is simple subtraction from the published pass marks. There is no compensation between units: a strong MRT1 cannot carry a weak MRT2. The old CeMAP units also used 70%, so the percentage has not changed, only the number of questions.

Key fact: The CeMAP 1 pass mark is 28/40 for each of FRE1 and FRE2, the CeMAP 2 pass mark is 35/50 (MRT1) and 28/40 (MRT2), and the CeMAP 3 pass mark is 42/60.

How many CeMAP exams are there, and in what order?

CeMAP has 5 exams, one for each mandatory unit: FRE1, FRE2, MRT1, MRT2 and ASEW/ASSC. Walbrook's suggested order is FRE1, MRT1, FRE2, MRT2, then CeMAP 3 last, but the specification lets you take them in any order.

The five units sit in three modules:

1. CeMAP 1 (FSRE): FRE1 and FRE2. See the CeMAP 1 guide.
2. CeMAP 2 (MORT): MRT1 and MRT2. See the CeMAP 2 guide.
3. CeMAP 3: the ASEW or ASSC case-study unit. See the CeMAP 3 guide.

The specification's wording on order is that "learners can study flexibly in the order they choose". Walbrook's course page adds a recommendation to finish CeMAP 2 before CeMAP 3, because CeMAP 3 mainly tests MORT knowledge.

Under the old structure, candidates sat three exams of 2 hours each, one per module. The new structure has five shorter sittings (our count from Walbrook's comparison). If you passed old units, the CeMAP changes guide shows how they map.

Exam tip: Walbrook's suggested order alternates FSRE and MORT units. Following it means FRE2's ethics and advice rules come after you have seen how mortgage advice works in MRT1.

How many questions, and how long, for each unit?

The five CeMAP unit exams have 230 questions and 6 hours in total. FRE1, FRE2 and MRT2 have 40 questions in 1 hour, MRT1 has 50 in 1 hour, and CeMAP 3 has 60 questions across 6 case studies in 2 hours.

Unit	Format	Questions	Time	Pass	Merit	Distinction
FRE1	25 standalone + 3 case studies × 5	40	1 hour	28/40	80% (32/40)	90% (36/40)
FRE2	25 standalone + 3 case studies × 5	40	1 hour	28/40	80% (32/40)	90% (36/40)
MRT1	50 standalone	50	1 hour	35/50	40/50	45/50
MRT2	40 standalone	40	1 hour	28/40	32/40	36/40
ASEW/ASSC	6 case studies × 10	60	2 hours	42/60	48/60	54/60

The totals of 230 questions and 6 hours are our sums. Some older guides still say 50 questions for the FRE units or for MRT2; those figures belong to the old structure.

Walbrook states "select 1 answer from 4" for FRE1 and FRE2. For MRT1, MRT2 and CeMAP 3 the specification says only "MCQs" and gives no number of options, so the 4 options in our mocks for those units are our convention. No official source mentions multiple-response, drag-and-drop or numeric-entry questions.

All five exams run on Brightspace with remote invigilation and no booking. The delivery rules are on Walbrook's exam and assessment information page and in our CeMAP exam booking guide.

Key fact: MRT1 and MRT2 have no case studies. Case studies appear only in FRE1 and FRE2 (3 × 5 questions each) and in CeMAP 3 (6 × 10).

Can you get a merit or distinction?

A merit or distinction is available in every CeMAP unit: merit from 80% and distinction from 90%. For a 40-question unit that is 32 and 36 marks, for MRT1 40 and 45, and for CeMAP 3 48 and 54.

The grades are awarded at unit level only. The FSRE specification gives FRE1 and FRE2 bands as "Pass 70-79%, Merit 80-89%, Distinction 90-100%", so the FRE mark equivalents in the table are our conversion. For MRT1, MRT2 and CeMAP 3 the CeMAP specification gives the marks directly.

Grade	FRE1, FRE2, MRT2 (out of 40)	MRT1 (out of 50)	CeMAP 3 (out of 60)
Pass	28–31	35–39	42–47
Merit	32–35	40–44	48–53
Distinction	36–40	45–50	54–60

The bands follow from the published thresholds. Walbrook does not say whether employers or later qualifications take unit grades into account.

Exam tip: Aim for merit-level scores in your mocks. The real paper will contain questions you have not seen, and an 80% mock average gives you room for a bad case study.

How do the FRE case-study marks count?

The FRE case-study marks count exactly like the standalone marks: 15 of the 40 marks in FRE1 and FRE2 come from 3 case studies of 5 questions, each worth 1 mark. The specification sets one pass mark for the whole unit, 28/40.

The specification does not mention a separate hurdle for either part, so the case studies and standalone questions are added together. Some combinations that reach the pass mark:

Standalone (out of 25)	Case studies (out of 15)	Total	Result
20	8	28	Pass
18	10	28	Pass
22	6	28	Pass
19	8	27	Fail by 1

In practice, case-study questions take longer because you read the scenario first. That is the main reason FRE candidates run short of time. A case-study question can draw on any learning outcome in the unit. The CeMAP case studies guide shows how to read the scenario efficiently.

Key fact: In CeMAP 3 every one of the 60 marks is a case-study mark, because the whole exam is 6 case studies of 10 questions.

Is there negative marking?

Negative marking is not mentioned in any official CeMAP source: neither the CeMAP specification, the FSRE specification nor Walbrook's exam pages say that wrong answers lose marks. Each correct answer earns 1 mark, and the pass mark is a count of correct answers.

We have not found an official statement in either direction, so we say "not mentioned" rather than "none".

On that basis, a blank answer and a wrong answer both score zero. So if you are short of time, the sensible approach is to answer every question, eliminating options where you can, rather than leaving gaps.

Exam tip: In our timed mocks, flag uncertain questions and keep moving. Return to them at the end, and make sure nothing is left blank when the timer reaches the last minute.

What grade do you get for the whole qualification?

The whole CeMAP qualification is graded Pass or Fail. You achieve it by passing all 5 mandatory units within your registration period; merit and distinction appear on individual unit results, not as a grade for the CeMAP certificate itself.

According to the specification, feedback comes as analysis sheets on MyLIBF, which show how you performed. On passing, Walbrook issues a digital certificate, and a paper copy costs extra. If you registered for the full CeMAP, all five passes must fall within the 18-month registration period; a module registered on its own has 12 months.

For the FCA, what counts is the pass. CeMAP meets the FCA's appropriate-qualification standard for mortgage advice, listed in FCA Handbook TC App 4.1. A unit distinction does not change that status. Our CeMAP qualification guide explains what the certificate lets you do.

Key fact: Passing CeMAP does not by itself allow you to advise unsupervised. Under FCA rule TC 2.1.1R, your firm must also assess you as competent.

How fast do you need to answer?

You need to answer at about 90 seconds a question in FRE1, FRE2 and MRT2, 72 seconds in MRT1 and 120 seconds in CeMAP 3, which is about 20 minutes per case study. These are our averages from the official times.

Unit	Questions	Time	Average per question	Checkpoint at half time
FRE1, FRE2	40	60 min	90 seconds	Question 20
MRT1	50	60 min	72 seconds	Question 25
MRT2	40	60 min	90 seconds	Question 20
CeMAP 3	60	120 min	120 seconds	End of case 3

The averages hide one difference. In FRE1 and FRE2 the standalone questions are quicker, so save time there for reading the three case studies. In CeMAP 3 most of the time per case goes on reading and calculating, so the 20-minute budget per case matters more than the per-question figure. There are no toilet breaks, so plan for the whole sitting.

Exam tip: MRT1 is the tightest exam in CeMAP. Practise it with a timer from the start, not just in the last week.

What happens if you fail a unit?

If you fail a CeMAP unit, you pay £120 to resit that unit, as of October 2026. Walbrook limits each failed unit to 3 attempts in a week and 10 attempts in any 12-month period, all within your registration period.

The first attempt at each unit is included in your registration fee, according to Walbrook's CeMAP page. Passes you already hold stand: you resit only the unit you failed. Walbrook's additional fees document lists results enquiries, including £80 for a remark and clerical check. That file is dated 2024 but is still the one Walbrook links.

Because exams are on demand, you can resit soon, but a quick resit without new practice tends to repeat the result. Use the analysis sheet to find the weak learning outcomes, then drill those first.

Walbrook does not publish CeMAP pass rates, for any unit. Third-party pass rates are not official, so we don't quote them. Our is CeMAP hard guide looks at difficulty without them.

Key fact: The resit limit is per failed unit: 3 attempts a week and 10 in any 12 months. The fee is £120 each time.

Your plan to reach the CeMAP pass mark

A plan to reach the CeMAP pass mark has three steps per unit: a diagnostic to find weak learning outcomes, topic drills on those outcomes, then timed mocks until you score 85% or more three times in a row.

Our readiness rule, the same as in the app, also needs every topic at 80% or more. Start with the free FRE1 diagnostic, because FRE1 is first in Walbrook's suggested order. Each unit has a free mock 1 in the real format, such as the MRT1 mock 1 with 50 questions in 60 minutes, and the CeMAP 3 mock 1 with 6 full case studies. The start screen shows the pass score for that unit. Mocks 2 to 10 and topic drills come with Pro.

The 85% target gives you a margin above 70%, but it carries no pass guarantee.

Guides for every part of the CeMAP exams

This page is the hub for our exam guides. Each one covers a single part of preparing for the five unit exams:

• Mock papers. How our mock papers mirror each unit's format and how to use them: CeMAP mock exam guide.
• Calculations. LTV, LTI, SDLT, interest cover, ERCs and protection sums, with worked steps: CeMAP calculations.
• Tax tables. The 2026/27 figures, and why to use the tax table in your Walbrook materials: CeMAP tax tables.
• What changed. The 2025 restructure and how old units map to new: CeMAP changes.
• Exemptions. Recognition of prior learning and the transition rules: CeMAP exemptions.
• Past papers. Why there are none, and what to use instead: CeMAP past papers.
• Revision. How to revise each unit: CeMAP revision.
• Booking and results. Brightspace, invigilation and resits: CeMAP exam booking.
• Difficulty. Which units candidates find hardest, without invented pass rates: is CeMAP hard?

Exam tip: Sit each real exam within a week or two of hitting the readiness rule in mocks. On-demand exams make that easy, and the knowledge is freshest then.