CeMAP® revision works best as a repeatable method rather than a burst of reading before the exam. The method below works for all five units of the Certificate in Mortgage Advice and Practice set by Walbrook (LIBF): FRE1 and FRE2 (CeMAP 1), MRT1 and MRT2 (CeMAP 2) and the ASEW/ASSC case-study unit (CeMAP 3). This CeMAP revision guide covers the official materials, what is worth adding, how to revise each type of unit, and a four-week plan. The units are UK-wide; only part of CeMAP 3 differs for Scotland. For pass marks and formats, see the CeMAP pass mark and exam structure hub.
How long should you revise for each CeMAP unit?
Each CeMAP unit carries 50 hours of Unit Study Time, so plan about 50 hours of revision per unit and 250 hours for all five. Spread over four weeks, that is 12 to 13 hours a week per unit.
Walbrook's CeMAP qualification specification gives the full qualification 250 hours of Total Qualification Time, of which 6 are guided learning and 244 are your own study. Fifty hours is an average, not a rule. Candidates who already work in a bank or a broker's office often need less for MRT1, while career changers may need more for FRE1.
| Plan | Hours a week | Weeks per unit | All five units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intensive | 20 | 2.5 | About 13 weeks |
| Standard | 12.5 | 4 | About 20 weeks |
| Steady | 8 | 6 to 7 | About 32 weeks |
All three plans fit inside Walbrook's registration periods: 18 months for the full qualification, or 12 months per module. Our guide on how long CeMAP takes looks at the whole timetable, including gaps between units.
Key fact: Exams are on demand on Brightspace with no booking, so your revision plan, not an exam date, sets the pace.
What CeMAP revision materials come with your Walbrook registration?
Walbrook registration includes online study texts for CeMAP 1 and 2, interactive revision for CeMAP 3, one specimen exam per unit, a weekly study planner, a tax table and syllabus updates. As of October 2026, the full qualification costs £735 including these.
The Walbrook CeMAP page lists what you get:
- online study texts for Modules 1 and 2, with a printed copy available to buy on Amazon;
- for Module 3, interactive revision, financial protection content and optional soft skills materials;
- unit introduction videos and a student-led discussion forum;
- one specimen exam per unit;
- a weekly study planner;
- a tax table and syllabus updates;
- the MyLIBF portal and the KnowledgeBank virtual library.
Walbrook's FSRE course page adds that the FSRE materials contain interactive review questions and activities, with downloadable PDFs for accessibility. Of all these, the specimen exam and the tax table matter most for revision. The specimen is the only practice paper written by the awarding body that you get free, and the tax table is the one you should learn to use for calculations.
Exam tip: Save the free specimen paper for the end of your revision for each unit. Used too early, it tells you little; used last, it is your best rehearsal.
Are CeMAP books and study texts enough?
The CeMAP study texts cover the whole syllabus and are enough to learn from, but not enough on their own to pass timed exams. You need question practice as well: at least half of your 50 hours per unit.
The study texts are written to the learning outcomes, so they are the authoritative account of what you need to know. Their limit is that reading creates recognition, not recall. In the exam, you meet a scenario and four plausible options in 72 to 120 seconds. That skill comes only from answering questions.
Walbrook sells extra support on top of registration. As of October 2026, its CeMAP page lists:
| Product | Price | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| CeMAP Revision Tool | £90 FSRE; £120 MORT + ASEW; £180 all modules | Interactive exam-style questions and all practice exams |
| Extra practice exams | £25 per unit or £40 per module | More papers beyond the free specimen |
| Revision videos | £125 FSRE; £125 MORT + ASEW | 12 months' access |
| Audio revision | £50 FSRE; £50 MORT + ASEW | For revising on the move |
| Ask the Expert | Shown as both £72 and £60 on Walbrook's page | 3 months of tutor support |
The Ask the Expert price appears twice on Walbrook's own page with different figures; check the price at checkout. None of these is required. Our CeMAP self-study guide covers what you can do with free resources only.
Key fact: We are not affiliated with LIBF or Walbrook. The prices above are Walbrook's, quoted from its course page in October 2026.
How should you revise FRE1 and FRE2?
You should revise FRE1 and FRE2 by learning each learning outcome's facts first, then applying them in scenarios: each unit is 40 questions in 1 hour, 28 to pass, with 15 of the 40 questions in 3 case studies.
FRE1: facts and frameworks
The FSRE specification gives FRE1 five outcomes: financial markets, the retail consumer, legal concepts, the development of regulation, and the FCA and PRA. Much of it rewards structured memory:
- Timelines. Build one page of dates: the Financial Services Act 1986, FSMA 2000 in force on 1 December 2001, mortgage regulation from 31 October 2004, the FCA and PRA from 1 April 2013, the Mortgage Market Review on 26 April 2014, and the Consumer Duty from 31 July 2023.
- Lists that come in sets. The FCA's objectives, the Principles for Businesses, the types of trust, the intestacy rules.
- Legal concepts as rules. Write each one as "if X, then Y", for example what happens to a jointly owned home on death under each form of joint ownership.
FRE2: application and ethics
FRE2 has three outcomes: advising skills, regulatory principles applied to customers, and ethics. It is less about memory and more about choosing the best action. Revise it with scenarios: for each rule (anti-money laundering, data protection, complaints, vulnerable customers), ask what the adviser should do next. Our FRE1 guide walks through every FRE1 outcome in the same way.
Exam tip: Revise FRE1 with a timeline and lists; revise FRE2 by talking through what you would do in each situation. They are different skills.
How should you revise MRT1 and MRT2?
You should revise MRT1 and MRT2 by splitting rules from calculations: MRT1 is 50 questions in 60 minutes across 11 outcomes, MRT2 40 questions in 60 minutes across 6, and both are standalone questions with no case studies.
MRT1: breadth and speed
MRT1 is the biggest syllabus in CeMAP. It covers the regulatory definition of a mortgage, auctions, borrower types, MCOB roles, the market, affordability and suitability, additional security, fees and charges, defects, property value and valuations. Revise it in three passes:
- Rules pass. One summary sheet per outcome, in your own words.
- Numbers pass. Short daily calculation sessions: loan to value, higher lending charges, purchase costs and stamp duty from the tax table.
- Speed pass. Timed blocks of 25 questions in 30 minutes, to build the 72-second rhythm.
MRT2: products and what happens after completion
MRT2 covers raising extra money, transfers and porting, debt consolidation, arrears, lenders' remedies and the full range of products and schemes. The largest outcome is product types. A comparison table works well here: one row per product or rate type, with columns for how it works, who it suits and its main risk. For arrears, learn the MCOB 13 sequence in order, from early contact to repossession as a last resort.
Our MRT1 guide lists every outcome with its topic drill.
Exam tip: In MRT1, most calculation questions use a few formulas. Practise them until each takes under a minute, and the time pressure largely disappears.
How should you revise for CeMAP 3?
You should revise for CeMAP 3 by re-learning MRT1 and MRT2, adding protection and the house-buying process, then practising whole case studies: the exam is 6 case studies of 10 questions in 2 hours, with 42 of 60 to pass.
CeMAP 3 is synoptic, so it has little brand-new content. What it adds is mortgage protection (life cover, critical illness, income protection and payment protection), state support for mortgage payments, and the roles and steps of buying a property. The rest is CeMAP 2 and some FSRE, applied to a household.
The revision method changes accordingly:
- Refresh CeMAP 2. Re-read your MRT1 and MRT2 summary sheets and redo a mock of each, even if you passed them months ago.
- Learn the new content. Protection products, what each covers, and which customer need it meets.
- Practise whole cases. Do case studies in full, 10 questions at a time, in about 20 minutes each.
If you sit ASSC rather than ASEW, learn the Scottish house-buying content from your Walbrook materials: our practice uses England and Wales scenarios only. Our case study guide works through one full scenario question by question.
Key fact: Walbrook's course page recommends completing CeMAP 2 before CeMAP 3.
How do mocks and topic drills fit into revision?
Mocks and topic drills are the second half of revision: drills fix one weak outcome, and full mocks test the whole unit under the real clock. Our readiness rule is 3 mocks in a row at 85%, every topic at 80%.
The two tools do different jobs:
| Tool | When | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic (20 questions, 30 minutes) | Day one of a unit | Which outcomes you already know |
| Topic drill | Weeks 2 to 4 | Whether one outcome is now secure |
| Full mock | Weeks 3 and 4 | Whether you can pass under exam conditions |
| Walbrook specimen paper | Final week | How the awarding body writes questions |
The readiness rule is ours, the same one the app uses; Walbrook sets no such threshold, and meeting it is not a pass guarantee. It exists because the pass mark is 70%, and a margin protects you against unfamiliar questions on the day. Our CeMAP mock papers guide explains how each mock mirrors its unit and how to review one properly.
Exam tip: After each mock, spend as long reviewing it as you spent sitting it. The marks are won in the review.
What does a four-week plan for one unit look like?
A four-week plan for one CeMAP unit runs: week 1 learning the outcomes, week 2 topic drills, week 3 full mocks 1 to 3, and week 4 weak topics plus mocks until you pass 3 in a row at 85%.
| Week | Focus | Tasks | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Learn | Diagnostic on day one; work through every learning outcome in the study text; one summary sheet per outcome | 13 |
| 2 | Drill | Topic drills on every outcome, weakest first; daily calculation practice for MRT units | 12 |
| 3 | Test | Mocks 1, 2 and 3 under the full time limit, each followed by a full review | 12 |
| 4 | Fix and confirm | Drill the weak topics from week 3; fresh mocks until 3 in a row at 85%; Walbrook specimen paper; sit the exam | 13 |
For CeMAP 3, add a fifth week at the start to refresh MRT1 and MRT2. For FRE1, give week 1 extra time if regulation and law are new to you. If you are not at 85% by the end of week 4, extend the plan rather than sitting early: you can sit whenever you are ready during your registration period. Our page on whether CeMAP is hard compares the five units if you want to know where to allow more time.
Key fact: A resit costs £120 a unit as of October 2026, so an extra week of revision is usually cheaper than a failed attempt.
Your CeMAP revision plan
Your revision plan for each unit has five steps: a free 20-question diagnostic, the study text outcome by outcome, topic drills on weak areas, the free full mock 1 under real timing, then fresh mocks until you score 85% three times in a row.
- Start with the free diagnostic. For CeMAP 1, take the FRE1 diagnostic before you open the study text.
- Learn with notes. Use your Walbrook study text and our free study notes for each outcome.
- Drill your weakest outcome. For FRE1 that is often the FCA, PRA and Handbook drill; for MRT1, the fees and charges drill.
- Sit the free mock 1. Try the FRE1 mock 1 in 60 minutes, then review every answer.
- Repeat to the readiness rule, then sit your free Walbrook specimen paper and the real exam.
The diagnostic, quick practice and mock 1 are free for every unit. Mocks 2 to 10, every topic drill and every study note are in Pro, from £6.99 a week; see the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
+What is the best way to revise for CeMAP?
Revise one unit at a time against its learning outcomes, test yourself early with a short diagnostic, and spend at least half of your time answering questions rather than rereading. Finish with timed mocks in the real format and sit the exam once your scores are consistently well above 70%.
+How many hours a day should I revise for CeMAP?
Walbrook sets 50 hours of study per unit. Two hours a day on weekdays plus a longer weekend session covers that in about four weeks. Shorter daily sessions usually work better than occasional long ones, because the content is mostly facts and rules that need repetition.
+Is the CeMAP Revision Tool worth it?
Walbrook's Revision Tool costs £90 for FSRE, £120 for MORT and ASEW, or £180 for all modules as of October 2026, and includes all of Walbrook's practice exams. It suits candidates who want material from the awarding body itself. Whether it is worth the money depends on how much practice you already have.
+Can I pass CeMAP using only the study text?
Some candidates do, but reading alone is a weak way to prepare for timed multiple-choice exams. The study text tells you what to know; questions show whether you can apply it fast enough. Use the free specimen paper included with registration at the very least.
+Are there CeMAP revision notes?
Walbrook provides online study texts, a weekly study planner and syllabus updates with registration, but no separate set of short notes. Many candidates write their own one-page summaries per learning outcome. Our site also has free study notes, with more in Pro.
+Should I revise one unit at a time?
Yes, for most people. Each unit is examined separately and exams are on demand, so you can study one unit, sit it, then start the next. The exception is CeMAP 3, which is synoptic: revise MRT1 and MRT2 again before you sit it.
Keep reading
- CeMAP Mock Papers Explained: Formats, Question Types and How to Use ThemCeMAP practice papers explained: how each mock mirrors FRE1, FRE2, MRT1, MRT2 and ASEW, two worked questions, the 85% readiness rule and what is free.
- Is CeMAP Hard? How Each Unit ComparesIs CeMAP hard? FRE1, FRE2, MRT1, MRT2 and ASEW compared on time per question, syllabus size and case studies, plus why people fail and how to prepare.
- How Long Does CeMAP Take to Complete?How long does CeMAP take? 250 study hours, an 18-month registration window, and realistic 3, 6 and 9-month plans with the hours a week each one needs.
- CeMAP Self-Study: What Is Free, What You Must Pay For and How to PlanCeMAP self-study: what Walbrook's £735 fee includes, which free resources are worth using, why there is no free certificate, and a plan to pass alone.
- CeMAP Exam Structure and Pass Marks: All Five Unit ExamsThe CeMAP pass mark is 70% in all five unit exams: 28/40 for FRE1, FRE2 and MRT2, 35/50 for MRT1, 42/60 for CeMAP 3. Formats, grades, timing and resits.