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United Kingdom · Qualification

How to get the CeMAP qualification

You get the CeMAP qualification by registering with the London Institute of Banking & Finance (LIBF), studying three modules and passing all five unit exams before your registration runs out. There are no entry requirements for the Certificate in Mortgage Advice and Practice (CeMAP), so the main thing you control is how much time you give it.

  • NoneEntry requirements for CeMAP
  • 12 monthsTo finish one module booked on its own
  • 18 monthsTo finish the full qualification
Where to study

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

How do you get the CeMAP qualification?

  1. Register with LIBF, either for the full qualification or for one module at a time.
  2. If you already hold a related qualification, apply for recognition of prior learning.
  3. Study the online texts and other materials for each unit on Brightspace.
  4. Sit the five unit exams online when you’re ready, resitting any you don’t pass.
  5. Pass all five units to complete the qualification.

To give mortgage advice after that, you also work under supervision in a firm until it assesses you as competent.

Mortgage adviser qualifications and FCA rules →How the CeMAP exams work →

How long does CeMAP take?

LIBF puts the total qualification time at 250 hours, of which 6 are guided learning and 244 are your own study, revision and exams. Each of the five units is planned as 50 hours. How fast that goes depends on you: the exams are on demand, so you can sit a unit as soon as you’re ready. For CeMAP 1 alone, LIBF says it’s typically completed in four months.

LIBF’s suggested path starts with FRE1, the first regulation unit, then MRT1, the first mortgage unit, then FRE2 and MRT2, with CeMAP 3 last. You can study in any order, though.

Is CeMAP hard?

Every unit needs 70%, and LIBF says CeMAP 1 is often considered the most challenging module, while CeMAP 2 is more practical. LIBF’s CeMAP pages don’t publish pass rates. LIBF asks that you can study in English at Level 3 of the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF), the level CeMAP itself has on the register kept by Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation.

CeMAP 1 and what it covers →

Recognition of prior learning

If you’ve passed a related qualification, LIBF may exempt you from some units. It assesses applications against these conditions:

  • your earlier qualification matches at least 80% of the unit or module
  • you achieved it in the last 10 years
  • you registered for CeMAP within the last four weeks

You can also apply on the strength of significant industry experience, with a CV and reflective statements as evidence.

LIBF aims to decide within 10 working days, and you pay a fee only if the exemption is granted. Even with an exemption, you complete a substantial part of the qualification, typically 50% or more.

After CeMAP

LIBF offers three next steps for mortgage advisers:

  • the CeMAP Diploma, a Level 4 qualification with one more module, Advanced Mortgage Advice, assessed by a 90-minute exam of 50 multiple-choice questions and coursework
  • the Certificate in Regulated Equity Release (CeRER), which adds two units for advising on equity release
  • CeMAP Professional status, which you can apply for after holding CeMAP for 12 months, with 15 hours of mortgage-related continuing professional development (CPD) in the past year
Fees for the CeMAP Diploma and CeRER →
Sources: LIBF and 6 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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