### [International Introduction to Securities and Investment (CME-1A) Course](https://www.tadawul.academy/cisi-international-introduction-to-securities-and-investment-cme-1a-course/)

**Published:** August 6, 2026
**Author:** Dr. Karim Mansour

**Content:**

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[Amr choeb](https://www.google.com/maps/contrib/100963688918391633055/reviews)2 months ago

Top-tier academy for CISI financial certifications. I took their UAE Roles & Regulations and ICWIM online courses, and the quality of instruction was outstanding. The content is super clear and directly tailored to what you need to know. Karim is a fantastic teacher who explains everything brilliantly. I passed both exams smoothly because of this course. Highly recommended!

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[Vikram Singh Yadav](https://www.google.com/maps/contrib/107506304026120236173/reviews)6 months ago

Very well explained risk concept with minute observation and well defined MCQ for preparation

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[Anant Bohra](https://www.google.com/maps/contrib/113258032966427317954/reviews)7 months ago

I am speachless with the way Mr. Karim explain every micro details on the topics.I have opted for ICWIM qualification.
Unmatched support.Thank you for making it simple.

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[Iris Khin](https://www.google.com/maps/contrib/115633247619794032316/reviews)7 months ago

High recommended for those who are willing to learn CISI. The teacher explains the lectures very clearly and effectively. The courses not only helps us learn the course in the most efficient way but also comes with many mock exam tests for the exam preparation.

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[Ahmed Tohami](https://www.google.com/maps/contrib/110948599500959075919/reviews)7 months ago

I had a great e- learning experience with Tadawul Academy.
Video lectures
Mock exam questions
Exam preparation highlights
Ask the trainer where really responding back to any questions you have.

Much appreciation
Mr karim Mansour

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[ABDuLLAH KHAN](https://www.google.com/maps/contrib/105522569633144955537/reviews)8 months ago

They are genuinely care about their students. The lessons are well structured, the explanations are clear, and the teacher (Mr.Karim) explains everything in very precisely, easy to understand & brief way.

Highly Recommended

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[Erhan Kocabey](https://www.google.com/maps/contrib/118403793107053181766/reviews)1 year ago

I can highly recommend Tadawul Academy for anyone preparing for the CISI Wealth Management exam.

The video lessons, summaries, and mock exams cover all the key concepts from the study materials and really helped me focus on what matters most. You also get valuable insights into the real exam structure and question style, which makes a big difference.

Special thanks to Dr. Karim Mansour – your support and clear explanations made the entire process much easier. Thanks again!

**Every subscription includes 3 months access to our banking and finance job listings.** Hundreds of current openings in brokerage, asset management, operations, client care and compliance across banks and capital market institutions in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Egypt, India and the UK — including roles that ask for CMA registration and CISI qualifications by name. **No other training provider gives you this.**

CME 1-A is the Capital Market Authority’s mandatory technical examination for most registrable functions in Saudi Arabia. It is set with the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment, and the paper is CISI’s International Introduction to Securities & Investment, commonly abbreviated to **IISI**: 50 multiple-choice questions in one hour, pass mark 35. Three chapters carry 22 of those 50 marks — equities, bonds and investment funds — and six of the learning objectives are calculations you either practise beforehand or lose. Our preparation course covers all ten chapters while concentrating your study time where the marks are.

**Important:** Tadawul Academy prepares candidates for **CME 1-A only**. We do not offer a CME 1-B preparation course. Passing CME 1-A on its own does not complete the CME 1 certificate — the Financial Academy requires both papers.

[**View the English and Arabic CME 1-A courses ↓**](#cme1-a-courses) | [**Try two chapters free →**](https://www.tadawulexams.com/free)

- **95% pass rate** among our students.
- **Over 1,000 five-star Google reviews.**
- **Fully recorded and self-paced** — start today, study at any hour.
- **English and Arabic** — the examination is offered in both, and so is our course.
 
The examination itself is booked and paid for separately, directly with the Financial Academy. The price on our course pages covers Tadawul Academy preparation only. Current Financial Academy fees are set out below.

## What the CME 1-A examination is

The CMA runs its qualification examinations in cooperation with the Financial Academy and CISI. Each numbered examination comes in two halves: an A paper covering technical knowledge and a B paper covering Saudi rules and regulations. CME 1-A is the technical half of CME 1.

     Examination What it covers Set by Tadawul Academy course     **CME 1-A** The international CISI syllabus — financial services, economics, securities, funds, regulation, ethics and financial advice CISI **English and Arabic**   **CME 1-B** General Saudi Capital Market Rules and Regulations The Financial Academy **Not offered**    Two consequences follow, and candidates regularly miss both. **CME 1-A on its own is not the certificate** — the Certificate in Introduction to Securities and Investment (CME 1) requires CME 1-A and CME 1-B, passed separately, each booked and paid for separately. And **the A paper contains no Saudi regulation at all**: it covers general principles of financial services regulation and professional ethics, but the Saudi rulebook is what the B paper tests.

Holding the completed CME 1 certificate also qualifies the holder to invest in the parallel market, Nomu, under CMA criteria.

## Who needs CME 1-A in Saudi Arabia

The Financial Academy states that passing CME 1-A is required of everyone being registered with the CMA across all job categories, with four exceptions: compliance and AML/CTF officers, securities brokers, persons registered under the management activity, and corporate finance professionals. Those four groups sit their own technical paper instead — CME 2-A, CME 3-A, CME 4-A and CME 5-A respectively.

In practice that puts CME 1-A in front of:

- New entrants joining a capital market institution in any general registrable function
- Client care, operations, clearing, settlement and custody staff
- Risk management support staff
- Anyone moving into the Saudi capital market from banking, insurance or accounting
- Candidates who want the CME 1 certificate for Nomu eligibility
 
Requirements depend on the exact registrable function, so confirm your examination combination with your employer’s compliance department or with the Financial Academy before registering. There are no academic prerequisites, no earlier certificate or training programme is required, and the examination is open to Saudis and non-Saudis alike.

Outside the Saudi registration framework, the same qualification — CISI IISI — is taken by new entrants at banks, brokers and asset managers worldwide, by operations, settlement, custody and fund administration staff, and by graduates and career changers who want a recognised first investment qualification. Our English and Arabic courses prepare you for the paper either way.

## What the CME 1-A syllabus covers

Ten chapters. The Financial Academy publishes the weighting of each as a percentage; because the paper is 50 questions, each percentage point is half a question, so the weightings convert cleanly into the question counts in CISI’s own examination specification — syllabus version 18, effective 10 September 2025.

     Chapter Weight Questions What to prepare for     1. Introduction: the financial services sector 6% 3 Who does what — retail and investment banks, private banks, fund managers, brokers, custodians, platforms, sovereign wealth funds — plus distribution channels, fintech and the ESG approaches.   2. The economic environment 8% 4 Types of economy, the economic cycle, fiscal and monetary policy, central banks, and reading GDP, inflation, unemployment, balance of payments and exchange rates.   3. Equities / stocks 18% 9 Ordinary and preference shares, shareholder risks, corporate actions, rights and bonus issues, depositary receipts, indices, order- and quote-driven trading, clearing, central counterparties and settlement.   4. Bonds 14% 7 Coupon, nominal value, redemption and yields; government, corporate, foreign, eurobond, zero coupon, floating rate, convertible and asset-backed issues; credit ratings and the investment-grade boundary.   5. Other markets and investments 10% 5 Cash deposits, cryptocurrencies against fiat, money market instruments, direct and indirect property, and the structure of the foreign exchange market.   6. Derivatives 8% 4 Futures, options, interest rate swaps and credit default swaps, the terminology set — long, short, holder, writing, premium, covered, naked — and why the markets are used.   7. Investment funds 12% 6 Active against passive management, open-ended and mutual funds, closed-ended companies and their discounts and premiums, REITs, ETFs and replication, hedge funds and private equity.   8. Regulation and ethical principles 10% 5 Why firms are regulated and authorised, the CISI Code of Conduct, professional integrity, money laundering and its stages, fraud, cybercrime, terrorist financing and market abuse.   9. Other financial products 8% 4 State, corporate and personal pensions, defined benefit against defined contribution, loans and overdrafts, secured and unsecured borrowing, mortgage types including Islamic contracts, and life assurance.   10. Financial advice 6% 3 Areas of advice, the advice process, suitability and attitude to risk, and the legal concepts — wills, intestacy, agency, capacity to contract, powers of attorney, joint ownership, bankruptcy, scams.    Equities and bonds alone are 32% of the paper. Chapters 3 to 7 — securities, other markets, derivatives and funds — are 62% between them, while chapters 1, 2 and 10 are 20% and cost far less time to cover. Divide your study time equally across the ten chapters and you have underspent on two-thirds of the marks.

The second thing to plan for is that this paper calculates. The syllabus contains six calculation objectives, and each one is a formula you can rehearse in advance: the share dividend yield, the theoretical ex-rights price, the theoretical ex-bonus price, the flat yield of a bond, a forward exchange rate using interest rate parity, and the effective annual rate of borrowing given a quoted rate and payment frequency. Candidates who treat CME 1-A as a memory test are surprised by these. Work them until they are automatic.

[View the official Financial Academy page for CME 1-A](https://fa.gov.sa/en/Services/ExamDetails/508e9c09-4e15-46fb-b6d3-ae9f016ceb36), which carries the chapter weightings and the downloadable study material, or [read CISI’s official syllabus for the underlying unit](https://links.cisi.org/cisiweb2/docs/default-source/atp-portal/training-material/international-introduction-to-securities-and-investments/international-introduction-to-securities-and-investment-syllabus.pdf?sfvrsn=80562502_12). CISI publishes amendments in its Candidate Update area between syllabus editions.

## CME 1-A examination format

     Official Saudi examination name International Introduction to Securities and Investment — CME 1-A   CISI qualification International Introduction to Securities & Investment, abbreviated to IISI   Questions 50 multiple choice   Duration 60 minutes   Pass mark 35 marks out of 50 — 70%   Examination provider CISI, under the CMA’s qualification examinations framework   Registration and booking The Financial Academy, at its Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam centres   Languages Arabic and English   Study time The Financial Academy estimates around 80 hours to work through the study material   Entry requirements None. No prior certificate, training programme or other examination is required to register   Trial questions CISI’s specification for this unit allows up to 10% extra unscored questions in computer-based delivery. They are not identified, do not count towards your result, and attract proportionately more time    ## What CME 1-A costs

Financial Academy fees, separate from the price of our preparation course. Checked 6 August 2026.

- **CME 1-A:** SAR 1,100
- **CME 1-B:** SAR 1,100, booked separately
- **Both papers, giving the complete CME 1 certificate:** SAR 2,200
 
Two points worth reading twice. First, the Financial Academy publishes the study material for each examination on its own exam page, in Arabic and English, at no charge — there is no mandatory workbook purchase on the Saudi route, which is a real difference from booking CISI units internationally. Second, the fee is recoverable through the Human Resources Development Fund’s Hadaf platform after you pass, but only on the complete certificate: passing one of the two papers on its own does not qualify. You pass both, obtain the certificate, and submit it.

Fees are reviewed periodically, so confirm the amount and the available examination appointments on the [official CME 1-A examination and registration page](https://fa.gov.sa/en/Services/ExamDetails/508e9c09-4e15-46fb-b6d3-ae9f016ceb36) before paying.

## How to plan 80 hours of CME 1-A study

Eighty hours is the Financial Academy’s estimate for the material. Two schedules that reach it:

- **Eight weeks** at around 10 hours a week
- **Ten weeks** at around 8 hours a week
 
These are our suggestions, not CMA or Financial Academy rules. Whichever you pick, order the chapters by weight rather than by number:

1. **First.** Chapters 1 and 2, quickly. They are 7 marks, but they supply the institutions, terminology and economic concepts the rest of the paper assumes you already have.
2. **Second.** Chapters 3 and 4 — 16 marks together, nearly a third of the examination, and three of the six calculations. This is where the paper is won.
3. **Third.** Chapters 5, 6 and 7 as one connected investment-products block, another 15 marks, all building on chapters 3 and 4.
4. **Fourth.** Chapters 8, 9 and 10 — 12 marks of definitions and distinctions that reward structured revision more than reading time.
5. **Last.** Timed mixed practice across all ten chapters, then back to anything scoring below 70%.
 
Start the practice questions before you finish the syllabus, chapter by chapter — they show where your recall is weak while there is still time to fix it. Then time yourself: 50 questions in 60 minutes is 72 seconds each, and the calculation questions take longer than that, so the recall questions have to be quick. Book the examination once you are repeatedly clearing 80% on mixed sets rather than after touching 70% once. The margin covers unfamiliar wording and exam-day pressure.

## Choose your CME 1-A preparation course

Both courses prepare you for the same paper. Select the version matching the language you intend to study and sit the examination in — [English](https://www.tadawul.academy/course/cisi-iisi-eng/) or [Arabic](https://www.tadawul.academy/course/cisi-iisi-ara/).

- [![CISI International Intro to Securities & Investment (IISI) Course](https://www.tadawul.academy/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Course-Image-IISI-ENG-7.avif "Course-Image-IISI-ENG-7")](https://www.tadawul.academy/course/cisi-iisi-eng/)## [CISI International Intro to Securities & Investment (IISI) Course](https://www.tadawul.academy/course/cisi-iisi-eng/)

    Rated **4.54** out of 5
- [![دورة CISI للمقدمة الدولية في الأوراق المالية والاستثمار (IISI)](https://www.tadawul.academy/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Course-Image-IISI-ARA-7.avif "Course-Image-IISI-ARA-7")](https://www.tadawul.academy/course/cisi-iisi-ara/)## [دورة CISI للمقدمة الدولية في الأوراق المالية والاستثمار (IISI)](https://www.tadawul.academy/course/cisi-iisi-ara/)

    Rated **4.71** out of 5

## What is included

- Recorded video lectures covering every chapter of the syllabus
- Chapter summary slides and revision notes
- Multiple-choice practice questions designed around the CISI examination format, organised by chapter
- Worked examples for all six of the syllabus calculations
- An **Ask the Trainer** section for questions on the material
- Access options of two weeks, one month or three months
- Three months access to the **Tadawul Academy job board** — current vacancies in brokerage, asset management, operations, client care and compliance
 
Everything is recorded and self-paced. There are no classroom sessions and no live online classes. The practice questions are written by Tadawul Academy for preparation; they are not official CMA, Financial Academy or CISI examination questions, and no training provider has access to those.

[**Try two complete chapters before purchasing →**](https://www.tadawulexams.com/free)

## How to use the course with the official material

The Financial Academy’s published material is the examinable text. Our course adds guided explanations, revision slides, worked calculations, practice questions and trainer support so you can work through that text systematically and find the chapters that need more revision.

1. Watch the recorded lecture for the chapter.
2. Read the matching section of the current official material.
3. Review the summary slides and key terminology.
4. Answer that chapter’s practice questions.
5. Revisit anything you answered incorrectly or guessed.
 
Do not prepare from an old CME 1 PDF or an outdated IISI workbook found online — content and weightings change between syllabus editions. And expect questions that draw on more than one chapter at once: a question about a fund’s pricing can turn on the closed-ended structure from chapter 7 and the settlement mechanics from chapter 3 together. That is why working through practice questions matters more than re-reading.

## Before you enrol

- The subscription price covers the preparation course only. The Financial Academy examination fee is paid separately.
- We prepare candidates for CME 1-A, not CME 1-B.
- You can [create a free account on our e-learning portal](https://www.tadawulexams.com/free) and try two chapters before buying.
- After you order, we activate your account and email confirmation within a few hours. Please check your email address is correct when you place the order.
- When your access expires, place a new order to extend it.
- Register for the examination yourself with the Financial Academy, and use the current official study material attached to your booking. We are not an examination centre and cannot book, sit or reschedule it for you.
 
## Frequently asked questions

### Is CME 1-A the same examination as CISI IISI?

Yes. CME 1-A is the CMA and Financial Academy designation for CISI’s International Introduction to Securities & Investment, and CISI is named as the examination provider. The Financial Academy’s published chapter weightings match CISI’s examination specification for that unit exactly. If you are sitting in Saudi Arabia you register through the Financial Academy, not through CISI’s own examination shop.

### Is CME 1 the same as CME 1-A?

No. CME 1-A is the international half. The complete CME 1 certificate also requires the General Saudi Capital Market Rules and Regulations examination, CME 1-B.

### Does Tadawul Academy offer CME 1-B?

No. We offer CME 1-A preparation in English and Arabic. We do not offer a CME 1-B course, and the same applies to the other B papers — our courses cover the A papers only.

### Do I need to buy a workbook as well as this course?

No. The Financial Academy publishes the study material for CME 1-A on its exam page in Arabic and English, free to download. Our course does not replace it — it adds lectures explaining the harder chapters, worked calculations, slides to revise from, and practice questions to test whether the reading has stuck.

### How much does the CME 1-A examination cost?

SAR 1,100, paid to the Financial Academy when you register, and separate from our course price. CME 1-B is a further SAR 1,100, so the complete CME 1 certificate costs SAR 2,200 in examination fees. Figures checked 6 August 2026 — confirm on the official booking page before paying, because fees change.

### Can the examination fee be reimbursed through Hadaf?

The Financial Academy states that recovering the fee through Hadaf requires passing both CME 1-A and CME 1-B and submitting the completed qualification certificate. Passing one paper alone is not described as sufficient.

### What is the difference between CME 1-A and CME 1-B?

CME 1-A is the technical paper — markets, instruments, funds, advice — and contains no Saudi regulation. CME 1-B is the Saudi regulatory paper: the Capital Market Institutions Regulations, securities business, licensing, AML and CTF, prohibited conduct, systems and controls. You need both for the CME 1 certificate and for CMA registration.

### How many questions are in the CME 1-A exam?

Fifty multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes. The pass mark is 35 correct out of 50, which is 70%.

### Are there past papers or question compilations for CME 1-A?

Neither the CMA, the Financial Academy nor CISI publishes past papers for this examination, and any file of “real” CME 1-A questions circulating online is not an official document and is usually built from an expired syllabus edition. What is published is the chapter weighting and the official study material. Prepare from those and from practice questions written to the same format.

### Where can I find the official CME 1-A study material or PDF?

On the Financial Academy’s examination page for CME 1-A, which carries current Arabic and English material. Use that rather than an older copy hosted on another website.

### Are there mock exams and practice questions in the course?

The course includes multiple-choice practice questions organised by chapter so you can test each one as you finish it, plus mixed sets across all ten chapters once you have covered the syllabus. They are our own questions, written around the examination format.

### Can I sit CME 1-A in Arabic?

Yes. The Financial Academy offers the examination in Arabic and English and publishes the study material in both, and we offer separate Arabic and English courses. Pick one and study in it — the calculation questions in particular are harder if you learned the terms in one language and answer them in another.

### Are there any prerequisites?

The Financial Academy lists no previous certificate, training programme or other prerequisite for registering. Your employer may still have its own requirements.

### How long should I study for CME 1-A?

Around 80 hours is the official estimate — eight weeks at 10 hours a week, or ten weeks at 8. Candidates new to bonds, derivatives or investment funds should allow more.

### Does passing CME 1-A qualify me for the parallel market, Nomu?

The Financial Academy states that the CME 1 certificate can qualify its holder to invest in the parallel market under CMA requirements, and that the complete certificate requires both papers. Do not assume CME 1-A alone satisfies it.

### Does this course include live classes?

No. Everything is recorded and self-paced. For questions on the material, use the Ask the Trainer section and you will get a written answer.

### How quickly is my account activated?

Within a few hours of your order, and we email you to confirm. The most common cause of delay is a mistyped email address at checkout.

### What happens if I fail?

You re-register and re-sit through the Financial Academy. Resit terms, waiting periods and any repeat fee are set by the Financial Academy rather than by us, so check its examination policy before you rebook. Your course access continues for its remaining term, and you can place a new order to extend it.

### Do I still need CME 1-A if I already hold an older CMA qualification?

The CMA states that everyone who passed its previous qualification examinations remains eligible for registration in their registrable function without taking the new examinations. If you are unsure which side of that line you fall on, confirm it with the CMA or your employer’s compliance function before paying for anything.

### Is the job board really included?

Yes, at no extra cost, for three months from activation. It lists current vacancies in brokerage, asset management, operations, client care and compliance across Saudi Arabia, the wider Gulf, Egypt, India and the UK.

## Start preparing for CME 1-A

Pick the English or Arabic course above, or start with two free chapters and see the lectures and practice questions before you buy.

[**Compare CME 1-A course options ↑**](#cme1-a-courses) | [**Start the free trial →**](https://www.tadawulexams.com/free) | [**Register for the official examination →**](https://fa.gov.sa/en/Services/ExamDetails/508e9c09-4e15-46fb-b6d3-ae9f016ceb36)

## Do You Have Any Questions?

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