RE5 at UNISA? No. Where You Write It and the Cost

UNISA does not run the RE5. Moonstone runs it on behalf of the FSCA: you book and pay R1 300 at faisexam.co.za, write on paper at an invigilated venue, and need 33 of 50 correct (66%). A university can help with the separate qualification requirement, not with the exam itself.

PassPath is an independent study platform with no affiliation to Moonstone, the FSCA or UNISA. What follows is the process as the exam body publishes it.

Can you do the RE5 at UNISA?

No. Moonstone is the examination body appointed to administer the regulatory examinations on behalf of the FSCA, and it is the only place the RE5 exists. There is no UNISA RE5 module, no UNISA sitting and no UNISA result. The same goes for every other university and college: none of them can set the paper, register you for it or issue the outcome.

Searches for an RE5 certificate UNISA online are looking for something that does not exist twice over. UNISA does not offer the RE5, and nobody offers it online. The RE5 is written on paper, under invigilation, at a physical venue. The only parts of the process that happen online are registration at faisexam.co.za, the release of your result and your preparation.

Why do people search for the RE5 at UNISA?

Because the fit and proper requirements contain two separate competence legs and people merge them into one. Under the FSCA's Determination of Fit and Proper Requirements, Board Notice 194 of 2017, a representative needs a recognised qualification appropriate to their product categories and, separately, the applicable regulatory examination. Universities are where you get the first. Moonstone is where you write the second.

So a colleague who says they did their FAIS studies through UNISA is talking about the qualification leg. When the same person mentions their RE5, that pass came from a Moonstone exam venue, not a lecture hall. Once you separate the two legs, the search answers itself.

Is the RE5 a qualification? What NQF level is it?

The RE5 is not a qualification and it has no NQF level. It is a regulatory examination: 50 multiple choice questions on the FAIS Act and the conduct standards around it, written in 2 hours, with a pass mark of 66% (33 of 50 correct). There is no coursework, no attendance and no credits. You meet the mark or you do not.

That is also why calling it an RE5 course is wrong. Nothing you enrol in and complete produces the RE5; only the exam result does. What you receive after passing is a result document, and the RE5 certificate guide covers what that document proves and what it does not. For the paper itself, from format to syllabus to preparation, start with the complete RE5 exam guide.

What does UNISA actually offer for FAIS purposes?

Qualifications. UNISA and other institutions offer NQF registered qualifications in financial planning, banking, insurance and related fields, and a qualification of this kind can satisfy the qualification leg of the fit and proper requirements if the FSCA recognises it for your product categories.

The mechanism matters more than any single course name. The FSCA maintains a list of recognised qualifications, updated from time to time, and whether a specific UNISA qualification counts depends on that list and on the categories you are appointed for. An NQF registered qualification is not automatically FSCA recognised, so before enrolling in anything for FAIS purposes, confirm the exact qualification against the FSCA's current list or ask your compliance officer to.

Whatever you study, the exam leg still stands on its own. A qualification, from UNISA or anywhere else, does not exempt you from the RE5.

Where do you actually book and write the RE5?

Through Moonstone, at faisexam.co.za. You can register online, by phone on (021) 883 8000, or by emailing a completed registration form. The fee is R1 300, VAT inclusive, per attempt, set by the FSCA and paid to Moonstone. The full cost breakdown covers what preparation adds on top of that fee.

Two deadlines catch people. Registration closes 11 working days before each sitting, which is more than two calendar weeks, and payment must reach Moonstone within 24 hours of registering or the booking is not confirmed. The step by step booking guide walks through the whole sequence, and the RE5 exam dates schedule lists live sittings, venues and seat counts by province. Results follow within a maximum of 20 working days.

Do you need both a qualification and the RE5?

Generally yes, because they are separate legs of the same competence requirement. Board Notice 194 of 2017 asks for a recognised qualification for your product categories and the applicable regulatory examination, alongside experience and class of business training. Passing one does not touch the other. RE5 requirements sets out the full standard and who must write.

The exam leg also carries the tighter clock. Under FAIS Notice 86 of 2018, a supervised representative must pass the applicable regulatory examination within two years of their DOFA, the date of first appointment. A degree can be finished on your own schedule; the RE5 cannot. Working backwards from your DOFA turns the two year window into a booking plan.

What about an RE1 certificate from UNISA?

The same logic, one level up. The RE1 is the regulatory examination for key individuals and it also exists only through Moonstone: no university offers it, and no RE1 certificate is issued by UNISA, online or otherwise. It is a longer paper at 80 multiple choice questions, and the FSCA's pass mark applied to it works out to 65% (52 of 80 correct). The fee is the same R1 300.

So what should you actually do?

If you need the qualification leg, choose a qualification the FSCA recognises for your categories, from UNISA or another accredited institution. If you need the exam leg, book through Moonstone and prepare properly, because a failed attempt costs the full R1 300 again. To see where you stand before spending anything, the free RE5 mock exam shows you the style of question the paper asks and how close you are to the mark, with no card needed. If you then want structured practice against every qualifying criterion, PassPath's RE5 course is on the pricing page at R299, a fraction of what one rewrite costs.

PassPath is an independent study platform. The RE1 and RE5 are written through Moonstone; PassPath is not affiliated with Moonstone, the FSCA or UNISA.