Articles
Every PassPath guide in one place
Plain-English guides to the RE5 regulatory exam and the RE1 regulatory exam, written by The PassPath Team and kept current for 2026. Pick your exam below.
How to set up RE5 and RE1 training for your team: the FSP guide (2026)
The FSP guide to RE5 and RE1 training for a team: who must write which exam and by when, everything a new rep must complete, how to set up PassPath Teams in about 10 minutes, a 12-week plan, exam booking, evidence and the real cost per rep.
Read the guideCan a Key Individual also be the compliance officer? What the FSCA looks at
No FAIS rule says a Key Individual must not be the compliance officer, but the FSCA must approve the compliance officer as independent and objective. This is when an FSP needs a compliance officer and what the FSCA looks at.
Read the guideMissed the RE5 deadline? Can you still write it, and what about debarment?
Two years after the DOFA the supervision exemption ends. This is what the rules say happens next, including debarment and reappointment, where they are unclear, and how to stop it happening.
Read the guideHow to appoint a representative: the representative register and the DOFA
Appointing a representative follows an order: checks first, then the mandate, training, the representative register and, if needed, supervision. This is the order, what the DOFA date means and the source for each step.
Read the guideFit and proper requirements for representatives: the FSP checklist
Board Notice 194 of 2017 sets six fit and proper requirements for every representative. This is the checklist an FSP uses at appointment and every year after, including what goes in the competence register.
Read the guideSupervision of representatives under FAIS: who can supervise and what to record
A representative who is not yet fully competent may only work under supervision. This is what the supervision agreement and the supervisor's file must contain, who may supervise, and how long to keep the records.
Read the guideRE1 Pass Mark: 52 of 80 Correct, Which Is 65%
The RE1 pass mark is 65%, which is 52 of 80 questions correct, in 2 hours 30 minutes. How it compares with the RE5, whether there is negative marking, what is known about the pass rate, and how to tell you are at the line before you book.
Read the guideRE5 Past Papers: None Exist. What To Use Instead
There are no official RE5 or RE1 past papers: Moonstone does not release them and the FSCA does not publish them. What official material does exist, why free question PDFs are a risk, and the closest thing to a past paper.
Read the guideRE5 summary notes: every number, deadline and limit on one page
Every number the RE5 syllabus turns on, from DOFA deadlines to cash thresholds and the FAIS Ombud limit, each checked against the law it comes from. Cover the numbers to test yourself, or take the free one-page PDF.
Read the guideRE5 Qualification: What the RE5 Is Worth on its Own
The RE5 is a regulatory examination, not a qualification: it has no NQF level and carries no credits. FAIS competence stands on two legs, the exam and a recognised qualification, and each has its own deadline from your DOFA. Here is how to check your qualification against the FSCA list.
Read the guideRE5 at UNISA? No. Where You Write It and the Cost
You cannot write the RE5 at UNISA or any other university. The regulatory examinations run only through Moonstone on behalf of the FSCA. Here is why the confusion exists, what UNISA actually offers for FAIS purposes, and where you really book the exam.
Read the guideRE5 exam day: what to bring, what to expect, and how to use your 2 hours
The RE5 is a 2 hour, 50 question paper based exam written under invigilation at a hall Moonstone books for the day. Here is what to bring, what happens in the room, and how to spend the two hours.
Read the guideRE5 results: how long they take, how you are notified, and what happens next
RE5 results take a maximum of 20 working days and arrive by email to your registered address, not inside the exam portal. Here is the notification process, the remark and appeal routes, and the rewrite clock if you fail.
Read the guideKey Individual responsibilities: what a KI actually does (and is liable for)
A key individual is personally responsible for managing and overseeing an FSP's rendering of financial services. What that covers day to day, what the FAIS Act makes a KI answerable for when things go wrong, and where the FSCA can act against a KI directly.
Read the guideRE5 Certificate: What It Is, R1 300, 50 Questions
An RE5 certificate is the record that you passed the RE5 regulatory examination. Here is what it proves, why it is not a qualification, and how employers verify it.
Read the guideRE5 requirements: who must write it, what you need, and the deadlines
Almost nothing is required to write the RE5: no course, no qualification, no FSP number. The requirements that matter are the ones for working as a representative.
Read the guideKey Individual requirements in South Africa: FSCA approval, the RE1 and the registration process
FSCA approval as fit and proper is the core requirement: pass the RE1 regulatory exam, hold a recognised qualification, show at least one year of management experience, and meet the honesty and integrity standard. Here is each requirement in detail, and how registration works.
Read the guideThe Founding 40: our launch offer, now closed
The Founding 40 was our launch offer: the first 40 people to sign up got 30 days of full access to PassPath, free, in exchange for one honest review. The offer has now closed. This page is the record of what it included, and where the paid plans sit.
Read the guideRE5 study material in 2026: what to buy, what to skip, and whether free is enough
RE5 study material comes down to two things: the FSCA's published qualifying criteria, and practice questions under time pressure. Everything else is packaging. Paid prep runs roughly R150 to about R4 375 in 2026, and free can genuinely be enough. An honest guide to choosing a format.
Read the guideDoes the RE5 expire? Validity, CPD and staying authorised
No FSCA or Moonstone source sets an expiry on a passed RE5 result. What lapses is your authorisation as a representative: fit and proper status, CPD and your DOFA deadline.
Read the guideRE5 and RE1 exam cost in 2026: the full picture
The RE5 and the RE1 each cost R1 300 to write, VAT inclusive, set by the FSCA and paid to Moonstone. Here is what preparation adds, and what a failed attempt really costs you.
Read the guideRE5 exam venues: where you can write, province by province
The RE5 is written at physical venues booked through Moonstone, 34 of them across all nine provinces. Here is what that venue network looks like and how to plan around where you live.
Read the guideHow to book your RE5 exam in 2026: step by step
You book the RE5 through Moonstone at faisexam.co.za. Registration closes 11 working days before each sitting and R1 300 is due within 24 hours. Here is the full process.
Read the guideYour RE5 deadline: how to work backwards from your DOFA date
Your RE5 deadline is two years from your date of first appointment. This is the arithmetic that turns that date into a last safe date to write and a last safe date to register.
Read the guideRE5 pass mark: what score you actually need in 2026
The RE5 pass mark is 66%, which is 33 of 50 correct: the FSCA's 65% rule applied to a 50-question paper. Here is what that means in practice, how the RE1 threshold compares, and what falling short costs.
Read the guideHow to become a Key Individual in South Africa (and where the RE1 fits)
What it actually takes to be approved as a Key Individual under FAIS: the fit and proper requirements, a recognised qualification, category experience, and the RE1, which has to be passed before approval rather than after it.
Read the guideOnboarding a new rep cohort: a 90 day plan to RE5-ready
Onboarding a batch of new representatives at once is a logistics problem, not a training one. A 90 day plan with real checkpoints, and the readiness tracking a compliance officer needs to see who is drifting while there is still time to help.
Read the guideAm I ready for the RE5? How to know before you pay to write
Almost everyone who fails the RE5 walked in feeling ready. The signs that fool people, what genuine readiness actually looks like, and how to measure yours against the 66% pass mark before you pay to book.
Read the guideWhat Is RE5? Meaning, 50 Questions, 33 to Pass
The RE5 is the FAIS Regulatory Examination for representatives, written through Moonstone on behalf of the FSCA. What RE5 means, what the exam covers, who has to write it, what it costs and how to prepare.
Read the guideWhat belongs in a representative competence register
What a FAIS competence register should hold for each representative, how to keep it current with a simple monthly rhythm, and how to evidence RE5 readiness before the exam is passed.
Read the guideWhy representatives fail the RE5 (and how to fix it)
Most representatives who fail the RE5 are capable people who started late or studied the wrong things. Here is why it happens, and the practical levers a compliance manager can pull.
Read the guideRE5 training for staff: a guide for FSP owners and HR
For the person who has to get a team through the RE5: the 24-month DOFA rule, debarment risk, competence-register duties, and how to choose between workshops and self-paced online training.
Read the guideThe FSP compliance officer's guide to getting reps exam-ready
For the person who has to evidence it: keeping the FAIS competence register, supervising representatives against their RE5 deadlines, and building a clean, audit-ready compliance file.
Read the guideFailed the RE5? How to pass the rewrite
A fail stings, but it's rarely as far off as it feels. How to rebook, find the specific tasks that cost you marks, and prepare for the rewrite without re-studying everything.
Read the guideThe RE1 Exam: complete 2026 guide
The Key Individual exam explained: who must write the RE1, the pass mark and format, what it costs, how booking works, and how to prepare properly. Current for 2026.
Read the guideRE1 vs RE5: which exam do you need?
Representatives write the RE5. Key Individuals write the RE1. Sole proprietors write both. The differences in plain English, and how to prepare for each.
Read the guideHow to study for the RE5 (a realistic plan)
A week-by-week plan that fits around a full-time job: measure your gap first, rebuild your weakest tasks, practice daily, and prove you're ready with timed mocks.
Read the guideFree, no signup
Free RE5 mock exam
20 questions in the real format, with the answer, the trap and the source behind every one.
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RE5 course prices compared
Ten providers on price, format and access, each price checked and dated.
Key Individuals
RE1 practice exam
What RE1 practice should measure you against, and what PassPath has for it today.