RE5 Study Options Compared (2026)
Last updated: August 2026
As of August 2026 this page compares ten RE5 exam-prep providers in South Africa, ranging from about R150 to over R4,000 once-off. They fall into four formats: PDF study packs, online courses and webinars, classroom training, and practice software. This page compares them on price, format, access period, and guarantees.
Side by side
RE5 providers compared
Prices are as published by each provider. Every price is marked for verification until it has been checked against their live site.
| Provider | Price (2026) | Format | Access period | Free offer | Guarantee | Where their reviews live |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PassPathUs: pay once, 7-day money-back | R369 oncechecked August 2026 | Readiness-score software: 16-question diagnostic, weak-spot heat map per exam task, adaptive practice, timed real-format mocks | 180 days | Free readiness assessment plus 5 practice questions per day | 7-day money-back (cooling-off) | Trustpilot |
| RE Exam Buddy | R375 oncechecked August 2026 | PDF study pack (slides, study pack, topic questions, 2 mock exams) plus WhatsApp support | Download, keep indefinitely | Free mock exam | No guarantee | Trustindex and Google, 315 reviews shown at 5.0 |
| RE5 Online | R150 to R2,500 across many productschecked August 2026 | PDFs, printed guides, LMS self-study, live webinars | 30 to 120 days depending on the product | Free mock exams | Money-back pass guarantee (conditions apply) | Trustindex and Google, 99 reviews shown at 5.0 |
| Skillfully | R1,390 incl VATchecked August 2026 | Video course, 18 lessons, 6.5 hours | 365 days | Free sample course | R150 cashback on passing | On-site testimonials |
| Growth In Motion (GIMA) | R2,000 plus VATchecked August 2026 | Two-day face-to-face or MS Teams class, printed guide, 6 practice exams | Course-based | No free offer | No guarantee | No reviews found |
| Milpark Education | R820 (material) to R4,010 (4-week course)checked August 2026 | Academic short course and practice exams | 12 months | No free offer | No guarantee | No reviews found |
| SA Accounting Academy | R2,500checked August 2026 | Three-month facilitated online course | 3 months | No free offer | No guarantee | No reviews found |
| Moonstone Business School (MBSE) | R2,850 incl VATchecked August 2026 | LMS online course from the exam body's training arm | 12 months | Moonstone publishes a free official preparation guideline PDF | No guarantee | No reviews found |
| FAIS Forward Academy | R2,150checked August 2026 | Online programme, 250 practice questions | Varies by programme | No free offer | No guarantee | No reviews found |
| Learn Insurance / License to Skill | Price varieschecked August 2026 | Exam assistance plus free downloadable guides | Unknown period | Free RE5 and RE1 guides | Unknown guarantee | No reviews found |
Prices and terms are published by each provider and change without notice. Check the provider’s own site before you buy.
Provider by provider
What each provider offers
Two or three sentences on what each one is and who it suits.
PassPath
PassPath is software that measures your readiness against the real pass mark and directs your practice at the exam tasks you are weakest on. Instead of giving you material to read, it tells you where you stand and closes the gaps with adaptive practice and timed real-format mocks. If you are starting from absolute zero and want taught lessons, pair it with a course; for everyone else it replaces guesswork with a number.
RE Exam Buddy
RE Exam Buddy sells a downloadable study pack with slides, topic questions and two mock exams, supported over WhatsApp. Because the files are yours to keep, there is no access period to run out. It suits someone who wants material they can print and work through offline at their own pace.
RE5 Online
RE5 Online runs a broad catalogue, from single PDFs to printed guides, self-study on an LMS and live webinars. The access period and the price both depend on which product you buy. It suits someone who wants to assemble their own mix of material and pick a format per item.
Skillfully
Skillfully teaches the RE5 syllabus as 18 recorded video lessons totalling about 6.5 hours, with practice questions after each lesson. Access runs for a year, which is the longest period in this table apart from the academic providers. If you learn best by watching someone explain the material, Skillfully is the option to look at first.
Growth In Motion (GIMA)
Growth In Motion runs a two-day workshop, delivered either face to face or over MS Teams, with a printed guide and six practice exams. It is taught in real time by a facilitator you can ask questions. Anyone who wants live classroom teaching, rather than self-study, should look here first.
Milpark Education
Milpark Education is a registered private higher education institution that offers RE5 support as an academic short course, or as study material on its own. Access runs for 12 months. It suits someone who wants a structured academic programme and a recognised institution behind it.
SA Accounting Academy
SA Accounting Academy runs the RE5 as a facilitated online course over three months. The pacing is set by the course rather than by you. It suits someone who wants a fixed schedule and a facilitator to keep them moving.
Moonstone Business School (MBSE)
Moonstone Business School is the training arm of the Moonstone group, which administers the regulatory exams. Its RE5 course runs on an LMS with 12 months of access. Note that sitting this course does not change how the exam is set or marked, and the free official preparation guideline is available to everyone.
FAIS Forward Academy
FAIS Forward Academy offers RE5 preparation as an online programme with 250 practice questions, and also runs instructor-led sessions. Training is offered for both RE1 and RE5. It suits someone who wants a taught programme with a practice bank included.
Learn Insurance / License to Skill
License to Skill, which publishes at learninsurance.co.za, offers RE exam assistance alongside free downloadable RE5 and RE1 learner guides. It does not publish a single headline price, so the cost depends on what you arrange with them. The free guides are worth a look on their own.
How to choose
Which option fits your situation?
The right answer depends on how much time you have and how you learn.
You are writing in under 2 weeks
Find your gaps before you read anything else. A diagnostic or a mock exam tells you which topics are actually weak, which is the only way to spend two weeks well. A full taught course is unlikely to fit in the time.
You are rewriting after a fail
You have already covered the syllabus once, so re-reading all of it is rarely the best use of the time. Work out which topics cost you the marks, then drill those. A question bank or a readiness tool fits this better than a taught course.
You are an employer buying for a team
Look for per-seat pricing, an invoice, and reporting you can put in a competence file. Ask what a manager can see and what the access period is per seat. Classroom providers can run a closed session for a group if you prefer everyone in one room.
You want the cheapest option
The free official preparation guideline from Moonstone costs nothing and sets out what the exam covers. Several providers publish free mock exams or free guides. The cheapest paid tier is a downloadable PDF, from about R150.
You want classroom teaching
Growth In Motion runs a two-day workshop face to face or over MS Teams. SA Accounting Academy and FAIS Forward Academy run facilitated online programmes. If you want recorded video rather than a live class, Skillfully is the closer fit.
Where PassPath stands in this list
This is our page, so treat this section as our pitch. The table above is the neutral part; here is the case we would make.
Price
At R369 once, PassPath costs about the same as a downloadable study pack, which is R375 in the table above. The taught courses in that table run from R1,390 to R4,010. The difference is what you get for it: software that adapts to your answers rather than a fixed set of files or lessons.
The readiness score
PassPath is the only option in this table that reports a readiness score against the real RE5 pass mark of 66%, which is 33 of 50 correct. Several providers include mock exams, and a mock gives you a score for one attempt. A readiness score is measured per exam task and updates with every question you answer. The exam costs R1 300 per attempt, and a rewrite means paying that again and waiting for the next sitting, so knowing where you stand before you book is worth something.
How you actually study
You do not read and hope. The diagnostic finds the exam tasks you are weakest on, the daily plan trains them, and the mocks mirror the real format and time pressure. PassPath is built around practice with feedback rather than re-reading, and every part of the product follows from that.
No subscription, no lock-in
You pay once, you get 180 days, and nothing renews. A single payment means your cost does not grow if your exam date moves. There is also a 7-day money-back cooling-off period, so you can buy, look properly, and change your mind.
If reviews matter to you, other providers currently have more of them than we do. We are new, and we are collecting ours the slow way: no rewards, no incentives, just what real candidates say after they write.
The exam itself, with sources
These facts are about the exam, not about any provider. Each one links to a public source.
- The FSCA sets one pass mark of 65% for the regulatory examinations. FSCA Regulatory Examinations FAQ
- On the RE5's 50 questions that means 33 correct answers, which is 66%. Moonstone RE1 and RE5 preparation guideline (PDF)
- On the RE1's 80 questions the same rule is exactly 52 correct answers, which is 65%. Moonstone RE1 and RE5 preparation guideline (PDF)
- The exam fee is R1 300 per attempt, VAT inclusive. Moonstone regulatory exam body
- The RE1 and RE5 exams are administered by Moonstone. Moonstone regulatory exam body
Frequently asked questions
The official preparation guideline published by Moonstone is free to download. Several providers publish a free mock exam or a free study guide. Among paid options in this comparison, single PDFs start at about R150 and a full downloadable study pack with support is about R375 once.
The exam fee is R1 300 per attempt, VAT inclusive. That fee is paid to Moonstone and is separate from anything you spend on preparation. A rewrite means paying the exam fee again.
The free official preparation guideline sets out what the exam covers, so it is a reasonable starting point. Free mock exams show you the question style. Most candidates use free material alongside a paid study pack, course or practice bank rather than on its own.
A study guide explains the syllabus and is what you read to learn the material. A question bank is a set of exam-style questions you answer to test and drill what you have learned. They solve different problems, and many candidates buy one of each.
No. There is no requirement to buy any preparation product before writing. You register for the exam through Moonstone and choose your own preparation method. Moonstone publishes a free preparation guideline for candidates who want to self-study.
No provider can guarantee an exam result, because the exam is set and marked by the exam body. Some providers offer a money-back or cashback arrangement if you do not pass, and those arrangements carry conditions. Read the conditions before you buy.
Read next
RE5 study material in 2026: what to buy, what to skip, and whether free is enough
This page compares the prices. That one is the decision framework: which of the four formats fits you, and whether free material is enough on its own.
Read the guideFind out where you stand before you spend anything
The PassPath readiness assessment is 16 questions and takes about 15 minutes. It is free, no card is required, and it shows which exam tasks are weak. That answer is useful whichever provider you go on to use.
You get your score today, measured against the real RE5 pass mark of 66%, which is 33 of 50 correct. Fifteen minutes and no card is a small thing to do before you spend money with anyone in the table above.
Prefer to see the plans first? See pricing.