Insights
Every PassPath guide in one place
Plain-English guides to the RE5 regulatory exam, the RE1 regulatory exam and the K53 learners test, written by The PassPath Team and kept current for 2026. Pick your exam below.
RE5 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 guideThe RE5 certificate: what it is, what it proves, how to get it
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: 30 days of full PassPath access, free
The first 40 people to sign up get 30 days of full access to PassPath, completely free: practice questions, full mock exams, adaptive practice and progress tracking for the RE5 and RE1. All we ask in return is one honest review, good or bad.
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 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 010 in 2026, and free can genuinely be enough. An honest guide to choosing a format.
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 65%, but with 50 questions that works out to 33 correct answers, which is 66%. 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 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.
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