CeMAP Exam Structure 2026 — The New LIBF Units Explained (FRE1, FRE2, MRT1, MRT2)

The CeMAP (Certificate in Mortgage Advice and Practice) exam structure changed significantly in September 2025. The London Institute of Banking & Finance (LIBF) replaced the old Module 1, 2 and 3 system with five individually assessed units — each with its own registration, its own exam format, and its own pass mark. If you’re starting CeMAP in 2026, or helping someone who is, the old naming conventions you’ll still find on many websites are wrong.

In our experience at uAcademy, the most common source of confusion right now is students encountering mixed information online — some articles still list “Unit 1 to Unit 6” from the pre-2019 structure, others describe the 2019–2025 Module 1/2/3 system, and only a handful cover the current FRE1/FRE2/MRT1/MRT2/ASEW format. This post covers the current structure only, as it stands for all new registrations from 30 September 2025.

The short answer

CeMAP in 2026 has five units across three subject areas. You sit each unit separately, need 70% to pass, and all exams are online with remote invigilation. Here’s the overview:

Why did LIBF change CeMAP in 2025?

LIBF updated CeMAP for three main reasons. First, the old Module 1 content (UK Financial Regulation) was becoming outdated relative to how modern financial services regulation actually operates. The replacement — FSRE (Financial Services, Regulation and Ethics) — brings in ethics as a subject area alongside regulation, reflecting the FCA’s Consumer Duty direction for the industry.

Second, LIBF wanted to align CeMAP more closely with its wider qualification suite. FSRE is now a shared module between CeMAP and the Diploma for Financial Advisers (DipFA) — if you complete CeMAP and later pursue DipFA, you won’t re-sit the regulation module. That’s a tangible benefit most guides haven’t flagged.

Third, the exam delivery infrastructure moved to Brightspace. The old Pearson VUE model required booking a physical test centre, travelling to it, and sitting in a monitored room. Brightspace exams are online with remote invigilation — you sit them from home when you’re ready, within your registration period.

The new CeMAP structure at a glance

The full CeMAP qualification is still a Level 3 Certificate — that hasn’t changed. What changed is the internal structure and the names. The three broad subject areas remain the same: financial services regulation, mortgages, and applied advice assessment. But the unit breakdown is different:

The most important practical change: Module 2 went from four units to two. Under the old structure, students sat four separate Mortgages exams (Units 3–6). Under the new structure, there are two: MRT1 and MRT2. This reduces the number of exam registrations needed, though each exam is longer.

FRE1 and FRE2 — the FSRE module explained

FSRE (Financial Services, Regulation and Ethics) is the qualification’s regulatory foundation. It’s assessed across two units: FRE1 covers the structural and legal side; FRE2 covers professional conduct and ethics.

FRE1: Industry, Regulation and Key Parties

FRE1 covers 8 topic areas including financial market structure, the role of government in financial services, the UK taxation framework, legal principles governing financial transactions, and the specific roles of the PRA and FCA. It’s the “how does this industry work and who regulates it” unit.

Exam format: 25 multiple-choice questions plus 3 case studies (5 questions each) = 40 questions total. 1-hour exam. Pass mark: 70% (28 correct).

FRE2: Skills, Principles and Ethical Behaviours

FRE2 covers 4 topic areas: the advice process, building and maintaining client trust, consumer rights and protections, and professional ethics. This is the unit that reflects the FCA’s Consumer Duty — understanding what good outcomes for clients looks like in practice.

Exam format: 25 multiple-choice questions plus 3 case studies (5 questions each) = 40 questions total. 1-hour exam. Pass mark: 70% (28 correct).

MRT1 and MRT2 — the Mortgages module explained

The Mortgages module covers everything a mortgage adviser needs to understand about the product, the process, and the legal framework. It’s the technical heart of the qualification.

MRT1: Mortgage Law, Practice and Application

MRT1 covers 15 topic areas including the legal and regulatory framework for mortgages, the property buying process from both buyer and adviser perspectives, adviser responsibilities to clients and lenders, lender assessment criteria, and the mortgage application process end-to-end.

Exam format: 50 multiple-choice questions. 1-hour exam. Pass mark: 70% (35 correct).

MRT2: Mortgage Products and Post-Completion

MRT2 covers 9 topic areas including repayment methods and how they affect total cost, the full range of interest rate types (fixed, variable, tracker, discount), specialist mortgage products, arrears and default management, and post-completion processes. This is the product knowledge unit — what’s available and how it works in practice.

Exam format: 40 multiple-choice questions. 1-hour exam. Pass mark: 70% (28 correct).

We find students who study MRT1 and MRT2 together rather than separately get the interconnections more quickly — the law from MRT1 explains why the products in MRT2 are structured the way they are. Jay Lee, uAcademy

ASEW — the Assessment of Mortgage Advice Knowledge

ASEW is the final and most applied unit of CeMAP. Where FRE1, FRE2, MRT1 and MRT2 test knowledge in isolation, ASEW tests your ability to apply that knowledge to real mortgage advice scenarios. You’ll work through 6 case studies, each presenting a client situation and asking 10 questions about what advice you’d give, why, and what the regulatory implications are.

The 2025 refresh added two new elements to ASEW that weren’t prominently assessed before: protection advice (understanding when and how to recommend life insurance and income protection alongside a mortgage) and soft skills (how to communicate complex financial information to clients clearly). These reflect what mortgage advisers actually do in practice — LIBF listened to employer feedback about what newly qualified advisers were lacking.

Exam format: 6 case studies × 10 multiple-choice questions = 60 questions total. 2-hour exam. Pass mark: 70% (42 correct). Sat online via Brightspace.

What’s the pass mark for each unit?

The pass mark is 70% on every unit, without exception. Here’s what that means in practice:

• FRE1: 28 out of 40 questions correct.
• FRE2: 28 out of 40 questions correct.
• MRT1: 35 out of 50 questions correct.
• MRT2: 28 out of 40 questions correct.
• ASEW: 42 out of 60 questions correct.

Each unit is assessed independently — a pass in one carries no weight in another, and failing one unit doesn’t affect your status on units you’ve already passed. If you fail a unit, you can resit for £110 via LIBF. In our experience training thousands of CeMAP students, the resit rate is highest on MRT1 — the 50-question mortgage law unit that covers the most technical content in the least time.

How do you sit the exams in 2026?

All CeMAP exams from the new structure are sat online via Brightspace with remote invigilation. There are no physical test centres involved. You need a laptop or desktop computer, a stable internet connection, and a webcam. The remote invigilator connects at the start of your exam session to verify your identity and monitor the session.

One significant practical change: under Pearson VUE, you had to book exam slots in advance and turn up at a scheduled time. With Brightspace, you can sit exams at any point within your registration period, subject to scheduling an invigilation session. There’s no need to travel, no set exam dates — you sit when you’re ready.

The full package registration (£690 for 18 months) covers all five units plus any resits within the period. For most students, 18 months is more than enough time to complete CeMAP. The people who use the full 18 months are typically self-studying with no course support, or balancing full-time work with minimal study hours. With a structured course, most complete in 4 to 6 months.

What if you started on the old CeMAP?

If you registered before 29 September 2025 and had already passed some but not all modules, your options depended on timing. Anyone who hadn’t completed by 12 January 2026 was automatically transferred to the new structure on 13 January 2026. LIBF mapped across partial completions: students who had passed Module 1 (UKFR) received credit for the equivalent content where possible, though the specifics varied by individual case.

If you’re in this situation, contact LIBF directly to confirm which units you’ve been credited with and which you still need to complete. Don’t rely on third-party information — the transfer wasn’t straightforward for everyone and LIBF holds the definitive record.

From a practical standpoint: if you’re starting CeMAP fresh in 2026, you’re on the new structure. There’s no old version to worry about.

Frequently asked questions