CMFAS Study Text Updates 2026: RES 5, M9 and HI Dates

If your CMFAS sitting falls near a study-text change, the version date matters more than the date you downloaded your notes. The Singapore College of Insurance (SCI) has announced new 2026 material for RES 5, M9 and HI, with different examination effective dates. A candidate who remembers only “there is a September update” can easily revise the wrong module or apply the wrong deadline.

This page separates the official dates, explains what they mean for your sitting, and highlights one easy-to-miss boundary: the current notice lists M9 and CM-LIP, but it does not separately list standalone M9A in the same update table.

The official 2026 CMFAS study-text dates

SCI’s regulatory-examination notice, checked on 17 August 2026, gives the following schedule:

The source of truth is SCI’s regulatory examination study-text notice. Save the link rather than a screenshot: SCI can replace the PDF when another version is announced.

Which version should you study for your exam date?

Use the examination effective date as your decision line.

• RES 5 or M9 before 22 September 2026: confirm the version shown for your sitting in SCI’s current material. Do not switch solely because the new text is already available.
• RES 5 or M9 on or after 22 September 2026: prepare from the announced new version, subject to any later SCI notice.
• HI before 22 October 2026: confirm the material assigned to the earlier examination basis.
• HI on or after 22 October 2026: prepare from HI 9th Edition Version 1.0, subject to any later notice.

If your sitting is within a few days of a change, check the registration record, the eBook version and the latest notice together. If they appear inconsistent, ask SCI or your firm’s compliance team before building a revision plan around one file.

M9, M9A and CM-LIP are not interchangeable labels

The notice lists M9 and CM-LIP as separate rows. CM-LIP is the combined Life Insurance and Investment-Linked Policies examination route. The same table does not separately announce an M9A study-text change.

That absence is not proof that M9A can never change. It means only that you should not turn the M9 date into an M9A claim without a module-specific source. For the current standalone paper format and scope, use the M9 and M9A comparison guide and then verify M9A on SCI before registering.

How to update your notes without starting again

A new version does not mean every chapter has been rewritten. It does mean your old highlights are no longer enough evidence that a rule, threshold or product description is current.

Use this four-step update pass:

1. Record the exact version on your material. “Downloaded in July” is not a version number.
2. Compare the contents and update notes. Mark new, removed or renamed sections before rereading everything.
3. Recheck rules and examples against the new text. This matters most for RES 5, where a small wording change can alter the best answer to a scenario.
4. Reset affected practice questions. Reattempt questions from changed topics instead of trusting an old correct-answer streak.

For a practical review loop, use the CMFAS mock-question study plan: answer, inspect every miss, return to the exact concept, and retest with fresh questions.

What changes in your preparation by module

RES 5

RES 5 tests rules, ethics and advisory skills. Version changes deserve a focused review of duties, disclosures, suitability and conduct scenarios. Keep the official text beside your notes when a question depends on words such as “must”, “may”, “before” or “unless”. The RES 5 exam guide explains the current paper structure and its separate Part I and Part II passing requirements.

M9

M9 tests life insurance and investment-linked policy foundations. Update product mechanics, policy features and computational assumptions from the official version rather than copying an old summary forward. The M9 and M9A guide separates the M9 foundation from M9A’s structured-product and derivative emphasis.

HI

HI moves later than RES 5 and M9. Do not let the September date rush you into treating October material as already examinable. Keep MediShield Life, Integrated Shield Plans and riders in separate layers; the MediShield Life vs Integrated Shield Plan guide provides a conceptual refresher, while SCI remains the authority for the examination text.

A version-safe checklist for exam week

• Match the module code on your booking to the module code on your study text.
• Check the version or edition printed inside the material, not only its filename.
• Reopen SCI’s current notice seven days before the sitting.
• Ask compliance when your firm’s assigned module differs from what a general guide suggests.
• Treat third-party notes and practice questions as learning aids, not as authority over an SCI update.

CMFAS KAKI’s guides and questions are original revision aids. They do not reproduce confidential examination questions, and no short mock can guarantee readiness. Use the free six-question diagnostic to expose a few conceptual gaps, then verify all version-sensitive material against SCI before your actual sitting.