Revealing the Pass Rate and Difficulty Level of the HKSI LE Exam

Many candidates who want to take the HKSI LE securities exam will be shocked after seeing the pass rate statistics released by HKSI, and hold back from taking the exam. Below, let’s reveal the relationship between the pass rate and difficulty of the LE exam!

HKSI LE can be divided into three types of test papers:

Paper 1 – a compulsory test for almost everyone

Papers 2-6 – papers required to be taken as an RO

Papers 7-12 – papers to be taken before becoming a Representative (entry to the industry)

**Note: Although there are 14 different papers for the LE, in general you don’t need to finish all 14 papers.

If you compare the pass rate of the HKSI LE papers in the past 12 months, you will find

1. Paper 9 has the lowest pass rate, and the pass rates each month can be very different. For example, paper 9’s pass rate in April 2021 is 27.03%, but the pass rate in October 2020 was 88%
2. The pass rate of paper 1 is about 50%
3. paper 7, 8, 12 about 60-70%
4. The pass rate of RO papers are relatively high, about 70-80%

So the difficulty level should be ranked from high to low in this order: paper 9 > paper 1 > papers 7, 8, 12 > papers 2-6? Is that true?

Of course it’s not that simple.

It is a recognized fact that paper 9 is difficult for most people. Many people think that paper 9 is the Killer Paper. We think it depends on luck. Because the number of exam sessions in Paper 9 is relatively less frequent, and questions in each session are randomly selected, it can be extremely difficult sometimes, and easier sometimes. Students who don’t want to try their luck have to work harder. 

The reason why the pass rate of Paper 1 is relatively low is not because of its difficulty, but because there are different kinds of people who have to take the test of Paper 1. Some of them may be relatively weak at taking exams, lowering the pass rate as a result. In fact, paper 1 just needs a lot of memorisation of concepts, and it is not particularly difficult. On the contrary, Papers 7, 8, 12 need calculation in some questions, which should be more difficult for some students with poor mathematics skills compared to paper 1. However, the silver lining is that mathematical questions are more direct, and at least the answer can be obtained by calculation, without guessing the logic of the exam question writer.

As for the RO papers, the higher pass rates of papers 2-6 are actually due to the fact that most of the exam takers already have a certain foundation in the industry. Thus, they have a deep understanding of the products, regulatory framework, and most of the contents that will be tested on the exam. Therefore, these papers are not particularly difficult. 

However, hurdles are inevitable. What you have to do is to try your best to meet the standard, and don’t be deterred by fear of difficulties! Go for it! 

HKSI official pass rate figures can refer to:

Suggested Study Method

We suggest the candidate prepare for the examination by the following steps:

1. Study 1 chapter in the study manual

2. Finish the relevant topic in the Pass Paper Question Bank

By spending 20-25 hours doing the revision, about 80% of our candidates can pass the exam in their first attempt.

Reference

HKSI LE Exam Registration

HKSI Portal Login：

Study Materials：

www.2cexam.com.hk

www.hksiiiqepasspaper.online

Video Classes：

How can we help?

2CExam provides HKSI LE, IIQE, EAQE and SQE related exam preparation materials. We sell mock question banks for HKSI LE Papers 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12 in Chinese and English; and bibles for HKSI LE Papers 1, 2, 6, 7, 8 in Chinese. We also offer 1 on 1 tutorial services. Besides, we have also made free tutorial videos for HKSI LE Papers 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12 and posted them on public channels such as Youtube/ Bilibili/ Tencent/ Iqiyi. 2CExam has been an exam training expert for years. Should you need any help please visit www.2cexam.com.hk or contact us through:

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