How to answer CeMAP case-study questions
A case study is a short client scenario followed by questions that all depend on it. In the new CeMAP they carry 30 of the 80 marks across FRE1 and FRE2, and all 60 in the final unit, so they decide a lot of results.
The format is from Walbrook's FSRE and CeMAP specifications. The advice and the example are our own. Checked 6 November 2026.
How they work
| FRE1 and FRE2 | 3 case studies × 5 linked questions: 15 of 40 marks each |
|---|---|
| MRT1 and MRT2 | No case studies: standalone questions only |
| ASEW or ASSC | 6 case studies × 10 linked questions: all 60 marks, in 2 hours |
Each question is still multiple choice, one answer from four, worth one mark. What changes is that the answer turns on the client's facts: their ages, whether they're married, how they own the house, what they've said they want.
A worked example
This is the first case study in our FRE1 mock, with its first two questions.
Priya and Tom. Priya (34) and Tom (36) are not married and are buying their first home together. They plan to own it as joint tenants. Priya has a son, Leo, aged 8, from a previous relationship. Neither of them has made a will. Tom’s father, Graham (71), was recently diagnosed with early-stage dementia but still has mental capacity, and wants Tom to be able to look after his money if he can no longer do so.
1. If Tom dies while they own the house as joint tenants, what happens to his share?
- A It passes to his father, Graham
- B It passes automatically to Priya
- C It passes to Leo
- D It is divided under the intestacy rules
B. Survivorship applies between joint tenants regardless of marriage or a will, so his share goes to Priya.
2. Suppose they owned the house as tenants in common instead, and Priya died without a will. Who would inherit her share under the intestacy rules?
- A Tom
- B Tom and Leo equally
- C Leo
- D The Crown
C. An unmarried partner has no right under the intestacy rules, so Priya’s share would pass to her child, Leo.
Question 1 rests on one fact from the scenario: they own the house as joint tenants, so the survivor takes it. Question 2 changes that fact, for that question only. As tenants in common, Priya's share passes under the intestacy rules, which give an unmarried partner nothing. Answer it as if they were still joint tenants and you'd pick Tom, and lose the mark.
A way through them
- Read the questions before the scenario. A quick look tells you which facts matter: ages, marital status, how property is owned, what the client wants.
- Read the scenario once, carefully, noting those facts. Most marks are lost to a detail read too fast, not to a rule you didn't know.
- Read every stem for changes. Words like “suppose”, “instead” or “if” mean the question has altered a fact for that question only.
- Name the rule, then apply it. Before you look at the options, say which rule the question turns on, such as survivorship or the intestacy order. Then pick the option that follows from the facts.
- Don't let one answer lead the next. Linked questions share facts, not answers. Treat each one fresh, so one mistake doesn't become two.
- Save time for them. In FRE1 and FRE2, aim to finish the 25 standalone questions with at least 25 minutes left.
Practise nothing but case studies
We're writing a case-study pack: sets for FRE1 and FRE2 timed like the real paper, and the final unit as it's sat, 6 case studies and 60 linked questions, with every answer explained.
Questions
- How many case studies are in CeMAP?
- FRE1 and FRE2 each end with 3 case studies of 5 linked questions, 15 of the 40 marks. The final unit, ASEW or ASSC, is all case studies: 6 of them, with 10 linked questions each, 60 marks in two hours.
- What is a linked question?
- A multiple-choice question that depends on a client scenario you read first. Each one still has four options and one right answer, but you need the scenario’s facts to choose it, and several questions draw on the same facts.
- How long should I spend on each case study?
- In FRE1 and FRE2 you have an hour for 40 questions, about 90 seconds each. A case study of 5 questions takes longer than 5 standalone ones because of the reading, so aim to finish part 1 with at least 25 minutes left for the 3 case studies.
- Are case-study questions harder?
- They test the same syllabus, but they ask you to apply a rule to one client’s facts rather than recall it, and one misread detail can cost you more than one mark. That’s why they’re worth practising on their own.
See where you stand
The free FRE1 mock is laid out like the real paper: 40 questions, 3 case studies, one hour, and your marks by learning outcome at the end.
Start the mock- FRE1 mock, paper 2Forty different questions in the same layout, for a second timed sitting once you have done the first.
- CeMAP study plannerYour start date and hours a week in; a plan for every unit and the date to sit each one out.
- Who inherits without a will?Answer a few questions about the family and see who inherits under the intestacy rules, and how much.
- Drill one learning outcomePick the criterion that cost you marks and answer only its questions, with each answer explained.
- The FRE1 exam: format, pass mark and what it testsHow the paper is laid out, the marks you need, and every assessment criterion in the syllabus.
- CeMAP changed in 2025: the five new unitsHow the old CeMAP 1, 2 and 3 map onto FRE1, FRE2, MRT1, MRT2 and the final unit.
- Remote exam checklist for CeMAPYour computer, room, ID and the day itself, as a list you can print and tick off.
- CeMAP or the CII route?The two main ways to qualify as a mortgage adviser in the UK, side by side.
- Is CeMAP hard?What actually trips candidates up in the new exams, and how much study it takes.
- Can you do CeMAP with no experience?Who can sit it, how long it takes from a standing start, and what comes after you pass.