My R01 Journey: Studying, Working Full Time, and Passing!

After graduating from university in 2022, I thought the days of sitting exams were behind me. So, when I joined Redmill Advance and started looking into sitting the R01 Financial Services Regulation and Ethics exam it felt very daunting. The financial advice world was completely new to me, and I knew it was going to be a challenge getting back into the studying mindset, especially while working full time. Finding the balance between work, revision, and having a social life wasn’t easy, but I’m happy to say it was worth it and I passed first time!

Obviously, as a Redmill employee I chose to exclusively use our own material for my core learning and this gave me the opportunity to see first-hand the experience that our students have when studying with us. The content was well structured and clearly aligned to the syllabus, which made it easier to stay focused and confident that I was covering everything required for the exam. The volume of information within the track means that there was no need for me to purchase the CII textbook to achieve the pass I was aiming for.  

One thing I really liked about the Redmill content was the variety of learning materials available. Some days I would sit down and work through the written notes, other times I’d use the videos for a quick recap when I was short on time after work. Having different formats meant I could adapt my studying around my schedule, and it makes the content more accessible for different learning styles.

Alongside the main learning materials, I also used our Exam Angel app for extra question practice. I won’t lie, the questions were a lot harder than those on the learning track, and at times they tested my confidence. But looking back, that was exactly what made it so useful. It pushed me to really understand the content and prepared me well for the style and difficulty of the actual exam. I will definitely be using this for my future exams.

Studying while working full-time was tough, but with the right materials and continuing support from my Redmill team, it was manageable. I would strongly recommend a varied study approach backed by solid core material and challenging question practice to anyone preparing for this exam and Redmill Advance provides it all!  

Passing the R01 exam was a huge achievement for me. It showed me that if you are willing to put the time in and stay consistent, even alongside a full time role, it’s absolutely doable.

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