Any pensions experts or Financial Advisers out there?

[PROBSNAIVE]

Hello all

I am studying for the CII R04 exam and have left it all very late. I am really struggling with the lifetime allowance questions (and a few more ). Anyone out there that has any experience of this exam?

Thank you

[bondgirl]

Hi

I've done J05 and G60 and have colleagues who have sat R04 in the last year or so. I think they all passed first time and found it ok - both time-wise and question-wise. Are you using Revisionmate and some of the online resources like Aviva Academy?

Good luck!!

[PROBSNAIVE]

Hi bondgirl
Thanks for your reply. Yes I am using the Aviva Academy and Revisionmate. I have also got the extra questions set. I have previously done CF1, FA1 and FA2 but am finding this one a bit more difficult. Good to hear your colleagues found it ok. Maybe there is hope!

[bondgirl]

I did a couple of the R0 papers (1 and 3) and both were fine although R03 was tight for time and there quite a lot of calculations. Pensions are just so extraordinarily complex - 2006 saw Pensions Simplification but an adviser still needs to know and understand everything that went before it, plus the Chancellor in his wisdom changes the rules at every budget. The result is even more complexity - no one gives a thought for us lot who have to keep up with it all

[PROBSNAIVE]

Yes very complex! I'm getting to the point where everything is becoming a blur! Also you know your revision isn't going well when you start getting answers that aren't even an option on the multiple choice

[PROBSNAIVE]

All those hours spent learning LTA calculations and not a single one came up in the exam today! But thankfully I passed!

[bondgirl]

Yay!! Well done Probsnaive! I hate that nail biting moment when you press the button at the end of the exam waiting for the result to pop up but it's a relief to get the result there and then - especially when you pass

[PROBSNAIVE]

Thank you! I was in shock! Couldn't quite believe it but very relieved