CME-2B Exam: Syllabus, Fees, Pass Mark and Retake Rules | Hespah LLC [Skip to main content](#main-content)[![Hespah LLC](https://centralcdn.hespah.com/home_logolight_file2png.webp)](/en)Search More [Home](/en) [Learning Hub](/en/courses) [About us](https://hespah.com/who-we-are) [Blog](/en/blog) [Contact Us](/en/contact) Login[New Account](/en/register) 1. [Home](/en) / 2. [Blog](/en/blog) / 3. CME-2B Exam: The Complete Guide for Compliance and AML CME-2B Exam: The Complete Guide for Compliance and AML ====================================================== 2026-10-08 / 2 weeks ago A compliance officer at a Saudi capital market institution needs **three** qualification exams to register with the Capital Market Authority, while every other registrable function needs two. The last of the three is the CME-2B exam — the shortest on the clock, and the oddest in syllabus weighting. What is the CME-2B exam? ------------------------ The CME-2B exam is the Saudi regulatory half of the Compliance, Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism qualification approved by the Capital Market Authority. It tests your knowledge of the CMA's implementing regulations. It runs for 30 minutes, the pass mark is 17 marks, and the Financial Academy delivers it with the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment. Its full name in CMA documents reads: "Saudi Capital Market Rules and Regulations – Compliance, Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism." Its technical counterpart is CME-2A, Global Financial Compliance, and the two together form a single qualification. Therefore passing one of them alone does not earn the professional certificate. ![The three exams for the Saudi compliance function: CME-1B, CME-2A and CME-2B](https://centralcdn.hespah.com/uploads/emils/17914806780.jpeg "Three exams for the compliance function") Why does the compliance function require three exams, not two? -------------------------------------------------------------- This is the first surprise candidates hit. Every registrable function in the Saudi capital market asks for two exams: a technical paper and a regulatory one. For example, a securities broker needs only CME-3A and CME-3B. The compliance, AML and CTF function, however, asks for three: 1. **CME-1B** — General Saudi Capital Market Rules and Regulations. We cover it separately in our [full guide to the CME-1B exam](https://hespah.com/en/blog/cme-1b-guide). 2. **CME-2A** — Global Financial Compliance, delivered by the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment. 3. **CME-2B** — the Saudi regulatory paper, delivered by the Financial Academy. The logic holds up. First, a compliance officer needs the international framework for managing financial crime risk. Second, they need the general legislative base of the Saudi market. Finally come the regulatory details specific to their own function. If you want the technical-versus-regulatory split spelled out, read [the difference between CME-1A and CME-1B](https://hespah.com/en/blog/cme-1a-vs-cme-1b). One sentence carries the whole requirement. Paragraph (D) of Article 21 of the Capital Market Institutions Regulations, titled "Requirements for Application for Registration," states that "an applicant for registration must have passed the qualification examinations required by the Authority, or secured an exemption from the Authority from such requirement." Official CME-2B exam specifications ----------------------------------- Item CME-2B CME-2A Type Regulatory Technical Exam duration 30 minutes 120 minutes Pass mark 17 marks 70 marks Delivered by Financial Academy Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment Language Arabic and English Arabic and English Published fee SAR 1,700 SAR 2,100 Notice the gap in timing: half an hour against two hours. Even so, the exam page does not publish the total number of questions. Therefore do not build a study plan on a figure copied from a forum or a training centre, because the only confirmed number is that 17 marks is the pass threshold. The CME-2B syllabus: seven chapters, unexpected weights ------------------------------------------------------- The Financial Academy publishes the chapter weights openly, and they are the strongest card in a candidate's hand: Chapter Weight Capital Market Institutions Regulations 20% Anti-Money Laundering Law 20% Investment Funds Regulations 16% Market Conduct Regulations 12% Corporate finance 12% Combating terrorism crimes and their financing 12% Investment Accounts Instructions 8% What most CME-2B candidates miss -------------------------------- Read the table again. The two chapters on money laundering and terrorist financing carry 32% of the exam. In other words, 68% of it is pure capital market regulation: institutions, funds, conduct, corporate finance and investment accounts. The practical consequence is blunt: anyone who studies only "money laundering" fails. The exam name suggests a narrow specialism, whereas its real centre of gravity sits in the implementing regulations. Moreover, the Investment Funds Regulations alone carry 16% — double the Investment Accounts Instructions. Therefore skipping them is an expensive mistake, and a common one among compliance staff who never touch funds. ![The seven CME-2B syllabus weights from 20% down to 8%](https://centralcdn.hespah.com/uploads/emils/17914806781.jpeg "CME-2B syllabus weights") CME-2B fees: two official figures that do not match --------------------------------------------------- Precision matters here. The CMA's Qualification Examinations Guide lists one fee, while the registration page at the Financial Academy publishes another: Exam Guide — first registration Guide — re-registration Registration page today CME-1B SAR 1,100 SAR 950 SAR 1,100 CME-2A SAR 1,600 SAR 1,200 SAR 2,100 CME-2B SAR 900 SAR 700 SAR 1,700 The guide totals the two level-two exams at SAR 2,500 for first registration and SAR 1,900 for re-registration. The registration page, however, decides what you actually pay, since it is the figure that governs at the moment of settlement. So check the number on the page before every registration. Accordingly, never budget team-wide training on figures from a guide published in October 2022. HRDF (Hadaf) support pays for both exams or neither --------------------------------------------------- The Human Resources Development Fund supports this qualification, but its condition is sharp. The exam page states that support "is not granted for passing one of the two exams separately; it is earned after passing both exams and completing the requirements for obtaining the certificate," along with submitting the qualification certificate. Put plainly: a candidate who clears CME-2B and then stalls on CME-2A recovers nothing until they finish. Consequently, do not leave long months between the two papers, because the gap costs you money and retained knowledge at once. Registration conditions and the documents you need -------------------------------------------------- The Authority sets no academic prerequisite, and the exams are open to Saudis and non-Saudis alike. The CME-2B page lists no prior certificate, no prior training programme and no registration prerequisites. The professional examinations policy, however, adds details many candidates overlook: 1. **No registration for anyone who has already passed the same exam**, unless the exam owner states otherwise in writing. 2. **Fees are paid in full and in advance**, and are non-refundable once registration is confirmed, unless the Academy itself cancels the exam. 3. **Rescheduling carries a fee**, must be requested at least 3 working days before the appointment, and cannot extend beyond 6 months from the previous booking date. 4. **Admission document**: a valid national ID or iqama, a temporary document issued by the Passports Directorate, or a valid passport. CME-2B retake rules ------------------- Because the Financial Academy itself delivers this paper rather than the international partner, the local retake rules apply to CME-2B directly: 1. **A maximum of 6 attempts within 12 months**, counted from the date of the first sitting rather than from the start of the calendar year. 2. **No waiting interval** between attempts one through three. 3. **Two mandatory calendar weeks** between each attempt after the third and up to the sixth. 4. Once attempts run out, an **electronic exception request** goes to the Professional Certifications Committee. 5. **A fee applies to every attempt**, without exception. One detail deserves attention: failing to show up consumes the full fee, yet it **does not count as an attempt**. Whereas a candidate who arrives after the exam has started risks being refused entry to the hall. Accordingly, arrive 30 minutes early to clear the admission procedures. Where are Financial Academy exams held? --------------------------------------- Five centres: Riyadh at the King Abdullah Financial District, plus Jeddah, Abha, Dammam and Hail. Therefore anyone working outside these cities needs travel cost inside the exam budget, especially with more than one attempt. The study material and its validity window ------------------------------------------ The CME-2B study material comes in Arabic and English. Its first edition dates to October 2022 and relates to syllabus version 1, and its opening page states that it covers exams taken **between 1 February 2023 and 31 December 2026**. That date is a scheduling decision, not a footnote. Therefore anyone planning to sit the paper should track syllabus updates on the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment website, because a new syllabus version means different material and different questions. At Hespah Academy we build capital market exam content on the edition in force at the time of sitting, and you will find our other guides in the [professional certifications section](https://hespah.com/en/blog/section/professional-certifications) and our programmes on the [courses page](https://hespah.com/en/courses). Frequently asked questions about the CME-2B exam ------------------------------------------------ ### Is the CME-2B exam enough on its own to register in a compliance role? No. The compliance, AML and CTF function requires three exams: CME-1B, CME-2A and CME-2B. Therefore passing one of them does not complete the registration requirement with the Authority. ### I hold the old CME-2 certificate — must I resit? No. Anyone who passed the CMA's previous qualification examinations remains qualified to register according to each registrable function's requirements, with no need for the new package. Likewise, the previously issued CME-4A and CME-5A certificates remain valid. ### What is the best order to take the exams in? The Authority imposes no order, since no prior certificate is required to sit CME-2B. Starting with CME-1B is the practical choice, though, because the general paper builds the legislative ground that the specialised regulatory paper assumes. ### Does the exam differ between Arabic and English? Both languages are available, and the study material is published in both. So pick the language you read the regulatory text in, not the language you speak at work. ### When do I rely on the guide and when on the registration page? The Qualification Examinations Guide is the reference for exam structure and the requirements of each function. For fees, duration, pass mark and chapter weights, rely on the exam page at the Financial Academy, since that updates first. Official sources ---------------- - [Capital Market Authority — Qualification Examinations](https://cma.gov.sa/en/AboutCMA/CME/Pages/default.aspx) - [CMA Qualification Examinations Guide (PDF)](https://cma.gov.sa/en/AboutCMA/CME/Documents/CMEExamsGuidelineEN.pdf) - [Financial Academy — CME-2B exam page](https://fa.gov.sa/Services/ExamDetails/8e291c8e-034a-4217-9e9d-af0d00b22d7b) *This article is for general information only. It does not replace reviewing the official sources or consulting a specialist before taking any action.* Articles you might like ----------------------- [![Management Discussion in the Board Report: the CMA Draft](https://centralcdn.hespah.com/249/conversions/cover-sm.webp)2026-10-24 ### Management Discussion in the Board Report: the CMA Draft The CMA draft requires a separate management discussion section in listed companies' annual Board report. 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