Key facts
- 300Hours plans about 250 study hours for Part I of the FRM® Exam, spread over four to six months.
- From 2 November 2026, the May 2027 window, 8–13 May 2027 (check the official website), leaves 26 full weeks: 9.6 hours a week for 250 hours.
- A two-month sprint of 8 weeks needs 31.3 hours a week for 250 hours – more than the 28 hours of leisure a week US full-time workers averaged in 2025 (BLS).
- 300Hours gives 150–180 hours for a retake and 200–220 with a finance degree and some risk exposure – the cases where a sprint can fit.
- The last day to schedule the appointment for May 2027 is 23 April 2027 (check the official website); registering alone is not enough.
Part I of the FRM® Exam fits beside a full-time job if you give it five to six months at about 10 hours a week – 300Hours plans 250 study hours. From 2 November 2026, that points to the May 2027 window, 8–13 May 2027 (check the official website). A two-month sprint needs about 31 hours a week: realistic only for a retake, a strong background or with days of leave. (300Hours, Part I study guide (secondary source))
Studying for a risk exam after a day of risk work, or of any work, is tiring, and the evenings you give up are real. Part I is the first of the two parts of the FRM® Exam, run by GARP (GARP, FRM Exam information). Whether it works beside your job is mostly arithmetic: how many hours your week really holds, and whether the plan survives the weeks that go wrong. This page gives you the numbers, a weekly template, a plan to May 2027 and an honest look at the two-month sprint.
How many hours a week does Part I take beside a job?
300Hours recommends 250 hours spread over four to six months and says 10–15 hours a week over five to six months beats cramming 20 or more hours a week for three months (300Hours, Part I study guide (secondary source)). The total depends on where you start:
| Background | Hours | A week over 26 weeks | A week over 8 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance degree and some risk exposure | 200–220 | 7.7–8.5 | 25–27.5 |
| Finance professional without a risk background | 230–250 | 8.8–9.6 | 28.8–31.3 |
| No finance background | 260–300 | 10–11.5 | 32.5–37.5 |
| Retaking after a fail, focused on weak areas | 150–180 | 5.8–6.9 | 18.8–22.5 |
The hours are planning figures from a careers website, not a GARP requirement. The August 2027 window, 13–14 August 2027 (check the official website), leaves 40 weeks from the same start – 6.3 hours a week, room for a busy season at work.
Where do 10 hours a week come from?
In the US, full-time workers spent on average 3.99 hours a day on leisure and sports in 2025, about 28 hours a week (US BLS, American Time Use Survey 2025). In the UK, the median full-time employee is paid for 37.5 hours a week, before commuting (ONS, ASHE 2026 provisional, Table 14). 10 hours of study take about 36% of that average leisure time – noticeable, but it leaves most of your evenings. The study-time budget calculator does the same sum with your own job, commute, care and sleep.
| Day | Hours | What the session is for |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 1.5 | New material in the current area, then 10–15 questions |
| Tuesday | 1.5 | Questions on the commute or at lunch; note every wrong answer |
| Wednesday | – | Free evening – the reserve for a late meeting |
| Thursday | 1.5 | New material, then questions |
| Friday | – | Rest |
| Saturday | 3 | Long block: new material and a timed set of 20 questions |
| Sunday | 2.5 | Review of the week’s wrong answers and an earlier area; plan the next week |
Questions from the first week, and coming back to earlier areas at intervals, follow what learning research finds most effective (Dunlosky et al., 2013). 300Hours’ “learn-then-do” rule says the same: 20–30 questions straight after each topic (300Hours, Part I study guide (secondary source)).
What does a plan to May 2027 look like?
From 2 November 2026, 26 weeks at 10 hours give 260 hours. Split with the phase rule of our study planners (the Part I study planner does it for your own dates):
| Phase | Weeks | Hours | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Learn | 13 | 130 | The four areas in this order, hours by exam weight: Quantitative Analysis 26, Foundations of Risk Management 26, Financial Markets and Products 39, Valuation and Risk Models 39 |
| Catch-up | 2 | 20 | Whatever a busy week pushed back; no new material |
| Review | 7 | 70 | Mixed questions across all four areas, extra time for Quantitative Analysis |
| Mock exams | 4 | 40 | One timed mock of 100 questions a week, then every wrong answer |
300Hours suggests starting with Quantitative Analysis because the other areas build on it, and giving it more time than its 20% weight – the review weeks are the place for that (300Hours, Part I study guide (secondary source)). Formulas you will meet early are worked through in value at risk methods.
Is a two-month sprint realistic?
250 hours in 8 weeks is 31.3 hours a week – 112% of the average US full-time worker’s leisure time (US BLS, American Time Use Survey 2025). 300Hours calls cramming in two to three months possible but says it significantly increases the risk of failing (300Hours, Part I study guide (secondary source)). A sprint fits if the table above gives you far fewer hours – a retake or a finance degree with risk exposure – or if you can add leave. A sprint week of 25 hours covers 200 hours in 8 weeks; the other 50 hours of 250 need 7 days of leave at 8 hours.
Answer all five with yes, or choose a later window:
- Hours: does your week hold about 25 free hours, every week, for 8 weeks?
- Background: do you need nearer 150–220 hours than 250?
- Leave: can you take the days of leave the rest needs?
- Calendar: are the 8 weeks free of a busy season, other exams and long travel?
- Booking: have you registered and booked your appointment before the deadlines below?
| Window | Exam days | Sprint starts | Standard registration | Schedule by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2027 | 8–13 May 2027 (check the official website) | 13 March 2027 | 1 February – 31 March 2027 (check the official website) | 23 April 2027 (check the official website) |
| August 2027 | 13–14 August 2027 (check the official website) | 18 June 2027 | 1 May – 30 June 2027 (check the official website) | 30 July 2027 (check the official website) |
| November 2027 | 13–18 November 2027 (check the official website) | 18 September 2027 | check the official website | 29 October 2027 (check the official website) |
For May 2027, August 2027 and November 2027, the last day to schedule your appointment falls inside the sprint – book it in week one. Register before you begin. If the sprint goes wrong after all, GARP charges a deferral fee of US$250 (check the official website) to move a registration to a later window.
| Day | Hours | What the session is for |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 3 | 1 hour of questions before work, 2 hours of new material in the evening |
| Tuesday | 3 | As Monday |
| Wednesday | 3 | As Monday |
| Thursday | 3 | As Monday |
| Friday | 1 | Light evening: the week’s wrong answers |
| Saturday | 6.5 | Long block: new material, then a timed set |
| Sunday | 5.5 | Mixed review of earlier areas |
There is no free evening in this week. That is the price of a sprint, and the reason to keep it to 8 weeks.
What should you ask your employer?
- Does the firm pay the registration fee or study materials, and does that cover a second attempt?
- Is there study leave, or can you take exam day and a few days before it as leave?
- Does a reporting date, a model review or a regulatory deadline fall in your last six weeks?
- Could you shift your hours in the final month, for example starting and finishing earlier?
Which mistakes are common?
- Planning with a quiet week. Plan with a normal one and keep the catch-up weeks.
- Rushing Quantitative Analysis. 300Hours names it the most common Part I mistake (300Hours, Part I study guide (secondary source)).
- Leaving questions to the end. At about 144 seconds a question, speed comes from practice – the exam pace calculator gives you checkpoints.
- A late calculator. Practise on the model you will take in from the first week; the allowed models are on our calculators page.
- Missing the scheduling deadline. Registering is not the same as booking your appointment.
When should you get support?
If job and exam together leave you struggling to cope, change the plan early: fewer hours a week and a later window are not failure. In England, a GP can help, and you can refer yourself to NHS talking therapies if you are 18 or over; Samaritans answer on 116 123 if you need someone to talk to (NHS, stress). If your employer has an employee assistance programme, HR can tell you how to reach it. Results arrive within eight weeks after the exam window closes (check the official website).
What does this page cover?
- Last updated
- Based on
- Study-hour planning figures of 300Hours (secondary source)
- US BLS American Time Use Survey 2025 and ONS ASHE 2026 (provisional)
- Windows, registration periods, deadlines and the deferral fee from our fact register, linked to GARP
- Includes
- Hours a week by background, to May 2027 and in an eight-week sprint
- A 10-hour week, a plan to May 2027, sprint dates for 2027 and a sprint week
- Questions for your employer
- Not included
- A promise that 250 hours are enough for you
- Employment law, your employer’s policies or medical advice
Frequently asked questions
Can you prepare for Part I of the FRM® Exam while working full time?
Yes, with five to six months. 300Hours plans about 250 study hours; from 2 November 2026 to the May 2027 window that is 9.6 hours a week.
How many hours a week should I study for Part I beside a job?
300Hours says 10–15 hours a week over five to six months beats cramming 20 or more hours a week for three months. With a finance degree and some risk exposure it gives 200–220 hours in total, without a finance background 260–300.
Can I pass Part I with two months of study?
Only in some cases. 250 hours in 8 weeks is 31.3 hours a week, more than average leisure time; 300Hours says cramming in two to three months significantly increases the risk of failing. A sprint fits a retake (150–180 hours), a strong background (200–220 hours) or a plan with days of leave.
When would a two-month sprint start?
8 weeks before the first exam day: 13 March 2027 for May 2027 and 18 June 2027 for August 2027. Register first, and book the appointment by the scheduling deadline – 23 April 2027 (check the official website) for May.
Which area should I study first?
Quantitative Analysis. 300Hours suggests it first because the other areas build on it, and more time than its 20% weight.
What if I fall behind?
Use the catch-up weeks first. If that is not enough, a later window is better than a rushed exam; GARP charges a deferral fee of US$250 (check the official website) to move a registration.
Related tools and pages
Sources
- 300Hours (finance careers website, secondary source): FRM Part 1 Study Guide (2026): How to Pass First Time (4 June 2026). Accessed 30 October 2026.
- Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP): FRM Exam information: format and exam topics. Accessed 26 October 2026.
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain): American Time Use Survey — 2025 Results, Table 11A: Time spent in leisure and sports activities for the civilian population by selected characteristics, averages per day (25 June 2026). Accessed 30 October 2026.
- Office for National Statistics (Open Government Licence v3.0): Earnings and hours worked, occupation by four-digit SOC: ASHE Table 14 – 2026 provisional, Tables 14.7a (annual pay, gross), 14.7b (coefficients of variation) and 14.9a (paid hours worked, total), full-time employee jobs, United Kingdom (22 October 2026). Accessed 30 October 2026.
- Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J. & Willingham, D. T., Psychological Science in the Public Interest 14(1), 4–58: Improving students’ learning with effective learning techniques (2013).
- NHS (nhs.uk): Stress – symptoms, things you can try, and when to get help (GP, NHS talking therapies, NHS 111, Samaritans) (6 March 2026). Accessed 30 October 2026.
- Omni Finance Academy (exam prep provider, secondary source): FRM® exam dates: which deadline should you act on now? (21 October 2026). Accessed 30 October 2026.
- Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP): FRM Exam logistics and test dates. Accessed 26 October 2026.
- PrepProviders (comparison website, secondary source): FRM exam dates and fees, 2026 to 2027 (5 October 2026). Accessed 30 October 2026.
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