CISI International Introduction to Securities Past Papers: What Exists (2026)

Candidates come to this paper from most of the world: it is common in the Gulf, often a first qualification, and often sat in a second or third language. The exam is usually employer-funded, the date is fixed before the revision starts, and the search for past papers follows. CISI does not publish them for this unit and never has. It publishes the workbook, currently edition 18, and one free specimen paper.

The paper you are preparing for

The 50 questions are split across ten elements and no single one dominates. Equities/Stocks is the largest at 9 and Bonds next at 7, so 16 of the 50 marks, almost a third. Investment Funds takes 6, Other Markets and Investments and Regulation and Ethics 5 each, the Economic Environment, Derivatives and Other Financial Products 4 each, Introduction and Financial Advice 3 each. Those last two are 6 marks of the 35 you need. For the element-by-element detail, see the International Introduction to Securities exam guide.

What official material exists

Two things, so you can stop hunting for a third. The first is the CISI workbook for this unit, currently edition 18. The second is a free specimen paper, which shows how the questions and their four options are worded. Sit it once under the clock, but treat it as a sample rather than a mock: once you have seen the answers you cannot sit it cold again.

Why old material is a poor shortcut

The first problem is age. Edition 18 supersedes what came before it, so an older question can test a market practice or a rule that has since been rewritten, with nothing in the file to say so. Unchecked answer keys are worse: an answer you marked correct yourself is the one mistake revision cannot find.

The second problem is one word, and it is the bigger trap. CISI examines two papers with nearly the same name, and this is the international one: 50 questions, one hour, its own workbook. The other is the UK Introduction to Securities & Investment, with its own workbook, its own examiner and a UK-centred syllabus. Revise in Dubai or Mumbai from the UK book and you will meet UK regulators and UK tax wrappers that are not on your syllabus, and miss material that is.

Search results mix the two, so check the cover before you buy, especially second hand from a marketplace rather than from CISI. The title on the front must begin with the word International. The edition should read 18. And because the two units number their editions separately, the edition number on its own proves nothing: without International in the title it is the wrong book. If the listing photograph does not show the front, ask the seller for one.

The alternative: current, weighted mock papers

Passkey gives this paper five full mock papers, each 50 questions in 60 minutes and weighted like the real one: 9 on equities, 7 on bonds, down to 3 each on the introduction and financial advice. Four papers of 50 come out of a bank of 500, so you can sit all four without repeating a question and still have 300 left for practice mode, which sorts by your weak elements. No mock score predicts a result. What a weighted mock shows is which elements still cost you marks with the clock running. To find those first, start with the Introduction diagnostic.

Every revision resource for this paper, in one list

• The CISI workbook for the international unit, edition 18, and the free CISI specimen paper. Check for the word International on the cover before buying used.
• Passkey: 500 questions, four weighted 50-question mocks, 56 study-note sections, 479 flashcards and weak-spot tracking. £59 once covers every supported exam for 90 days.
• Free practice questions for this paper, and the question banks for every paper we cover.
• The International Introduction to Securities exam guide, element by element, including where the marks are lost.
• The Introduction diagnostic, for deciding what to revise first, and the complete guide to passing CISI exams.

Passkey is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or accredited by the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment. For the picture across every paper, see CISI past papers: what's actually available.

Sit a whole paper for free. The free 50-question mock exam runs to the real time limit and the real element weighting, with a score, an element breakdown and an explanation for every answer. No sign-up.