CGSC study plan

Define the core sanctions concepts (targeted vs. comprehensive, primary vs. secondary) and write them in your own words

Map the main sanctions regimes (UN, EU, UK/OFSI, US/OFAC) and identify who issues and enforces each

Build a personal glossary of 25+ sanctions terms with one-sentence definitions

Identify which regime your own organisation or a chosen case study is most exposed to

Explain how sanctions lists are structured (SDN vs. consolidated lists, identifiers, aliases)

Practice matching a fictitious party against a list and justify match/no-match decisions

Distinguish true matches from false positives using identifiers such as DOB, nationality, and address

Describe escalation steps when a potential match is confirmed

Describe ownership and control tests (e.g., 50% rule) and apply them to a fictitious corporate structure

Trace beneficial ownership through two layers of a holding structure

Identify red flags indicating sanctions evasion through ownership obfuscation

Explain how control can exist without majority ownership

List common evasion typologies (trade-based, third-country transshipment, crypto, front companies)

Analyse a fictitious trade transaction for red flags and document the reasoning

Explain the role of due diligence in detecting circumvention

Connect typologies to the controls that would mitigate them

Outline the core elements of a sanctions compliance programme (policy, risk assessment, controls, governance)

Draft a sanctions policy outline with scope, prohibitions, and escalation paths

Describe how a sanctions risk assessment is scoped and scored

Identify governance roles and accountability lines in a programme

Design screening controls (customer, transaction, and list management) with tuning and thresholds

Define training, monitoring, and testing activities for a programme

Describe recordkeeping and audit requirements

Explain how to handle a sanctions hit end-to-end (block, freeze, report)

Integrate domain 1 risk concepts into the domain 2 programme design

Write a short internal memo recommending programme enhancements based on identified gaps

Practice 30 mixed-domain practice questions and log every miss with a root cause

Re-teach your two weakest topics aloud or in writing without notes

Complete a full timed mock exam under exam conditions

Review every incorrect answer and close knowledge gaps in your notes

Re-drill the highest-frequency weak areas from weeks 1-7

Build a one-page pre-exam cheat sheet of formulas, rules, and definitions