GIA Cert Governance & Risk study plan

Map the full Domain 1 syllabus into a one-page outline of governance principles, board and committee structures, and accountability lines

Define the core governance concepts in your own words and build a glossary of at least 25 terms with a worked example for each

Identify the primary source documents and standards that underpin governance expectations, and summarise each in three sentences

Complete 40 practice questions on governance fundamentals and log every error with its root cause

Explain how governance structures differ across entity types and describe the trade-offs of each model

Trace how policy is set, approved, implemented, and monitored through a three-lines-of-defence model

Draft a one-page board paper recommending a governance change, including rationale, risks, and approval route

Answer 40 scenario-based governance questions under timed conditions and score at least 75 percent

Analyse how remuneration, nomination, audit, and risk committees divide responsibilities and where they overlap

Evaluate director duties, independence criteria, and conflict-of-interest handling using two constructed case scenarios

Compare disclosure and reporting obligations across at least three regulatory or listing regimes

Produce a comparison table of governance codes and note where they converge and diverge

Synthesise Domain 1 into a single revision sheet that links principles to practical controls

Define risk appetite, risk tolerance, and risk capacity and show how each is expressed in a statement

Draft a risk appetite statement for a fictional organisation covering at least five risk categories

Complete a 50-question mixed mock exam and review every incorrect answer within 48 hours

Map the Domain 2 syllabus into risk identification, assessment, treatment, monitoring, and reporting stages

Apply a qualitative risk matrix and a quantitative scoring approach to ten constructed risks and compare the outputs

Calculate basic risk metrics such as expected loss, exposure, and residual risk after controls

Build a risk register with at least 15 entries, each with owner, likelihood, impact, controls, and residual rating

Classify and describe the main categories of risk including credit, market, operational, liquidity, conduct, and strategic risk

Evaluate at least six control techniques and justify selection for specific risk scenarios

Design a key risk indicator set with thresholds and escalation triggers for three risk categories

Explain how stress testing and scenario analysis complement routine risk monitoring

Analyse how risk reporting flows to the board and describe the qualities that make a report decision-useful

Connect risk management outputs back to governance oversight, showing where accountability sits for each control

Critique two weak risk reports and rewrite them to meet board-level reporting standards

Complete 50 timed mixed questions and score at least 75 percent

Consolidate both domains into a one-page concept map showing every link between governance structures and risk processes

Sit two full-length timed mock exams and score at least 80 percent on each

Review the accumulated error logs and re-test every previously missed concept until each is answered correctly twice

Rehearse concise verbal explanations of the ten weakest topics to confirm genuine understanding