Risk and Compliance
ICA Certificate in Risk and Compliance
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Cheat sheet
Keep the key ideas within reach.
ExploreKey terms
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ExploreStudy plan
Give each week a clear focus.
ExploreCommon mistakes
Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
ExploreCase studies
Put your knowledge to work in context.
ExploreExam-day guide
Prepare for the day ahead.
ExploreAbout this exam
The ICA Certificate in Risk and Compliance is a professional qualification offered by the International Compliance Association (ICA), a body that describes itself as the leading professional body for the global regulatory and financial crime compliance community and states that it has trained over 190,000 professionals and serves more than 30,000 members across 155 countries. The credential sits within ICA's Governance, Risk and Compliance subject area, one of the subject areas listed on the ICA site alongside Anti Money Laundering, Financial Crime Prevention, Customer Due Diligence/KYC, Managing Sanctions Risk and Cyber Risk. It is aimed at professionals whose responsibilities touch regulatory compliance, risk control and governance, including those building a foundational understanding before progressing to advanced study. An advanced-level variant, the ICA Advanced Certificate in Risk and Compliance, is also referenced in the qualification landscape. Because the dedicated qualification pages for both the Certificate and the Advanced Certificate returned "404 Page not found" when checked, this page cannot confirm assessment format, question count, duration, pass mark, fees, retake rules or validity period; those details should be verified directly with ICA through its qualifications pages, quick course finder or assessment guidance. Preparation should combine study of governance, risk and compliance principles with ICA's published assessment guidance and, where available, ICA short courses and webinars. This page is independent study material and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by ICA.
What you'll study
About Risk and Compliance preparation
Who offers the ICA Certificate in Risk and Compliance?
It is offered by the International Compliance Association, which describes itself as the leading professional body for the global regulatory and financial crime compliance community. ICA lists Governance, Risk and Compliance as one of its subject areas. This page is independent and not affiliated with ICA.
What does the exam cover?
The qualification sits in ICA's Governance, Risk and Compliance subject area. ICA's site does not publish a syllabus on the pages checked, so candidates should confirm the current module list and learning outcomes through ICA's qualifications pages, quick course finder or assessment guidance before planning study.
How long is the exam and how many questions are there?
We could not confirm this. Both qualification pages returned a 404 error when checked, so question count, duration and format are unknown here. Treat any figure you see elsewhere as unverified and confirm directly with ICA before booking.
What is the pass mark?
Not confirmed. No pass mark, grade boundary or scoring method appears in the source material available to us. ICA publishes assessment guidance on its site, which is the appropriate place to check current pass requirements for this qualification.
How much does it cost and can I retake it?
Fees and retake policy could not be verified because the qualification pages were unavailable. ICA's site includes a cart and checkout facility, so pricing is transacted there. Contact ICA directly for current fees, resit rules and any time limits on reattempts.
How should I order my study?
Start with the governance, risk and compliance fundamentals: the three-lines model, risk appetite and tolerance, control frameworks and the compliance function's role. Then move to risk management technique: identification, assessment, treatment and monitoring. Finish with regulatory expectations and case-style application before attempting practice questions.
What are common failure modes?
Typical weaknesses are confusing risk appetite with risk tolerance, treating the three lines of defence as job titles rather than assurance layers, describing controls without linking them to specific risks, and giving generic answers where the question asks for applied judgement. Practise explaining why a control reduces a named risk.
Is this page official ICA material?
No. This is independent study content produced by a third-party platform. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the International Compliance Association. Always rely on ICA's own published guidance for definitive rules on format, fees and assessment.
Where can I verify current details?
Use ICA's own site: the qualifications section, the quick course finder, the Governance, Risk and Compliance subject area page and the assessment guidance page. Because the dedicated qualification URLs returned errors when checked, navigate from the homepage rather than relying on saved links.