CSC CX Selection study plan

Map the Canadian regulatory architecture by writing a one-page table that places each regulator (provincial securities commissions, CSA, CIRO, OSFI, Bank of Canada, CDIC) next to its mandate and the conduct it polices

Compute price, yield, accrued interest, and clean versus dirty price for a bond on a settlement date that falls mid-coupon, working the calculation by hand before checking it

Distinguish money market instruments (T-bills, BA, commercial paper, repo) by issuer, term, and quoting convention, and recite how each is quoted and settled

Explain the dealer-to-client distribution chain for Government of Canada bonds, including primary dealers, auctions, and the secondary market

Derive the relationship between coupon, yield, and price direction, and demonstrate with three numerical examples why price falls when yields rise

Calculate duration and convexity for a sample bond and interpret what each says about interest rate risk, including the limits of duration for large yield moves

Classify equity securities (common, preferred, restricted, treasury) and explain voting rights, dividend treatment, and dilution effects

Compare the mechanics of a bought deal, a secondary offering, and a private placement from the issuer's and investor's perspective

Read a stock quote and compute market capitalization, P/E, dividend yield, and book value per share from a set of raw financial inputs

Explain the rights, obligations, and payoff profiles of calls, puts, buyers, and writers, and sketch payoff at expiry for four basic positions

Apply put-call parity to a numerical example and identify when a quoted price implies an arbitrage

Describe how futures and forwards differ in margining, standardization, and counterparty risk, and name the Canadian exchanges and clearing functions involved

Build a three-statement model skeleton (income statement, balance sheet, cash flow) from a raw trial balance and confirm the balance sheet ties

Compute the core ratios (current, quick, debt-to-equity, gross margin, ROE via DuPont) and state what each ratio reveals and where it misleads

Value a company using discounted cash flow and a comparable multiples approach, then reconcile why the two answers differ

Distinguish mutual fund, ETF, closed-end fund, hedge fund, and segregated fund structures by pricing, liquidity, fees, and tax treatment

Decompose a fund's Management Expense Ratio and explain the impact of a 1% fee difference on terminal wealth over 20 years with a worked calculation

Describe the mechanics and risks of structured products (principal-protected notes, index-linked notes) including credit risk, participation rate, and cap

Compute expected return and standard deviation for a two-asset portfolio at several correlation levels and interpret the diversification benefit

Explain the capital asset allocation decision and place an investor on the efficient frontier given a stated risk tolerance

Trace the transmission of a Bank of Canada policy rate change through money market rates, the yield curve, and equity valuations in a written causal chain

Distinguish the phases of the business cycle and state which asset classes historically lead, coincide, and lag in each phase

Interpret the yield curve shapes (normal, inverted, flat) and explain what each implies for credit and duration positioning

Apply a rebalancing rule to a model portfolio after a stated market move and calculate the trades required

Conduct a structured client discovery interview (role-play or written script) that surfaces objectives, time horizon, liquidity needs, and risk tolerance, and record the findings in a KYC summary

Apply the suitability standard to three client scenarios and justify each recommendation against the documented profile

Identify conflicts of interest, know-your-product obligations, and the handling of material non-public information in five short fact patterns

Distinguish the fiduciary and conduct standards that apply to registrants and explain how complaints and discipline flow through CIRO

Sit two full-length timed practice exams under exam conditions and score each by domain to expose weak areas

Re-study only the two weakest domains identified by the practice scores, using the earlier worksheets and notes

Recite from memory the key formulas (bond price/yield, duration, put-call parity, ratios, portfolio risk/return, fee drag) and confirm each against the source notes

Review the ethics and compliance fact patterns one final time, since conduct questions reward precision over recall