ISCEBS Fellow study plan

Map the full health-benefits domain outline into a one-page topic tree covering plan types, funding vehicles, cost-sharing, eligibility, and compliance

Define and contrast the core plan structures (indemnity, PPO, HMO, POS, HDHP with HSA/HRA/FSA) in your own words without notes

Identify the statutory and regulatory framework that governs U.S. group health plans and note which rules drive design decisions

Build a personal glossary of at least 40 health-benefits terms with a one-line plain-language definition for each

Calculate employee cost-sharing outcomes for deductible, coinsurance, out-of-pocket maximum, and embedded versus aggregate family limits in worked examples

Explain how pharmacy benefit design, formulary tiers, and utilization management tools change plan cost and member behavior

Compare self-funded versus fully insured financing, including stop-loss attachment points and the role of a third-party administrator

Draft the compliance checklist a plan sponsor must satisfy for a mid-year plan change

Analyze consumer-directed account mechanics, including contribution limits, eligibility, portability, and the rules that separate HSA, HRA, and FSA

Evaluate care-management and wellness program designs against engagement, privacy, and nondiscrimination constraints

Diagnose common causes of health-plan cost trend and match each cause to a plausible mitigation strategy

Practice 30 scenario-based health-benefits questions under timed conditions and log every miss by root cause

Map the retirement-benefits domain into a topic tree covering plan types, funding, vesting, distribution rules, and governance

Contrast defined benefit and defined contribution designs on risk allocation, cost volatility, and workforce implications

Explain qualified plan qualification requirements and how they shape eligibility, coverage, and nondiscrimination testing

Compute basic vesting, accrual, and benefit-formula outcomes for both a DB and a DC example

Distinguish the contribution limits, catch-up rules, and compensation caps that apply to each plan type

Explain distribution and taxation rules, including rollovers, required minimum distributions, and early-distribution penalties

Evaluate fiduciary duties and the governance process a plan sponsor must follow when selecting and monitoring service providers and investments

Compare nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements with qualified plans on funding, security, and tax timing

Integrate the cross-cutting topics that span both health and retirement plans, including fiduciary responsibility, plan administration, and vendor oversight

Explain how benefits interact with employment law, leaves, and workforce classification decisions

Analyze benefits communication and employee-decision strategy, including enrollment design and default effects

Evaluate benefits data, benchmarking, and financial reporting as tools for plan governance

Map the Canadian benefits domain into a topic tree covering public health coverage, employer group plans, retirement income systems, and provincial variation

Contrast Canadian public and private coverage structures with the U.S. model at the level of funding, eligibility, and portability

Explain the Canadian retirement income framework, including public pension layers, registered plans, and workplace plan types

Identify the provincial and federal regulatory differences that change plan design across Canadian jurisdictions

Reconstruct all four domain topic trees from memory and correct gaps against your saved notes

Re-drill every item in your accumulated error log until each is answered correctly with a stated rationale

Complete two full-length timed mixed practice exams and record domain-level accuracy for each

Write a final one-page decision framework for scenario questions covering cost-sharing math, plan design tradeoffs, and fiduciary reasoning