CGSS study plan

Map the core elements of a sanctions compliance program (policy, procedures, controls, training, audit, remediation) and rank them by exam weight

Draft a written risk-assessment methodology that scores customer, product, channel, geography, and transaction risk

Define governance roles: board and senior management oversight, sanctions compliance officer authority, and escalation paths

Distinguish first-line, second-line, and third-line responsibilities in a sanctions control environment

Build a policy-to-control traceability table linking each written requirement to a named control and control owner

Design a training program that differentiates role-based content for front office, operations, and screening analysts

Construct a testing and audit calendar covering independent review frequency and sample-selection logic

Identify the legal hierarchy of sanctions authorities (statutes, executive orders, regulations, general licenses) and where program obligations originate

Explain the jurisdictional reach of primary and secondary sanctions and apply it to three hypothetical fact patterns

Differentiate asset freezes from trade restrictions and prohibitions on dealing in blocked property

Classify conduct as prohibited, authorized by general license, or requiring a specific license

Interpret key defined terms (blocked person, 50 percent rule concept, facilitation, dealing) and apply them in short scenario answers

Outline recordkeeping, reporting, and voluntary self-disclosure obligations with their triggers

Compare the structure, scope, and listing mechanics of at least four major sanctions programs by jurisdiction and target type

Diagram the listing and designation process, including how designations propagate to owned or controlled entities

Identify sectoral versus comprehensive restrictions and the compliance implications of each

Map at least three national or supranational regimes and note where their requirements diverge or overlap

Translate each program's prohibitions into concrete screening list requirements and data fields

Specify matching logic: exact versus fuzzy matching, threshold tuning, secondary identifiers, and transliteration handling

Define list management controls including update frequency, version control, and back-screening after list changes

Design the four screening moments (onboarding, payment, counterparty/trade, periodic rescreen) and state the decision rule at each

Write an alert triage procedure that separates true matches, false positives, and indeterminate results with defined SLA timelines

Draft an investigation checklist covering ownership and control tracing, vessel or shipment review, and adverse media corroboration

Construct a monitoring scenario set from red flags such as third-country payments, unusual routing, and dual-use goods indicators

Explain alert disposition documentation standards needed to withstand examiner review

Identify common evasion typologies including ownership obfuscation, transshipment, invoice manipulation, and use of intermediaries

Diagnose enforcement patterns: strict-liability tendencies, penalty aggravators and mitigators, and the value of self-disclosure

Evaluate emerging risk areas such as new payment rails, virtual assets, and shifting designation regimes

Recommend control enhancements that address each typology you identified

Synthesize all five domains into an integrated case study that moves from risk assessment through screening, investigation, and remediation

Re-test weak objectives identified in earlier milestones and close gaps

Practice timed, scenario-based questions under exam conditions and review every missed item for the underlying rule