IBSL Intermediate in Applied Banking and Finance (IABF) Exam study plan

Map the Domain 1 syllabus into a one-page checklist of every operational area and mark each as known, shaky, or unknown

Define in your own words the core banking operations concepts (account opening and KYC, payment and settlement flows, clearing, reconciliation) without looking at notes

Build a glossary of 25 operational terms with a one-line definition and a real-world example for each

Identify the three Domain 1 sub-areas you scored weakest on in a self-audit and rank them by exam weighting

Trace a retail payment end to end from initiation through clearing to final settlement, writing each step and the control at each step

Explain the purpose and mechanics of reconciliation and how breaks are identified, investigated, and resolved

Compare at least four common banking operational risks and describe one control that mitigates each

Answer 20 self-written recall questions on payments and reconciliation and score yourself honestly

Outline the KYC and customer due diligence lifecycle, including onboarding, ongoing monitoring, and exit

Describe the key regulatory and compliance obligations that shape daily banking operations and where they bite in practice

Work through five short operational scenarios and state the correct action, the reason, and the risk if done wrong

List the internal controls and audit trails you would expect in a well-run operations function

Re-test yourself on all Domain 1 sub-areas and confirm each is now marked known on your checklist

Draft a condensed Domain 1 cheat sheet of no more than two pages covering only the areas you got wrong

Begin a Domain 2 concept map linking products, markets, and the finance vocabulary you already know

Complete a timed 30-question mixed set drawn from your own notes and review every miss

Define the core applied finance concepts (time value of money, interest and yield, risk and return) and apply each to a worked numeric example

Explain how the main banking products work, who uses them, and what risk each carries for the bank

Distinguish the roles of key financial markets and institutions and how they connect to a bank's balance sheet

Solve eight calculation problems on interest, yield, and simple valuation without reference material

Interpret the main items of a bank's financial statements and explain what each signals about performance and risk

Compute and interpret at least six core ratios (e.g. capital, liquidity, profitability, asset quality) from a sample set of figures

Explain the regulatory capital and liquidity framework at a conceptual level and why it exists

Summarize how credit, market, and operational risk are measured and managed in a bank

Synthesize Domains 1 and 2 by writing three short answers that connect an operational practice to an underlying finance or risk concept

Complete a timed 40-question mixed mock across both domains under exam conditions

Categorize every incorrect answer by root cause (knowledge gap, misread, calculation, guess) and target the top two causes

Re-study only the flagged weak areas and update both cheat sheets

Run two full timed mock exams and compare scores against your week 7 baseline

Drill the highest-frequency weak topics until you can explain each aloud from memory

Rehearse a 10-minute verbal walkthrough of the whole syllabus to expose any remaining gaps

Finalize a one-page master review sheet and plan your exam-day timing strategy