Study material
How to prepare for the CI exam
Mentors, pre-tests and a twelve-week plan covering both the performance and written exams.
How FFI advises candidates to prepare for the CI exam — and what that means week to week.
Work with a mentor
FFI’s own preparation page leads with this: the pass rate among candidates who have worked with a mentor is much higher than among those who have not. A mentor helps build a personalised preparation plan and assesses your progress against both the performance test and the written test standards, tells you what to expect on the day, and tells you when your skills and knowledge are sufficient to test.
Distance is not a blocker: video calls and video review make mentoring from afar effective. Find an Instructor, Mentor, or Examiner.
Sit pre-tests
A performance pre-test is a simulated exam run by one or more MCIs who know how the exam is conducted and what the standards are. Pre-tests give you the exam experience and detailed feedback on your readiness. FFI puts it plainly: “one or more positive pre-tests provide the most reliable indication of a candidate’s readiness to achieve CI Certification.”
Work from the current documents
- CI Study Guide (25 February 2025) — the primary preparation document, and the source for the written exam. See the study guide page.
- The 22 task pages — what each task requires and what examiners watch for.
- The paper exam page — the written syllabus and review questions.
- CI Exam FAQ — logistics, sequencing and retake rules.
- FFI Learning Center: Fly Casting and The Loop — the two resources FFI’s preparation page names as “a great resource”.
A preparation plan that covers both exams
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Weeks 1–2 | Read the study guide once. Set up your practice space with the course markings and film yourself from behind and the side. |
| Weeks 3–6 | One task family a week: loop control, line control, roll casts, accuracy, distance. Score yourself P / F / Borderline each session; two borderlines equal a fail. |
| Weeks 5–8 | Written-exam work in parallel: mechanics and the Five Essentials, then the Appendix D questions in writing. |
| Weeks 7–10 | Teaching practice with real beginners. Rehearse the verbal, visual and kinesthetic methods and the 6-step fault method. |
| Weeks 9–12 | Two or three pre-tests with MCIs. Fix whatever they flag; only book the exam when they say you are ready. |
| Final week | Equipment sorted, leader renewed, yarn fly tied, venue scouted, wind direction chosen — see Appendix E of the study guide. |
Unofficial notes; FFI’s preparation page and the study guide are the authority.
Compiled for personal study from FFI's public material; FFI's original documents remain the authority and are linked from this page.