NISM Series VA: Mutual Fund Distributor Examination aims to establish a benchmark for a basic minimum knowledge for all the individuals engaged in the sale and distribution of mutual funds, including:

• Distributors of individual mutual funds
• Employees of companies involved in the selling and distribution of mutual funds
• Employees of wealth management firms specifically engaged in the selling and distribution of mutual fund.

The test consists of 100 questions of 1 mark each and has a duration of 2 hours. The passing score for the exam is 50%. No negative marking shall be given.

Candidates can register for the exam by accessing the below-mentioned website.

For registration, the applicant would need to fill the basic details, such as name, date of birth, occupation, education etc. Along with that, the applicant needs to upload a scanned copy of PAN Card & photograph. Upon completion, the candidate will receive an NISM registration number and an account activation link.

After activating the account, the applicants will need to pick a test venue, date and time slot of their choice on the NISM website.

Here is a step-by-step guide to registering for an NISM VA Certification exam:

• Go to the NISM website and register your account.
• Fill in all the required details and upload the required documents. It takes about three days for a profile to get approved.
• Post approval, log into your NISM account and book NISM Series VA examination. This entails entering date, time and city of examination. You can also opt for an online examination.
• Pay the fee of INR 1500.

On exam day:

Whenever the applicant arrives for the examination at the designated testing center, the invigilator will verify his / her identity by checking the admit card and an original identity proof, which can be any one of PAN Card, Driving License, Passport, College ID Card, Employee ID Card, UID etc. The invigilator lets the applicant appear for the exam when he is comfortable after checking the documents.

The fees applicable to “NISM VA: Mutual Fund Distributors Examination” is Rs.1,500+GST.

On successfully passing the exam, the candidate is expected to:

• Know the basics of the mutual funds, their function and structure, various types of mutual fund schemes and their characteristics
• Understand the distribution of mutual funds in the markets, how to analyze the MF schemes and how to recommend suitable products to customers and prospective investors.
• Get an orientation to the legalities, accounting, valuation and tax aspects that underlie mutual funds and their distribution process.
• Get to know financial planning as an approach to investing in mutual funds, as an opportunity for the MF distributors to establish long-term relationships with their customers.

If you are registered on the NISM website for the test, you will receive a workbook with full syllabus and related content. The workbook is fully comprehensive and covers the whole syllabus.

Here are few tips to prepare for the exam:

• Perhaps the first thing candidates should bear in mind is to pursue the right study material for the preparation of the test. The softcopy of the workbook provided by NISM is more than enough to clear the exam. And if you prefer the physical copy, you can purchase the hardcopy here:

Enroll Our NISM VA Training

• Make sure you watch each lesson separately and practice a lot on the topics you are uncomfortable with.
• Don’t just focus on one question as it will consume the time needed to answer the questions you might be able to answer accurately. Leave the last minutes for tough questions, and focus more on other topics.
• NISM mock tests can prove immensely helpful for people preparing for the NISM VA Certification Examination. These mock tests not only aid in measuring your level of preparation but also get you familiar with the exam pattern, thereby reducing anxiety when you actually appear for the exam. Some applicants even only use these mock tests to prepare for their exam.

After passing the exam, results will be displayed on the screen and a digital certificate of passing will be mailed to the applicant.

Only the applicants who produced their Permanent Account Number (PAN) card during registration will receive the physical copy of the NISM Certificate within two weeks of appearing for the exam.

Candidates who did not provide their PAN details during registration may submit their PAN details to the test administrator with whom they have registered at any time after taking the exam. The applicant will receive the certificate from the test administrator after the verification of PAN information. No extra payments are needed to obtain the certificate.

The certificate is valid for 3 years from the exam date. The certificate is revalidated for a period of three years after the candidate completes the Continuing Professional Education (CPE) program or successfully passes the NISM Series-VA exam before the expiry of the certificate as defined by NISM.

NISM doesn’t permit the re-evaluation of the performance of the candidates who appeared for the exam, since the assessment of answers is conducted in an objective way through an electronic system made for the exam. This avoids any kind of human error & intervention.

Also, NISM doesn’t permit the disclosure of questions that appeared in the exam, to maintain the confidentiality of the program.