The National Institute of Securities Markets (NISM) has published the NISM exam syllabus 2024 on its official website - nism.ac.in. The NISM syllabus is very comprehensive and there are many topics and subjects for different courses. The syllabus of NISM exam consists of 29 NISM certification courses. The courses in the NISM exam syllabus help to develop relevant skills for the stock market participants and intermediaries and improve the overall quality standard in the securities markets. Without specific eligibility requirements, a candidate only needs to understand the NISM syllabus 2024 and practise well in order to earn the NISM certification. Read the complete article to know about NISM derivatives exam syllabus, NISM exam pattern and other important details related to the syllabus.
The certification exams for NISM are conducted throughout the year in around 150 centres in the country and are open to anyone interested to take the exam without any upper age limit. Read the complete article to find out the NISM syllabus 2023 for each of the certification courses.
The NISM certification syllabus is quite comprehensive as the exams cover a variety of topics and span various important areas in the stock market. It can open doors to a lucrative career in finance. Given below is a table that provides an overview of the NISM certificate course syllabus for each of the certification exams.
Sl. No | Certification Name | Exam Syllabus |
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1 | NISM-Series-I: Currency Derivatives Certification Examination |
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2 | NISM-Series-II-A: Registrars to an Issue and Share Transfer Agents-Corporate Certification Examination |
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3 | NISM-Series-II-B: Registrars to an Issue and Share Transfer Agents – Mutual Fund Certification Examination |
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4 | NISM Series-III-A: Securities Intermediaries Compliance (Non-Fund) Certification Examination | Part A – Understanding the Financial and Regulatory Structure in India
Part B – Understanding Intermediary Specific Regulations
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5 | NISM-Series-IV: Interest Rate Derivatives Certification Examination |
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6. | NISM-Series-V-A: Mutual Fund Distributors Certification Examination |
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7 | NISM-Series-V-B: Mutual Fund Foundation Certification Examination |
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8 | NISM-Series-VI: Depository Operations Certification Examination |
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9 | NISM-Series-VII: Securities Operations and Risk Management Certification Examination |
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10 | NISM-Series-VIII: Equity Derivatives Certification Examination |
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11 | NISM Series-IX: Merchant Banking Certification Examination |
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12 | NISM-Series-X-A: Investment Adviser (Level 1) Certification Examination | Module 1: PERSONAL FINANCIAL PLANNING
Module 2: INDIAN FINANCIAL MARKETS
Module 3: INVESTMENT PRODUCTS
Module 4: INVESTMENT THROUGH MANAGED PORTFOLIO
Module 5: PORTFOLIO CONSTRUCTION, PERFORMANCE MONITORING AND EVALUATION
Module 6: OPERATIONS, REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT, COMPLIANCE AND ETHICS
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13 | NISM Series-X-B: Investment Adviser (Level 2) Certification Examination | Module 7: RISK MANAGEMENT AND INSURANCE PLANNING
Module 8: RETIREMENT PLANNING
Module 9: TAXATION
Module 10: ESTATE PLANNING
Module 11: BEHAVIOURAL FINANCE
Module 12: COMPREHENSIVE INVESTMENT ADVICE
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14 | NISM Series-XII: Securities Markets Foundation Certification Examination |
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15 | NISM-Series-XIII: Common Derivatives Certification Examination |
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16 | NISM-Series-XV: Research Analyst Certification Examination |
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17 | NISM-Series-XVI: Commodity Derivatives Certification Examination |
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18 | NISM-Series-XVII: Retirement Adviser Certification Examination |
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19 | NISM-Series-XVIII: Financial Education Certification Examination |
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20 | NISM Series XIX-A: Alternative Investment Funds (Category I and II) Distributors |
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21 | NISM Series XIX-B: Alternative Investment Funds (Category III) Distributors |
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22 | NISM-Series-XX-Taxation in Securities Markets Certification Examination |
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23 | NISM-Series-XXI-A: Portfolio Management Services (PMS) Distributors Certification Examination |
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24 | NISM-Series-XXI-B: Portfolio Managers Certification Examination |
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25 | NISM-Series-XXII: Fixed Income Securities Certification Examination |
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26 | NISM Series-XXIII: Social Auditors Certification Examination |
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27 | IBBI Valuation Examination in the Asset Class: Land and Building |
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28 | IBBI Valuation Examination in the Asset Class: Plant and Machinery |
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29 | IBBI Valuation Examination in the Asset Class: Land and Building |
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Also Read: NCFM Modules - NCFM Foundation, Intermediate, Advanced Courses List
Given below in the table is the NISM exam pattern 2024 for each of the certification courses.
Sl. No | Certification Name | Duration | No. of questions | Marks | Pass Marks | Negative Marks (%) |
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1 | NISM-Series-I: Currency Derivatives Certification Examination | 2 Hrs | 100 | 100 | 60 | 25 |
2 | NISM-Series-II-A: Registrars to an Issue and Share Transfer Agents-Corporate Certification Examination | 100 | 100 | 50 | 25 | |
3 | NISM-Series-II-B: Registrars to an Issue and Share Transfer Agents – Mutual Fund Certification Examination | 2 Hrs | 100 | 100 | 50 | 25 |
4 | NISM Series-III-A: Securities Intermediaries Compliance (Non-Fund) Certification Examination | 2 Hrs | 100 | 100 | 60 | 25 |
5 | NISM-Series-IV: Interest Rate Derivatives Certification Examination | 2 Hrs | 100 | 100 | 60 | 25 |
6 | NISM-Series-V-A: Mutual Fund Distributors Certification Examination | 2 Hrs | 100 | 100 | 50 | - |
7 | NISM-Series-V-B: Mutual Fund Distributors Certification Examination | 2 Hrs | 50 | 50 | 50 | - |
8 | NISM-Series-VI: Depository Operations Certification Examination | 2 Hrs | 100 | 100 | 60 | 25 |
9 | NISM-Series-VII: Securities Operations and Risk Management Certification Examination | 2 Hrs | 100 | 100 | 50 | 25 |
10 | NISM-Series-VIII: Equity Derivatives Certification Examination | 2 Hrs | 100 | 100 | 60 | 25 |
11 | NISM Series-IX: Merchant Banking Certification Examination | 2 Hrs | 100 | 100 | 60 | 25 |
12 | NISM-Series-X-A: Investment Adviser (Level 1) Certification Examination | 3 Hrs | 135 | 150 | 60 | 25 |
13 | NISM Series-X-B: Investment Adviser (Level 2) Certification Examination | 3 Hrs | 120 | 150 | 60 | 25 |
14 | NISM Series-XII: Securities Markets Foundation Certification Examination | 2 Hrs | 100 | 100 | 60 | - |
15 | NISM-Series-XIII: Common Derivatives Certification Examination | 3 Hrs | 150 | 150 | 60 | 25 |
16 | NISM-Series-XV: Research Analyst Certification Examination | 2 Hrs | 100 | 100 | 60 | 25 |
17 | NISM-Series-XVI: Commodity Derivatives Certification Examination | 2 Hrs | 100 | 100 | 60 | 25 |
18 | NISM-Series-XVII: Retirement Adviser Certification Examination | 2 Hrs | 100 | 100 | 60 | 25 |
19 | NISM-Series-XVIII: Financial Education Certification Examination | 2 Hrs | 50 | 50 | 50 | - |
20 | NISM Series XIX-A: Alternative Investment Funds (Category I and II) Distributors | 2 Hrs | 100 | 100 | 60 | 25 |
21 | NISM Series XIX-B: Alternative Investment Funds (Category III) Distributors | 2 Hrs | 100 | 100 | 60 | 25 |
22 | NISM-Series-XX-Taxation in Securities Markets Certification Examination | 2 Hrs | 75 | 100 | 60 | 25 |
23 | NISM-Series-XXI-A: Portfolio Management Services (PMS) Distributors Certification Examination | 2 Hrs | 100 | 100 | 60 | 25 |
24 | NISM-Series-XXI-B: Portfolio Managers Certification Examination | 3 Hrs | 105 | 150 | 60 | 25 |
25 | NISM-Series-XXII: Fixed Income Securities Certification Examination | 2 Hrs | 85 | 100 | 60 | 25 |
26 | NISM Series-XXIII: Social Auditors Certification Examination | 2 Hrs | 100 | 100 | 60 | 25 |
27 | IBBI - Valuation Examination in the Asset Class: Land and Building | 2 Hrs | 90 | 100 | 60 | 25 |
28 | IBBI - Valuation Examination in the Asset Class: Plant and Machinery | 2 Hrs | 90 | 100 | 60 | 25 |
29 | IBBI - Valuation Examination in the Asset Class: Securities or Financial Assets | 2 Hrs | 90 | 100 | 60 | 25 |
Here are some useful preparation tips which candidates can follow to master the syllabus of NISM exam.
Know the NISM Exam Syllabus Well: The title of many of the NISM certifications may seem similar and the content may also overlap. This can confuse the candidates and affect their preparation. So, understand the NISM curriculum well and know what the topics are for each certification.
Work with the NISM Study Material: Candidates can use their NISM login credentials to log into their NISM account and once they enrol for the certification exam, they can access the study material for NISM
The curriculum for NISM certification is very vast and comprehensive and requires proper preparation from the candidates.
There is no specific eligibility requirements for NISM exam. Candidate needs to create an NISM login id and password by registering at NISM’s website and pay the required fees to enrol for an exam.
The NISM registration process for the exam is open throughout the year
The NISM exam is online.
There are a total of 29 certifications in NISM which focus on different subjects such as derivatives, securities, mutual funds and more.
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