The ILFM Examinations

Examinations are held twice a year, in Spring and Autumn, and can be taken online or at a test centre in London, Manchester & Cardiff/Bristol*. 

NOTE: From May 2025 all exams will be online only, the pass mark for D1, AA and AFM will also be increasing to 60%. 

As these locations may not be convenient for everyone, it should be noted that it is also possible for candidates to arrange to sit a hand written, paper based examination at a local college/school (or other suitable venue), contact the ILFM office for further details.

* subject to availability & demand

WE DO NOT ADVISE ATTEMPTING THE EXAM UNLESS YOU HAVE COMPLETED ALL THE COURSEWORK. You should discuss your exam readiness with your tutor before booking.

ALL students intending to sit the next exam must register before the closing date.  You are required to be a fully paid member in order to sit the exam. 

Next Exam Sitting - November 2024 - bookings will close 6th October 

To register for the next exam  please use the links below.  Please contact the office if you have any problems making your booking or if you are unsure whether the exam fee will apply.

All our courses have an online exam option, with Zoom invigilation. Test centres (London, Manchester, Cardiff/Bristol & Local, subject to availability) will be a paper based (handwritten) exam only. 

  • Diploma D1 Bookkeeping for Legal Finance Professionals - 14 November AM  BOOK HERE
  • Diploma D2 Legal Finance Compliance & Accounts Rules - 13 November AM  BOOK HERE
  • Associate AA Accounting for Legal Finance Professionals - 14 November AM  BOOK HERE
  • Associate AFM Financial Management - 14 November AM  BOOK HERE
  • Associate ALPM Legal Practice Management - 13 November AM  BOOK HERE
  • Associate ATAX Tax for Legal Finance Professionals - 13 November AM  BOOK HERE

Online exams only - further detail can be viewed HERE. 

Exam preparation sessions can be booked HERE.

One exam fee is already included in the package fee, the exam fee will apply to re-sits. 
  • ILFM Diploma Paper D1: Bookkeeping for Legal Finance Professionals Exam - £93
  • ILFM Diploma Paper D2 : Legal Finance Compliance & Accounts Rules Exam - £93 
  • ILFM Associate Exams: AA, AFM, ALPM & ATAX - £93 per paper

Resist students all inclusive exam fee and re-attending the exam prep session(s) - £124 (for all papers)

Local Venue - Candidates must arrange local venues themselves and will need to be a paper based exam, the local venue guidelines are attached at the bottom of this page.  Please contact helen@ilfm.org.uk for further information.

All candidates must register for the exam regardless of venue/online and will receive confirmation of their registration after the booking cut off date along with their candidate number and registration times.

In order to sit the exam online, candidates must complete the eligibility test here and attend an online exam practice session once dates are confirmed.

*Any requests for additional examination facilities or arrangements for reasons of a disability or learning difficulties will be considered. This would be where a candidate has been diagnosed as having a significant learning difficulty or disability which has a clear, measurable and substantial long term adverse effect on performance and speed of working.  Each application will be considered on an individual basis, your application should include details of the disability, your requirements and supporting medical evidence. Applications should be made in addition to the exam enrolment booking and should be sent no later than the enrolment deadline for the exam sitting you wish to apply for. The ILFM will make every endeavour to accommodate your needs.

Exam re-sit

If you fail your exam, there is an option to re-sit.  You should discuss this with your tutor and see what their recommendation would be.  There is a fee for re-sit exams.

Feedback on Examinations Scripts

Students wishing to receive feedback on their examination paper, in the event of a fail, must make an application to the ILFM office. The request must be placed within 21 days from the results being announced. The fee for feedback is £50.  Feedback will be supplied via e-mail and is limited to detailing where the marks were lost along with accompanying recommendations. As it is a closed book exam no exam papers or the questions can be sent to students with the feedback.

The Exam Regulation page is HERE.

Unlike many organisations, admission to the higher grades of membership is by ILFM Qualification only. To this end, the ILFM has its own structured examination scheme. Because of the varied ages and backgrounds of those joining the ILFM, there are no formal requirements for embarking on the following examination route:

The Diploma, Paper One - Bookkeeping for Legal Finance Professionals & Paper Two - Legal Finance Compliance & Accounts Rules - These are 3-hour examinations and are intended to test the immediate working knowledge of the office environment.

The Associate, (three mandatory parts) For Diploma Members only - This is designed to test career students on a deeper understanding of the many legal and accounting topics they will meet in working life.  Each Associate certificate is a 3-hour examination.

The Fellowship, (by thesis and presentation) - This is the ILFM's highest qualification.  Further information can be found by selecting the Fellowship link from links listed on the left of this page.

ILFM Examination passes are graded as:
Pass 50%+
Merit 75%+
Distinction 90%+

Note - from May 2025 the Pass mark for D1, AA & AFM will be 60%.

To ensure standards are always the highest, the ILFM Examination Board includes an external examiner.

The Fellowship is graded as a pass with 50%+, a merit with 65%+ and a distinction is 80%+.

Future Exam Dates
13 & 14 November 2024
7th & 8th May 2025 (TBC, a 3rd invigilation session may be needed)
W/C 10th November 2025

 

  • Local Venue Rules