The CSC mock exam you used to practice with is gone. CIRO retired the Canadian Securities Course on January 1, 2026 and replaced it with the CIRE (Canadian Investment Regulatory Exam). If you are searching for a CSC mock exam in 2026, you need a CIRE mock. That is what Ciroexam offers: two full-length, exam-grade mock exams built specifically around the CIRE format. This page explains how the CIRE mock works, why most free options fall short, and how to use our mocks to walk into your exam confident.
How the CIRE mock format differs from the CSC
The CIRE exam is 110 questions answered in 120 minutes, administered through Fitch Learning testing centres or via online proctoring. The old CSC had two volumes of study material and two separate sittings. The CIRE is a single sitting with a broader regulatory focus. Question difficulty reflects CIRO's updated competency framework, which puts more weight on client-facing rules, account supervision, and suitability under the new framework.
A mock exam that was built for the CSC will not match the CIRE. The subject weighting is different, the question style is different, and some CSC topics are no longer tested. Practicing on outdated material is not just unhelpful, it points your attention at the wrong things.
What a real mock should simulate
A mock exam has one job: make the real exam feel familiar on exam day. To do that, it must replicate four conditions.
A real timer. You have 120 minutes for 110 questions. That is about 65 seconds per question. Sitting down with a PDF and no clock teaches you nothing about pacing. You will not discover you are a slow reader until you hit question 70 with 12 minutes left.
Locked answers. On the real exam you cannot peek at the answer and then decide what you think. A mock that lets you hover over a hint before committing trains bad habits. The moment you reveal an answer it should be final.
No second chances on the same pool. If you retake a mock using the same questions, you are testing your short-term memory, not your understanding. Familiarity with the question stem is enough to bump your score by 10 to 15 points without any real learning.
Exam-grade question difficulty. Questions should test application and analysis, not just recall. Multiple-choice items on the CIRE often present a client scenario and ask what the registered representative must do. Generic prep questions that ask for definitions do not prepare you for that.
What is wrong with PDF mocks
Free PDF mocks circulate widely. They have several problems.
First, most were written for the CSC or sourced from older CIRO/IIROC study guides. The question content does not match the current CIRE competency map.
Second, PDFs do not time you. They do not lock answers. They do not track which topics you got wrong. You read a question, read the answer, feel like you understood it, and move on. That feedback loop is too fast and too forgiving.
Third, PDFs do not produce a score you can interpret. You need to know not just your overall percentage but which exam elements you are weak on. A raw score out of 110 tells you almost nothing actionable.
How Mock A and Mock B work at Ciroexam
Ciroexam includes two full-length mock exams: Mock A and Mock B. Each exam has 110 unique questions. The two pools never overlap, so there are 220 distinct exam-grade questions total.
The mock runs on a real 120-minute countdown. When you reveal the answer to a question, it locks. You cannot change it. You cannot skip ahead, reveal answers early, and then go back to "answer" the questions you already saw. The sequence mirrors how Fitch Learning's testing platform works.
When you finish, the platform calculates a pass-probability score based on your performance across the CIRE element breakdown. You see which elements you are strong on and which ones are pulling your score down. That breakdown is what makes the mock actionable: you know exactly where to go back and study before your real sitting.
The Mock A / Mock B split solves the re-take problem. After you finish Mock A, you study your weak areas using the diagnostic tool and the study guide. Then you take Mock B under the same conditions. If your pass-probability goes up, you are ready. If it does not, you have a specific element-level report telling you where you are still losing points.
Comparison: PDF mocks vs Fitch Learning mock vs Ciroexam Mock A/B
| Feature | PDF mock | Fitch Learning mock | Ciroexam Mock A/B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Question count | Varies (often 50-80) | ~110 | 110 per mock, 220 total |
| Real timer | No | Yes | Yes |
| Answers lock on reveal | No | Yes | Yes |
| Non-overlapping retake pool | No | No (same exam) | Yes (A and B are separate) |
| Per-element score breakdown | No | Limited | Full breakdown |
| Pass-probability score | No | No | Yes |
| Current CIRE content | Often outdated | Yes | Yes |
| Included in exam prep platform | No | Separate purchase | Included in subscription |
Fitch Learning's own mock is worth taking once because it is the closest simulation to the actual testing environment. However, it is a single exam. You cannot retake it with a fresh question set. Ciroexam gives you two distinct exams plus the diagnostic layer on top.
How to score yourself
Do not look at your raw score in isolation. The CIRE passing threshold is not published, but based on typical regulatory exam conventions it sits around 60 to 70 percent. A raw score matters less than your performance by element.
After you finish a mock, review the element breakdown first. The CIRE tests several competency areas: regulatory environment, account management, client relationships, products, and supervision. If you are failing a specific element, more general studying will not fix it. You need targeted review of that element before you sit the real exam.
Use the practice questions by topic to drill the elements where your mock score is weakest. Then retake the other mock to confirm improvement.
When to take a second mock
Take Mock A about two weeks before your exam date. Review your element breakdown. Spend the following week on focused study using the weak-area report. Take Mock B three to four days before your exam.
If you take both mocks back-to-back in the same week, you lose the study gap where improvement happens. The value of Mock B is that it measures whether your targeted studying worked. If you rush it, the result is not meaningful.
Do not take any mock in the first week of your study plan. Taking a mock when you have covered less than half the material is discouraging and not diagnostic. It tells you that you have not studied yet, which you already know. Start with the diagnostic quiz to identify your baseline knowledge gaps, study from there, and save the mocks for when you are close to exam-ready.
Common mistakes when using mocks
Taking the mock too early. See above. A mock score from week one of your prep does not predict your exam-day performance. It just measures your starting point. Save mocks for the final two weeks.
Peeking at answers before committing. If you use a format that lets you do this, stop. You are not testing your knowledge, you are testing your ability to recognize a correct answer after seeing it. Those are different skills, and only one of them matters on exam day.
Ignoring the element breakdown. Your overall pass-probability score is useful, but the breakdown is where the real information is. A 58 percent overall average could mean you are weak in one specific area dragging down an otherwise solid performance, or it could mean you are weak across the board. The breakdown tells you which.
Treating a passing mock score as a guarantee. A mock is a simulation. Question difficulty and exact phrasing on the real exam will differ. If you are passing your mocks comfortably, that is a good sign, not a finished preparation. Review your weak areas regardless of your score.
Not checking the pass rate context. Understanding how other candidates perform on the CIRE tells you what a realistic target score looks like during prep. Calibrate your mock expectations against that baseline.
FAQ
Is a CSC mock exam still available? No. CIRO retired the CSC on January 1, 2026. The exam no longer exists. Any CSC-specific mock exam you find was written for an exam that is no longer administered. Practice on CIRE content instead.
How many questions are in the Ciroexam mocks? Mock A and Mock B each have 110 questions, matching the real CIRE exam length. The two pools never overlap, giving you 220 unique exam-grade questions total.
Can I retake Mock A after finishing it? Yes, but we recommend taking Mock B as your second full-length practice exam instead. Mock B has a completely different question pool, so it gives you a genuine second measurement of your readiness. Retaking Mock A after seeing all the answers no longer measures understanding.
Does the mock timer pause if I leave the page? No. The timer runs continuously once started, matching the conditions at a Fitch Learning testing centre or online proctored session.
What does the pass-probability score mean? It is a projection of your likelihood of passing the real CIRE based on your performance across the exam's competency elements. It factors in both your overall accuracy and the relative weight of the elements where you are losing points.
Where do I access the mocks? The mocks are part of the Ciroexam subscription. You can find them at the mock exam page once you are logged in.