How to Study for the Financial IT Certification | A Thorough Guide by a High-Scoring Passer on Difficulty, Past Questions, and Pass Rates [Financial Certifications Selected by Active SEs]

I took the "Financial IT Certification" exam when I was assigned to a financial project. As an engineer working at an SIer, I felt that if I were to choose a financial certification, choosing one that covers both "Finance and IT" would be the most efficient approach.

The result was a pass with 245 out of 300 points (a correct answer rate of approximately 82%)!
Moreover, I managed to get a perfect score of 100 in the "Financial Business" section!

Honestly, even I was surprised that I got a perfect score in Financial Business, haha.

Are you interested in the Financial IT Certification but struggling with these concerns?

In this article, I, who passed with 245 points, have compiled all the information necessary to pass, from the "overall picture of the exam" to "concrete study methods," "section-specific strategies," and "how to utilize mock questions." This is a complete version updated with the latest information.

I hope this helps to alleviate some of the anxiety for those who are about to take the Financial IT Certification!

Also, all information useful for the Financial IT Certification is compiled in this magazine, so I would be happy if those preparing for the exam would follow it!

📍 What you will learn in this article

• Overview of the Financial IT Certification and the 2026 exam schedule

• Exam difficulty, passing criteria, and estimated study time

• Question trends by section and priority study areas

• My realistic study method that earned me 245 points

• Introduction to mock question collections

What is the Financial IT Certification? | Organizing basic exam information

The Financial IT Certification is an exam hosted by the Financial IT Association (FITA) that tests literacy in both finance and IT. It is a relatively new certification aimed at everyone working at the intersection of "Finance and IT," including SIer engineers, system department personnel at financial institutions, and students aspiring to enter the financial industry.

Basic Exam Information

• Target audience: All business professionals involved in Finance and IT (no restrictions on eligibility)

• Exam Format: CBT (Computer Based Testing at a test center)

• Number of Questions: 60 (4-choice single-answer format)

• Time Limit: 60 minutes

• Exam Fee: 8,800 yen (tax included)

• Passing Criteria: A score above the specified threshold out of 300 points

• Exam Scope: Three sections covering IT systems, financial business, and financial systems

2026 Exam Schedule

Since the Financial IT Certification uses a CBT format, you can take the exam at test centers nationwide throughout the year. A major advantage is that you can book the venue and date when you are ready, so there is no stress of having to wait months for the next exam date. For those who want to take it soon, it is realistic to secure a date 2 to 3 weeks after applying.

Book your appointment by selecting a test center and date from the official application page

What are the difficulty and pass rate?

While the official pass rate and passing score are not disclosed, based on the experiences of examinees and reactions on social media, a correct answer rate of 70-80% is considered the benchmark for passing.

I personally passed with 245 points (a correct answer rate of about 82%). Looking at other successful candidates, some pass by the skin of their teeth with around 200 points, so it is a reachable goal if you prepare thoroughly.

To be honest about the difficulty

In terms of the exam level, it is by no means easy. There are two main points.

First, it tests knowledge that spans both 'finance' and 'IT'.
For engineers, financial terminology (core banking systems, Zengin System, BOJ-NET, CBDC, etc.) becomes a hurdle, while for those from a financial background, IT infrastructure and security terminology become the hurdle. The exam is designed so that you will inevitably stumble if your experience is biased toward only one side.

Second, it is a race against time with 60 questions in 60 minutes.
That is an average of 60 seconds per question. While not as intense as the UX Certification (36 seconds per question), there is a risk of running out of time if you are at a level where you 'know the answer but take time to recall it.' The ideal is to solidify your knowledge to a level where you can select answers reflexively.

Are there past questions?

This is the biggest hurdle for the Financial IT Certification.
No official past question collections are released. There are only a few sample questions on the official website, which is nowhere near enough for actual exam preparation.

I also got stuck here at first. Just reading the textbook does not give you the 'instant response' needed to handle the speed of the actual exam. That is why it is important to practice by analyzing question trends and solving mock questions repeatedly. I have written in detail about how I actually prepared in the second half.

3 Key Themes and Concrete Strategies to 'Guarantee Points' on the Financial IT Certification

The scope of the Financial IT Certification is divided into three sections: IT Systems, Financial Business, and Financial Systems. Looking at the syllabus, you might honestly feel overwhelmed, thinking, "The scope is too wide..." I felt the same way at first.

However, what I realized after actually taking the exam is that you don't need to study everything equally. The "approach" is completely different for each section, so the correct strategy is to set priorities based on your own background.

Based on my experience of scoring 245 points, I will introduce the three most cost-effective strategies for success.

Key Theme 1 | Aiming for a Perfect Score in "Financial Business"

This is the section where I scored a perfect 100. I can assert that even for engineers or those without a financial background, this is the area where you can aim for the highest score if you prepare thoroughly.

Specifically, you will be tested on business flows for banks, securities, and insurance; various financial products (stocks, bonds, investment trusts, derivatives); financial regulations (FATF, revised Banking Act, open API); and payment mechanisms (SWIFT, BIS regulations).

There are two reasons why this section is "easy to score in."

One is that many questions involve a one-to-one correspondence between terms and their meanings.
For example, questions like "What is SWIFT?", "How does NISA work?", or "What is the difference between investment trusts and stocks?" are common. If you accurately memorize the definitions, you can solve them straightforwardly. The nature of these questions is different from those in exams like the UX Certification, which ask for "conceptual-level understanding."

The other reason is that the content centers on topics familiar to those who regularly read the Nikkei newspaper or financial news.
Keywords frequently appearing in the news, such as CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency), FinTech, and sustainable finance, appear directly on the exam.

The strategy is...

This is the best method. If you are interested in the financial field, you will find much of the content "interesting" as you study, so it will naturally stick in your mind. In my case, I was able to proceed as if I were reading the news rather than studying, so I was able to get a perfect score without any pain.

For those with an engineering background, whether you can score points here will determine whether you pass or fail. Aim for at least 80 points.

Key Theme 2 | Making "Financial System" Terms Reflexive

To be honest, this was the section I struggled with the most.I scored 60 points, and this was the biggest factor that brought down my total score of 245.

Specifically, you are tested on "system configurations only encountered within financial institutions," such as the differences between account systems, information systems, and channel systems; the Bank of Japan Financial Network System (BOJ-NET); the Zengin System; ATM networks; stock exchange systems; and core systems of insurance companies.

The difficulty of this section is that it is hard to connect terms and mechanisms without practical experience.

For example, if asked, "If a nighttime batch process is delayed, which process should be checked with the highest priority?", someone who has never actually operated batch processing will find it almost impossible to distinguish between the options.

Even though I was assigned to a financial project, I had just been assigned at the time and had little practical experience, so I lost points here.

The strategy is...

is recommended.

When reviewing, I summarized the relationships between core banking, information, channel, and external connection systems onto a single PowerPoint slide, creating a state where I could visualize them in my head.

In particular, topics like 'the difference between the Zengin System and BOJ-NET,' 'what happens during core banking night batch processing,' and 'ATM network transaction flows' are frequently tested, so memorizing just these will stabilize your score.

Even for engineers, if you haven't touched financial institution systems, this will definitely be a weak point. Conversely, if you can bring this up to 70 points, your overall score will be significantly boosted.

Priority Theme 3 | 'IT Systems': Converting Practical Experience into Points

The third is the IT Systems section. I scored 85 points.

Knowledge of general IT is tested, including cloud, security, networks, development methodologies (Agile, Waterfall), databases, and the basics of AI/machine learning. For those working at SIers or IT companies, the content is mostly familiar.

The characteristic of this section is that the knowledge you use in your daily work directly translates into points. In my case,

• Cloud (basic concepts of AWS, Azure) → Answered immediately because I had worked with them on projects

• Security (Zero Trust, PCI DSS, ISMS) → Terms I often hear at work

• Development methodologies (CI/CD, DevOps, Agile) → Content I learned in internal training

There were many moments where my practical work and studies linked up like this.

However, do not let your guard down, as the questions are framed in the context of 'Finance x IT.' For example, questions like 'What risks does shadow IT pose to financial institutions?' add a risk perspective specific to financial institutions onto IT terminology. You are tested on whether you can think from the perspective of 'what is fatal specifically because it is a financial institution,' rather than just knowing the definitions of IT terms.

The strategy is...

This is it. After confirming the basics of IT with the textbook, repeating mock questions to learn 'how a financial institution would answer' is the most efficient method.

If you are an engineer, you should be able to aim for 80 points or more in this section. Conversely, those from a financial background tend to stumble here, so focus your efforts on it.

What about the remaining areas?

The three sections above cover almost the entire exam. Since the Financial IT Certification is clearly divided into 'IT Systems,' 'Financial Business,' and 'Financial Systems,' there is no need to think about 'areas to discard' like in the UX Certification.

However, you should clearly set priorities.For engineers, it is recommended to focus in the order of 'Financial Business > Financial Systems > IT Systems'.
The idea is to avoid spending too much time on IT systems, which you are likely already good at, and instead invest 70% of your study time into the two financial sections you are less familiar with.

The study method I actually used: A realistic learning process for passing with 245 points

First, here is what my initial state looked like

• Starting point

  • Engineer working at an SIer (second year in the workforce)

  • Just assigned to a financial project, with almost zero financial knowledge

• Study period and learning time

  • Total study time: approximately 8 hours

  • Period: approximately 2 weeks

    • 30 minutes to 1 hour per day on weekdays, and 2 to 3 hours total on weekends

Honestly, 8 hours is in the very short category for a certification exam, but I was able to achieve this because I adopted a strategy of minimizing input and focusing entirely on output.

What I did ① | Grasp the overall picture with the syllabus (approx. 2 hours)

First, I downloaded the syllabus from the official website to get an overview of the exam scope. I went through each of the three sections—IT Systems, Financial Business, and Financial Systems—to check what kind of keywords were included.

What I kept in mind at this time was 'not to try to understand everything perfectly.' If you dig too deep from the start, it takes too much time, so I focused on:

• What fields are covered

• What terms I am unfamiliar with

• I focused only on roughly grasping three key points, especially basic terminology in the financial sector (securities, insurance, payment systems, etc.).

The goal of this phase is to highlight unknown terms and label them as 'weak points'.

What I did ② | Create mock questions with generative AI and solve them repeatedly (approx. 5 hours)

This is the most important point of my study method.

There are no official past exam collections for the Financial IT Certification.Just reading the textbook is not enough to handle the time limit of 60 seconds per question on the actual exam. I believed that the only way to turn knowledge into 'instant reflexes' was to solve as many problems as possible.

That is where I utilized AI (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.). By feeding the syllabus keywords and official sample questions into the AI and instructing it to 'create 60 mock questions for the Financial IT Certification,' it generates four-choice questions with quality close to the actual exam. Since I could even specify trick patterns in the options and case study formats, it was a truly reliable weapon for an exam that lacks past questions.

By repeating the cycle of 'solve → review mistakes → solve again,' knowledge becomes ingrained to a reflexive level.This is a memory retention method known in psychology as the 'testing effect' (retrieval practice), and it is a study method whose effectiveness has been scientifically proven.

However, designing the prompt was extremely important to create high-quality questions with AI.If I just gave random instructions, it would only produce questions outside the syllabus or questions that were too easy.Through trial and error, I completed a prompt that can mass-produce questions at the actual exam level.

I have published the specific AI prompt design method and the 60 original mock exam questions I carefully vetted in the following article, so if you want to pass for sure, please take a look at this as well!

What I did ③ | Reinforce weak areas with the official textbook (approx. 1 hour)

While solving mock questions, areas where I thought 'I just don't understand this no matter what' became clear. In my case, those were the accounting systems, the Zengin System, and the Bank of Japan Financial Network System in the 'Financial Systems' section.

Once my weak points were identified, I read the relevant chapters of the official textbook for the first time, focusing specifically on those areas. Instead of reading the textbook from cover to cover, I was able to save a significant amount of time by intensively inputting only the information 'surrounding the questions I got wrong'.

This order is the key, and I am convinced that the cycle of 'output → identify weak points → pinpoint input' is the golden path to achieving maximum results in a limited amount of time.

Estimated Study Time

Engineers who are beginners in finance: 8–15 hours (30 minutes to 1 hour daily for 2–3 weeks)

If you have an IT background, it is efficient to concentrate your time on catching up in the financial field. Especially in the 'Financial Business' and 'Financial Systems' sections, there are many new terms, so it is effective to grasp the overall picture of the syllabus in the first few days and then switch to repeated practice with mock questions.

Those from financial institutions with weak IT skills: 15–20 hours (1 hour daily for 3 weeks)

While leveraging your advantage in financial knowledge, invest your time in preparing for the IT systems section. You need to systematically learn basic terms such as cloud, security, and development methodologies. It is also effective to use IT Passport preparation books from the Information-technology Promotion Agency (IPA) in conjunction.

Those with experience in both finance and IT: 5–8 hours (1–2 weeks)

If you have a background in both, you can reach the passing line just by understanding the question patterns and organizing your knowledge. However, if you remember the definitions of terms vaguely, you will lose points on trick questions, so you should at least do some output practice with mock questions.

Introduction to the 60-Question Mock Exam (Problem Set)

While studying for the Financial IT Certification, the biggest challenge I faced was the lack of opportunities for output. Since there are no official past exams or problem sets, there are almost no ways to objectively check your level of understanding.

To resolve this anxiety, I created an original mock exam consisting of 60 four-choice questions based on the syllabus's question distribution.

I carefully examined and created high-precision questions with AI that allow for practical training in the same 60-question, four-choice format as the actual exam. All questions include correct answers and detailed explanations!It also includes an AI prompt that can automatically generate mock questions!

By cycling through 'Solve → Review mistakes → Solve again,' knowledge becomes ingrained to a reflexive level. I realized that because this is an exam without past papers, output practice with mock questions is the key to passing or failing.

Introduction to Recommended Study Tools

Since there are few official designated textbooks for the Financial IT Certification, I will introduce the tools and books I actually used.

Official Textbook (Published by the Financial IT Association)
The content is based on the syllabus, and you can systematically learn the overall picture of the three sections. If you want to check the exam scope in the shortest time, I recommend having this book on hand first.

Nikkei Shimbun / Nikkei FinTech
Actually, the newspaper was the most effective tool for preparing for the Financial Business section. Terms asked in the exam, such as CBDC, Open API, and Sustainable Finance, frequently appear in the news. It's more about cultivating a financial sense through daily information gathering rather than just exam study.

Generative AI (ChatGPT, Claude)
This is the ultimate study tool. Whether you can master AI—for generating mock questions, explaining terms, or creating quizzes for weak areas—will determine your success in an exam without past papers. I subscribe to Claude and made full use of it for my studies.

Conclusion | To Those Taking the Exam

I truly feel that the Financial IT Certification is a valuable qualification for a wide range of people.

It has been about half a year since I passed, and there have been many moments in my practical work where I felt, 'Oh, this is what I learned in the Financial IT Certification.'

However, I don't think the true value of this qualification is just that it is 'directly linked to work.'

For those working in financial institutions or as SIer engineers, it is an opportunity to systematically organize the foundation of industry knowledge. For students aspiring to join the financial industry, it serves as solid evidence to show in interviews that you have 'properly researched the industry.' And even for those not directly involved in the financial industry, knowledge directly related to 'your own money,' such as NISA, iDeCo, insurance products, and asset management, is organized all at once.

Financial literacy is now an essential skill for living as a working professional. 'What I studied for the qualification is useful in both my practical work and my own life planning'—this is what I realized most after taking the Financial IT Certification.

If you have any questions or concerns about how to study, please feel free to let me know in the comments. I'm rooting for you!

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