How Brand Financial Training Helped Me Pass AF5

This article is written by a recent AF5 candidate who passed AF5 shortly after R06 and shares practical insights into exam technique, revision strategy, and the use of Brand Financial Training’s AF5 analysis.

This article is correct as at 13 January 2026.

Written by Jack Burton

After completing my final Diploma exam at the end of 2024, I made the decision to keep the momentum going and sit AF5 as soon as possible. Now that I’ve passed, I wanted to share how Brand Financial Training helped me prepare.

Brand mentioned that many candidates consider taking AF5 soon after R06 because of the overlap in exam style and the similarity in how you approach the questions. This made sense to me as the exam technique was still fresh in my mind as I’d done a lot of work on this for R06.

Both R06 and AF5 required a heavy emphasis on exam technique, especially interpreting exactly what the questions were asking and tailoring answers accordingly. Not only did Brand’s Fact Find analysis help me understand how the examiner wanted candidates to structure their answers but they also went well out of their way to provide email support, answering any questions I had.

As I was already comfortable with exam technique, I was able to shift my focus toward the technical knowledge. Once the AF5 fact-find was released, I dedicated two weeks to solid revision, using the Brand Financial Training analysis to complement my studies. Their structured breakdown made it much easier to identify where the technical marks would be available.

One of the biggest advantages of taking AF5 soon after R06 was recognising how similar many of the question types were.

AF5 opened with a substantial fact-finding question worth 14 marks, asking for the additional information needed to advise the clients, which mirrored the R06 format almost perfectly.

The exam also included questions on Consumer Duty and on holding appropriate levels of emergency funds, both areas I had revised for R06.

The paper ended with questions on reviewing pensions and investments and identifying what needed to be discussed at the clients’ next annual review meeting. These types of questions were heavily emphasised by Brand Financial Training for both R06 and AF5 which meant I felt comfortable picking up these marks in the exam.

While the structure of AF5 resembles R06, the technical depth was definitely greater.

This AF5 exam centred around a couple who ran their own business, were considering buying a commercial property, and needed appropriate protection arrangements. This meant exploring topics such as:

• Corporate protection
• How a business can purchase commercial property
• The use of pensions (e.g., SIPP/SSAS)
• Tax implications across the different purchase routes

These areas were not covered in detail in R06, so the AF5 analysis from Brand played a key role in helping me get up to speed. The level of detail was clear, manageable and easily digestible within the two weeks leading up to the exam.

Taking AF5 whilst R06 was still fresh in my mind was definitely the right decision for me.

If you’re considering going straight into AF5 after R06, I’d recommend:

• Put in two solid weeks of focused revision once the fact-find is released.
• Use a training provider, such as Brand Financial Training, to guide your technical preparation.
• Leverage your R06 technique, the transferable skills are more valuable than you might expect.

I’m really pleased that I took the exams close together. It saved me time, kept everything fresh, and ultimately helped me pass AF5 much earlier than I’d planned.

Grab the resources you need!

If you’re preparing for AF5 after R06, Brand Financial Training’s AF5 analysis includes a free taster, designed to support exam technique and technical preparation.