The CII J07 February 2023 Exam in Review

Here, we are looking at the J07 exam – Supervision in a regulated environment – that was sat in the last exam sitting, February 2023. 

This article is correct as at 20 June 2023.

You can find the exam guide here. 

J07 is a 2-hour exam which uses short-answer questions.  The total marks available are 130 and in February the following areas were tested (with the marks available in brackets): 

• Competencies for job roles and competencies of supervisors. (10)
• Practical application of the Three Lines Model. (6)
• Hygiene and motivation factors in Herzberg’ Motivation Theory model. (10)
• Applying strategies to manage conflict using the Thomas-Kilmann ‘avoid’ model to client scenario. (10)
• Identifying the essential and desirable information for a job specification. (7)

The #CII #J07 syllabus is wide, with a great level of detail required to gain a pass. Here is a review of the last exam paper. Share on X 

• Statutory rights of employed and self-employed. (10)
• Features of the Conscious Competence Learning Matrix. (8)
• Providing effective feedback in a client scenario. (8)
• Skills required for an effective counselling session. (5)
• Complaints processes. 8)
• Key areas of an ESG business strategy. (9)
• Career management. (12)
• Key indicators that need to be demonstrated for the ‘Investors in People’ accreditation. (9)
• Examples of unsatisfactory performance and actions a manager should take. (8)
• Disciplinary procedures in line with ACAS guidance. (10)

In some questions, candidates may have struggled with the amount of detail required around some subjects. Overall though, there were enough of the expected topics so that the well-prepared candidate could pick up a good proportion of the marks available.

Comparison with the September 2022 Exam Paper

Let’s look at what was tested in the previous exam, held in September 2022, which can be found here.  

The topics covered were: 

• FCA conduct first and second-tier rules (9)
• Main elements of the SM&CR (6)
• Client scenario applying Tuckman’s five stages of team development (7)
• Benefits for a company of using its intranet and the disadvantages of using email as communication methods (9)
• Job-specific requirements of an induction plan and methods of monitoring progress (9)
• Key obligations of a person holding an SMF role and the core firm’s senior manager functions (9)
• The Kolb’s Learning Cycle (8)
• CPD requirements and activities (8)
• Evidence to assess an individual’s competence (6)
• Fact-finding process and vulnerable customers (8)
• Business planning and the stages of the management control cycle (11)
• Management information systems and benefits of exception reports (10)
• Operational resilience and key activities when dealing with high-impact incidents (11)
• Understanding of misconduct around client scenarios (9)
• Unfair dismissal and rules around notice of termination (10)

The J07 syllabus is broad, with a high level of detail required to gain a pass. As you can see, the range of subjects from one exam to the next is varied and so all areas will need to be thoroughly covered during revision. Past papers are a great way to test yourself on a wide range of topics within the syllabus.

Grab the resources you need!

If you’re studying for your CII J07 exam, and you want to be fully prepared, grab our free taster to try out one of Brand Financial Training’s resources for yourself.  Click the link to download the J07 mock paper taster now!