CTEP Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts

Exam Format at a Glance

Before you memorize a single succession law, lock the exam mechanics into memory. AAFM India administers the CTEP exam online as a multiple-choice test: 75 questions, 150 total marks, 115 minutes. There is no negative marking, so every question deserves an answer even if it's a guess. The passing threshold is 75 out of 150 marks (50%).

What makes CTEP's format distinctive is its tiered scoring structure. It isn't a flat "75 questions, 1 point each" test - marks are weighted by cognitive load:

• 30 one-mark questions - direct recall of definitions, statutes, and terminology
• 30 two-mark questions - applied comprehension, comparing rules or identifying exceptions
• 15 four-mark application questions - scenario-based problems requiring multi-step reasoning

Do the math: the 15 four-mark questions alone carry 60 of the 150 available marks - 40% of your total score sits in just 15 items. If you want a deeper breakdown of how question difficulty escalates through the exam, the How Hard Is the CTEP Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 walks through this in detail.

Fees, Registration & Timelines

CTEP pricing differs sharply for resident-India candidates versus overseas/NRI candidates, and missing this distinction causes confusion during registration.

After you register, exam scheduling does not open immediately - there's a mandatory 60-day gap before you can book a slot, and once open, you have a 12-month access period to sit the exam. That window is generous, but it also means procrastination is easy. Build a real deadline into your calendar rather than relying on the full 12 months. For a full line-item cost comparison including material and renewal costs, see the CTEP Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.

Domain-by-Domain Weightings

CTEP's syllabus is organized into six domains with published weightings. Memorize these percentages - they should directly drive how you allocate study hours.

Notice that three domains - Personal & Intestate Succession Laws (27%), Testamentary Succession (21%), and Trust Planning in India (21%) - together account for nearly 70% of the exam. If your study time doesn't reflect that concentration, you're studying the wrong things. The CTEP Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 6 Content Areas covers each domain's subtopics in far more depth than a cheat sheet allows.

Must-Know Topics Per Domain

Here's a condensed reference of what each domain actually tests. Use this as a checklist, not a substitute for full study.

These six domains are also why the credential appeals to firms hiring for wealth management, private banking, and family office roles that deal with cross-border and multi-heir estates. If you're weighing whether the topic depth translates into career value, the CTEP Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis and Is the CTEP Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 both dig into that question.

Scoring Rules & Question Tiers

Because there's no negative marking, your strategy should be simple: answer every question, and triage by mark value under time pressure. With 115 minutes for 75 questions, you have roughly 1.5 minutes per question on average - but that average is misleading given the tiered structure.

• One-mark questions should take seconds if you know the rule - don't overthink these.
• Two-mark questions deserve slightly more time since they often test comparisons between personal law systems.
• Four-mark questions are scenario-based and deserve the bulk of your remaining time - they're where the 50% passing threshold is won or lost.

For an exact breakdown of how the 75/150 threshold interacts with the tiered scoring, review the CTEP Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass article, and for aggregate outcome data see the CTEP Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows.

Eligibility & Renewal Snapshot

CTEP has an unusual eligibility structure worth double-checking before you register: you can enroll after completing 10+2, but you must hold a graduation degree in any stream before AAFM India will actually award the designation. This means ambitious candidates can start studying and even sit the exam earlier in their academic path, but the certificate itself waits on your degree. Full details, including how this affects timing for students, are in the CTEP Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify guide.

Once certified, maintaining the designation isn't a one-time event. Annual renewal runs Rs. 14,160 for India-based holders or USD 250 for overseas holders, and continuing professional development (CPD) requirements apply. Budget for this recurring cost when you're evaluating the certification's long-term value - it isn't just an exam fee plus a badge.

Final-Week Review Plan

In the last stretch before your scheduled exam date, resist the urge to start new topics. Instead, cycle through weighted review - spend time proportional to domain weight, not equal time per domain.

For a longer-horizon study plan that starts well before exam week, see the CTEP Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. And if scheduling logistics or testing windows are still unclear, the CTEP Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling article covers the registration-to-exam pipeline in detail.

Throughout your review, running full-length timed mocks on our practice test platform is the fastest way to convert this cheat sheet into exam-day muscle memory - reading facts is not the same as answering 75 scored questions in 115 minutes. Use the practice tests to simulate the tiered mark structure specifically, not just generic multiple-choice drills.

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