The 4 Question Formats on the CAMS Exam

Knowing what to expect before you go into an exam will help you to relax and be confident.  The Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist® (CAMS) exam is a computer-based test during which candidates must answer 120 multiple-choice questions in 210 minutes (3½ hours).  One element that makes the exam challenging is the variety of question formats presented.  Each format is described in the following paragraphs.

4-pick-1

This is the classic multiple-choice question consisting of a stem, or question prompt, followed by four answer choices where only one is the correct response.  The other three choices are incorrect, but plausible, distractors.  On a computer-based exam, 4-pick-1 answer choices are selected using a circular radio button, which only allows one of the four to be selected.  Most of the CAMS exam questions are of this format (70%).  The probability of randomly guessing the correct answer is 25% (1 in 4).

4-pick-2

This format resembles the traditional 4-choice question, but the candidate must select two correct answer choices by ticking the square checkbox next to each.  Questions with multiple correct answers will have specific instructions under the stem indicating how many choices are to be selected.  This is the second most common question type representing about 25% of the exam.  The probability of guessing is reduced to 17% (1/6).

5-pick-2

With five answer choices, this format resembles the 4-pick-2 question design by utilizing checkboxes instead of radio buttons.  Similarly, the question will include specific instructions indicating how many answer choices are to be selected.  This is the least common format on the CAMS exam, appearing only once or twice.  The probability of a correct random guess in this format is only 10%.

5-pick-3

In this format, the question stem is followed by five answer choices and the candidate is instructed to select three.  These last two formats make up only 5% of the exam.  Interestingly, the 5-pick-3 question has the same probability for random guessing as the 5-pick-2 format (10%).

Exam Procedures

You are not allowed to bring anything into the exam room.  The time allotted to complete the exam is more than adequate for most candidates.  You will likely have enough time to review most of your answers.  The exam software does allow you to mark questions and to return to any question you want a second look at.  The results are provided immediately upon completion with a passing score being 75 correct out of 120 possible.  If you pass, your certificate will be emailed to you as a pdf file.

RēVu|Exams

RēVu|Exams has a large database of practice questions and summary review notes to help you prepare for the CAMS exam.  Get the practice you need with questions that match the actual exam in format and difficulty.  Our approach will ensure you’ll go into the exam with the confidence to perform at your very best.