CPPI England and Wales: exam structure and preparation

About CPPI England and Wales

The IPA's Certificate of Proficiency in Personal Insolvency for England and Wales concentrates on individuals: the options available to someone in serious debt, the advice that chooses between them, and the work of administering a bankruptcy or an IVA. It is set at the same standard as CPI and shares some questions with it, but it examines personal insolvency in more depth.

If you are deciding between CPI and CPPI, read CPI vs CPPI.

Exam at a glance

• Paper: three hours, 100 marks, online and closed book, on your own computer with remote invigilation.

• Structure: ten one-mark multiple-choice questions; ten short-form questions worth two or four marks; two compulsory 15-mark computational or essay-style questions; and two more chosen from three.

• Weighting: regulation, ethics, SIPs and other guidance carry about 20% of the marks.

• Law examined: legislation and practice in force on 1 January of the exam year.

• Sittings: June. The IPA's CPPI page says applications reopen in early 2027.

In October 2026 the CPPI page linked the CPI England and Wales syllabus in place of the CPPI one. This guide follows the IPA's 2026 CPPI England and Wales syllabus; ask the IPA for the current document if the link has not been corrected.

What does CPPI England and Wales test?

The full range of personal solutions: informal arrangements, mortgage and remortgage options, debt management plans, the debt respite scheme, debt relief orders, county court administration orders, individual voluntary arrangements and bankruptcy. The IVA material goes into protocol-compliant IVAs and the standard terms that apply to them. Bankruptcy covers the making of the order, the roles of the trustee and the Official Receiver, the estate, discharge, annulment, bankruptcy restrictions and the treatment of the family home.

Calculations include the statement of affairs, the estimated outcome statement, the income and expenditure statement, dividends and a bankruptcy versus voluntary arrangement comparison.

What makes CPPI England and Wales challenging?

Narrower scope means more depth, not an easier paper. The questions expect you to advise: to say which option suits a debtor on the facts given, what it will mean for their home, income and creditors, and what information is still missing. Naming the right procedure earns little without the reasons.

A family home exercise

The syllabus asks how a trustee deals with the bankrupt's interest in a family home. Set yourself a short case: a jointly owned home with some equity, a non-bankrupt spouse living there, and the trustee appointed a few months ago.

Work through it in stages. First, how is the bankrupt's beneficial interest worked out? Second, what can the trustee do with it: accept a buy-out, agree a voluntary sale, apply for an order for sale and possession, or take a charging order? Third, when would the interest re-vest in the bankrupt, and how is a low-equity property of less than £1,000 treated? Answer each stage from the current legislation and your study materials, and note which facts in the case drove each step. Change one fact, such as the equity or the time since the bankruptcy order, and see what moves.