NISM Series XXIV Exam Pattern
50 marks, 1 hour, negative marking: exactly how Series XXIV is scored and passed.
NISM Series XXIV is a short paper: 50 multiple choice questions of 1 mark each, 50 marks in all, to be finished in 1 hour. You pass with 25 out of 50 (50%). There is no negative marking, so a wrong answer costs nothing.
You do not go to a test centre. XXIV is conducted in a remote proctored environment: you sit it on your own Windows laptop or desktop while a live proctor watches through your webcam. It is an awareness exam for employees of securities market intermediaries (brokers, mutual fund houses, depository participants, registrars and the like), and it is non-mandatory, so nobody is obliged to hold it.
NISM XXIV exam pattern at a glance
Every figure below is from NISM's Series XXIV exam page and its FAQ.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Questions | 50 multiple choice questions |
| Marks per question | 1 |
| Total marks | 50 |
| Duration | 60 minutes (1 hour) |
| Pass mark | 25 out of 50 (50%) |
| Negative marking | None |
| Question types | Single-answer MCQs only; no case studies, no descriptive answers |
| Mode | Online, remotely proctored, taken from home or office |
| Status | Non-mandatory awareness certification |
How the score is worked out
Your score is the number of correct answers. A wrong answer and a blank both score zero. 50 questions at 1 mark each gives 50 marks, and 50% of that is 25 marks. Get 25 right and you pass, whatever happens on the other 25.
There is no sectional cut-off. NISM does not ask for a minimum score from any of the eight chapters, and it publishes no marks split per chapter. Any per-chapter weightage you see for XXIV is not from NISM.
Because nothing is deducted for a wrong answer, leaving a question blank is the only way to throw a mark away.
Time per question
60 minutes for 50 questions is 72 seconds each. Most questions are one-line recall: a threshold, a time limit, a reporting duty, the name of an authority. With no negative marking, every question should carry an answer when the clock runs out.
Free account, this exam preselected.
How the remote proctored exam runs on the day
From NISM's exam instructions and its remote proctored exam FAQ, which the XXIV exam page links to. The registration page covers how you book the slot.
- 1
Set up a Windows laptop or desktop
The secure exam browser (MSB) runs only on Windows 7 or later. You need a working webcam, a microphone and at least 512 kbps up and down. A phone or tablet cannot be used.
- 2
Place a second camera
Your mobile phone sits about 1 metre to your left or right and records your side profile, both hands, the screen and the desk for the whole exam. Keep it on charge.
- 3
Keep a photo ID ready
PAN card, Aadhaar, driving licence or passport in original, or the same document in DigiLocker with your photo embedded.
- 4
Start inside the window
The Start Test button is live from 15 minutes before your slot to 15 minutes after it. Arrive later and the system shows Access Denied. The timer starts only when you see the first question, so waiting in the authorisation queue does not eat into your hour.
- 5
Sit it like a test hall
A live proctor watches throughout. No one else in the room, no phone, earphones or smart watch, and no toilet break once the test starts. The proctor can pause the exam, ask for a 360-degree view of the room, or end it for a breach.
- 6
If the connection drops
The test auto-saves. Log in again the same way and you resume from the question where you were cut off.
What the 50 questions test
The paper draws on eight chapters: what money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing are; the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002; the PML (Maintenance of Records) Rules, 2005; scheduled offences; the AML, CFT and PF guidelines; SEBI's AML guidelines for intermediaries; SEBI's KYC norms; and a set of PMLA cases. The syllabus page lists what each chapter covers.
Three question styles come out of that material. Definition questions: which of placement, layering and integration is the stage where dirty money enters the banking system. Rule questions: how long an intermediary must keep transaction records, which reports go to FIU-IND and within what time, what a reporting entity must do before onboarding a client. Case questions: what an intermediary in one of the chapter 8 cases failed to do, and what the regulator held.
The trap is mixing up who does what. The paper keeps asking which body is responsible for a step: the Enforcement Directorate investigates, FIU-IND receives reports, SEBI issues the guidelines intermediaries follow, and the intermediary's principal officer files the reports. Read the question for the actor, not just the action.
Confirm before you book
These details are from NISM's Series XXIV exam page, its FAQ and its remote proctored exam instructions, read on 17 October 2026. NISM can change the pattern, duration or delivery mode, so check the exam page before you book. Some third-party pages describe XXIV as a 100-mark, 2-hour paper or call it a securities market foundation exam; both are wrong. Series XII is the foundation exam.
FAQs
What is the NISM Series 24 exam?expand_more
NISM Series XXIV is the AML and CFT Provisions in Securities Markets certification: a 50-question, 50-mark online test of 60 minutes on the anti money laundering, counter terror financing and KYC rules that apply to employees of securities market intermediaries. It is a non-mandatory awareness exam.
What is the pass mark for NISM XXIV?expand_more
25 out of 50 (50%). There is no sectional cut-off and no negative marking, so 25 correct answers out of 50 is a pass.
Is there negative marking in the NISM AML CFT exam?expand_more
No. NISM's exam page and FAQ both say there is no negative marking. A wrong answer scores zero, the same as a blank, so attempt every question.
Can I take the NISM XXIV exam from home?expand_more
Yes. XXIV is a remote proctored exam, not a test centre exam. When you book, the test centre city shows as Online. You take it on a Windows laptop or desktop with a webcam and microphone, with your phone set up as a second camera, while a live proctor watches. You cannot take it on a phone or tablet.
When do I get my NISM XXIV result and certificate?expand_more
NISM's XXIV pages do not say when the score is displayed. Its FAQ says the certificate is issued after 72 hours from the date of the exam, provided your profile is approved and your PAN is on your registration details.
Next steps
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