Free Practice Questions for CNBV PLD/FT Certification

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Key Facts: CNBV PLD/FT Certification Exam

4 hours

Length of the single computer-based session

CNBV, Convocatoria 2026 (DOF 29-12-2025)

MXN 17,965

Federal certification fee for 2026

CNBV, Preguntas frecuentes

5 years

Validity of the certificate

CNBV, Preguntas frecuentes

Evaluations in 2026: 27 June and 24 October

CNBV, Convocatoria 2026 (DOF 29-12-2025)

The CNBV's PLD/FT certification is a four-hour, computer-based Spanish exam of four-option items in three areas; the certificate is valid for five years.

Sample CNBV PLD/FT Certification Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the CNBV PLD/FT Certification exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 110+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1In the classic three-stage model of money laundering used in CNBV and GAFI training materials, which sequence correctly describes the stages?

A.Structuring (pitufeo), concealment of the source, and repatriation of the funds

B.Customer identification, reporting to the FIU, and freezing of assets

C.Placement, layering and integration

D.Predicate offense, criminal conviction and confiscation of proceeds

Explanation: Placement introduces illicit proceeds, often cash, into the financial system. Layering moves them through successive transactions, accounts, products or jurisdictions to distance them from their source. Integration returns the funds to the legal economy as apparently legitimate wealth, for example through real estate or business investments.

2A criminal group has several people deposit cash in amounts just below reporting thresholds into different bank accounts on the same day. Which laundering stage does this conduct mainly represent?

A.Placement

B.Layering

C.Integration

D.None, because deposits below the reporting threshold fall outside the laundering offense

Explanation: Getting illicit cash into the financial system is placement. Splitting it into many small deposits (pitufeo or structuring) tries to avoid the Operación Relevante report that the DCG require for cash operations of USD 7,500 or more.

3Under Article 400 Bis of the Código Penal Federal (CPF), what is the basic penalty for the offense of operaciones con recursos de procedencia ilícita?

A.3 to 10 years in prison and 500 to 2,000 días multa

B.15 to 40 years in prison and a fine of 400 to 1,200 times the daily UMA value

C.1 to 9 years in prison and 100 to 300 días multa

D.5 to 15 years in prison and 1,000 to 5,000 días multa

Explanation: Article 400 Bis imposes 5 to 15 years in prison and 1,000 to 5,000 días multa on anyone who, personally or through another person, carries out the conducts in fraction I (acquiring, transferring, depositing, investing or transporting resources, among others) or fraction II (concealing their nature, origin, location, destination or ownership), knowing that the resources come from an illicit activity.

4A bank branch manager knowingly helps a client move fraud proceeds through the bank. Under Article 400 Bis 1 of the CPF, how does the manager's position affect the penalty?

A.The penalty is doubled, because bank employees are treated as public servants responsible for preventing laundering

B.Penalties rise by one third up to one half, plus disqualification for a period equal to the prison term

C.No effect: Article 400 Bis 1 increases penalties only for public servants and former public servants

D.The penalty is reduced by one third if the bank itself later files an unusual-operation report

Explanation: Article 400 Bis 1 raises the penalties by one third up to one half when the offender is a board member, administrator, officer, employee, attorney-in-fact or service provider of a person subject to the prevention regime, or acts within two years of leaving such a post. It adds disqualification (inhabilitación) for the same length as the prison term, starting once the sentence has been served.

5Under Article 400 Bis of the CPF, as reformed in July 2025, what rule applies when the laundering conduct used the services of financial-system institutions?

A.Only the CNBV may investigate these conducts, and it files the criminal complaint directly with a federal criminal judge

B.The Ministerio Público may investigate only after the UIF places the suspect on the Lista de Personas Bloqueadas

C.The Ministerio Público may always investigate, but criminal action requires an SHCP denuncia; the SHCP is the victim

D.No special rule applies: the offense is prosecuted ex officio, without any SHCP denuncia or involvement

Explanation: The paragraph reformed in the DOF of 16 July 2025 states that, where financial-system services were used, the Ministerio Público is always empowered to investigate. However, criminal action requires a denuncia from the Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público, which acts as victim. The SHCP must also use its verification powers and report the facts when its tax audits reveal elements of these offenses.

6For the money laundering chapter of the CPF, when are resources considered 'producto de una actividad ilícita'?

A.When there are well-founded indications or certainty that they come from a crime and their lawful origin cannot be shown

B.Only when a final criminal judgment has already convicted someone of the predicate offense that generated them

C.Whenever they are cash amounts equal to or above USD 7,500, because that is the legal presumption threshold

D.Only when they come from offenses the CPF lists as predicate crimes, such as drug trafficking or kidnapping

Explanation: Article 400 Bis treats resources, rights or assets of any nature as proceeds of an illicit activity when there are well-founded indications or certainty that they come, directly or indirectly, from a crime or represent its profits, and their legitimate origin cannot be shown.

7Which statement about terrorist financing under Article 139 Quáter of the CPF is correct?

A.It applies only if the funds come from criminal activity, as with the laundering offense in Article 400 Bis

B.It carries the same penalty as laundering under Article 400 Bis: 5 to 15 years in prison and 1,000 to 5,000 días multa

C.It applies only once a terrorist act financed with the funds has actually been committed in Mexican territory

D.It punishes providing or collecting funds of any origin, knowing they will support terrorism, with the Article 139 penalty

Explanation: Article 139 Quáter applies the penalty of Article 139 (15 to 40 years in prison and a fine of 400 to 1,200 times the daily UMA value) to anyone who provides or raises funds or resources of any nature knowing they will support terrorist individuals or organizations, or will be used for offenses such as terrorism, sabotage or international terrorism, whether in Mexico or abroad.

8What conduct does Article 139 Quinquies of the CPF punish with 1 to 9 years in prison and 100 to 300 días multa?

A.Failing to send a 24-hour report to the SHCP through the CNBV when terrorist financing is suspected

B.Concealing a person who took part in terrorist financing under Article 139 Quáter

C.Paying for real estate in cash above the limit in Article 32 of the LFPIORPI

D.Telling a client that an unusual transaction report was filed about their operations

Explanation: Article 139 Quinquies creates a separate offense of encubrimiento: concealing a person who participated in terrorist financing under Article 139 Quáter.

9The CNBV's 2020 guide on detecting illicit-origin transactions derived from corruption cites Transparency International's definition of corruption. What is that definition?

A.Any transaction above the Operación Relevante threshold carried out by a public servant

B.An entity's failure to report unusual transactions within the legal deadline

C.The abuse of entrusted power for private gain

D.Any cash payment made to a government agency

Explanation: Transparency International defines corruption as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. The CNBV guide uses this concept to explain why proceeds of corruption, such as bribes or embezzled public funds, are a major source of laundered resources.

10Which GAFI Recommendation requires countries to implement targeted financial sanctions to comply with UN Security Council resolutions on preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and its financing (FPADM)?

A.Recommendation 7

B.Recommendation 10

C.Recommendation 16

D.Recommendation 29

Explanation: Recommendation 7 requires countries to freeze, without delay, the funds and assets of persons and entities designated under UN Security Council resolutions on proliferation and its financing, and to ensure no funds are made available to them. Recommendation 6 is the parallel rule for terrorism and terrorist financing.

About the CNBV PLD/FT Certification Exam

Independent CNBV PLD/FT certification practice by OpenExamPrep. The official evaluation is a Spanish, computer-based test of four-option multiple-choice items, taken in one 4-hour session at CNBV-designated sites, covering basic AML/CFT knowledge, Mexican technical rules, and audit, supervision and the risk-based approach. This bank is an English-language study adaptation, not an official translation or format simulation. Official Mexican terms such as Disposiciones de Carácter General, Operación Inusual, Comité de Comunicación y Control, LFPIORPI and Lista de Personas Bloqueadas are kept in Spanish.

Exam sponsor: Comisión Nacional Bancaria y de Valores (CNBV); evaluation designed and applied by Ceneval. The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

A computer-based evaluation of four-option multiple-choice items in three areas: Conocimientos básicos en PLD/FT; Conocimientos técnicos en PLD/FT; and Conocimientos en auditoría, supervisión y Enfoque basado en riesgos. The number of items and the cut score are not published.

Time Limit

One 4-hour session

Passing Score

The result is reported as Aprobatorio or No Aprobatorio; the cut score is not published

Exam / Certification Fees

MXN 17,965 in federal fees (derechos) for 2026

Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Official sources

CNBV — Certificación CNBV en materia de PLD/FT · Source checked 2026-09-28Official page with the 2026 convocatoria (DOF 29 December 2025: evaluations on 27 June and 24 October, up to 1,500 places each, 4 hours, sites in Ciudad de México, Jalisco and Nuevo León, results Aprobatorio or No Aprobatorio), the Instructivo, temario, Ceneval participant guide, FAQ and fee
GAFI/FATF — The FATF Recommendations · Source checked 2026-09-28International standards covered in the basic-knowledge and risk-based-approach areas

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

Item count not published

Conocimientos básicos en PLD/FT

Concepts and criminal penalties, international bodies and GAFI Recommendations, and Mexican authorities

Item count not published

Conocimientos técnicos en PLD/FT

Disposiciones de Carácter General obligations, reports and deadlines, cash dollar limits, blocked persons, compliance function, sanctions, beneficial ownership, and the LFPIORPI

Item count not published

Conocimientos en auditoría, supervisión y Enfoque basado en riesgos en PLD/FT

Audit reports and CNBV supervision, the international and national risk-based approach, and the Evaluación Nacional de Riesgos

Preparing for the CNBV PLD/FT Certification Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: The result is reported as Aprobatorio or No Aprobatorio; the cut score is not published
Assessment: A computer-based evaluation of four-option multiple-choice items in three areas: Conocimientos básicos en PLD/FT; Conocimientos técnicos en PLD/FT; and Conocimientos en auditoría, supervisión y Enfoque basado en riesgos. The number of items and the cut score are not published.
Time limit: One 4-hour session
Exam / certification fees: MXN 17,965 in federal fees (derechos) for 2026 Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

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CNBV PLD/FT Certification: Suggested Study Strategy

1Learn the report types and their deadlines under the Disposiciones de Carácter General: operaciones relevantes, inusuales, internas preocupantes and in cash in US dollars.

2Memorize the key thresholds: cash dollar limits for individuals and companies, relevant-operation amounts, and the LFPIORPI identification and notice thresholds in UMA, with the day-17 notice deadline.

3Review the roles of the Comité de Comunicación y Control, the compliance officer and the Lista de Personas Bloqueadas, including customer notification and the defense procedure.

4Study the GAFI Recommendations, the Egmont Group and the risk-based approach, plus the Evaluación Nacional de Riesgos.

5Know the CNBV audit-report requirements and the sanctions for non-compliance under the Ley de Instituciones de Crédito and other financial laws.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the CNBV PLD/FT certification?

It is the certificate the Comisión Nacional Bancaria y de Valores grants to compliance officers, independent external auditors, internal auditors and other professionals who serve supervised entities, under its 2019 general provisions on PLD/FT certification. Candidates must pass a knowledge evaluation designed and applied by Ceneval.

When and where is the 2026 evaluation?

The 2026 convocatoria, published in the DOF on 29 December 2025, sets two evaluations, on 27 June and 24 October 2026, each with up to 1,500 places. They start at 9:00 and last 4 hours, at CNBV-designated sites in Ciudad de México, Jalisco and Nuevo León. Registration windows were 1-28 April and 3-28 August 2026.

How much does it cost and how long is the certificate valid?

The federal fee for 2026 is MXN 17,965. The certificate is valid for 5 years. To renew it, you must pass the evaluation again, applying in the certification process before your certificate expires.

How many questions are on the exam and what is the passing score?

Neither the CNBV nor Ceneval publishes the number of items or the cut score. The result is reported only as Aprobatorio or No Aprobatorio. The items are multiple choice with four answer options, and the test includes unscored pilot items.

Why is this practice bank in English if the official exam is in Spanish?

The official evaluation is in Spanish. This bank is an independent English-language study adaptation, not an official translation or format simulation. Legal terms, report names and authorities are kept in Spanish so they match the Disposiciones and the CNBV temario.