1.2 The 12-Unit Curriculum Map and a Study Plan

The Official 12-Unit Blueprint\n\nNISM publishes both the unit names and their weightages in Annexure I for NISM-Series-V-A. The percentages below are official and total 100%. Annexure II supplies the detailed test objectives within each unit.\n\n| Unit | Official name | Weight | Approximate questions in a 100-question exam |\n| :--- | :--- | ---: | ---: |\n| I | Investment Landscape | 8% | 8 |\n| II | Concept & Role of a Mutual Fund | 6% | 6 |\n| III | Legal Structure of Mutual Funds in India | 4% | 4 |\n| IV | Legal and Regulatory Framework | 10% | 10 |\n| V | Scheme Related Information | 10% | 10 |\n| VI | Fund Distribution and Channel Management Practices | 6% | 6 |\n| VII | Net Asset Value, Total Expense Ratio and Pricing of Units | 8% | 8 |\n| VIII | Taxation | 4% | 4 |\n| IX | Investor Services | 15% | 15 |\n| X | Risk, Return and Performance of Funds | 7% | 7 |\n| XI | Mutual Fund Scheme Performance | 7% | 7 |\n| XII | Mutual Fund Scheme Selection | 15% | 15 |\n| | Total | 100% | 100 |\n\nBecause the exam has 100 one-mark questions, the published percentage for a unit also gives the expected mark allocation directly. Treat those counts as blueprint targets, not a guarantee about the order in which questions appear.\n\n## Avoid the Superseded Outline\n\nOlder material still circulates with units such as Offer Document, Accounting, Valuation & Taxation, Selecting the Right Investment Products for Investors, Helping Investors with Financial Planning, and Recommending Model Portfolios & Financial Plans. Those names and weights do not match the current Annexure I. Use the current 12 units above and check each learning objective against Annexure II.\n\n## Where to Concentrate\n\n- Investor Services (15%) and Mutual Fund Scheme Selection (15%) together account for 30 marks.\n- Legal and Regulatory Framework (10%) and Scheme Related Information (10%) add another 20 marks.\n- Investment Landscape (8%) and NAV, TER and Pricing (8%) are the next-largest units.\n- The 4% units still represent four marks each; omitting either Legal Structure or Taxation creates an avoidable gap.\n\n## A Defensible Study Sequence\n\n1. Build the foundation with Units I–III.\n2. Study Units IV–VI together so regulation, disclosures, and distribution duties reinforce one another.\n3. Work through Units VII–VIII with calculations and current tax rules.\n4. Give substantial time to Unit IX because it is 15% and operationally dense.\n5. Finish with Units X–XII in sequence: risk and return, performance measurement, then scheme selection.\n6. Use timed mixed practice only after every official objective has been covered.\n\nWhen allocating a fixed study budget, multiply total hours by each official percentage, then adjust only for diagnosed weaknesses. Never replace a published blueprint with the number of headings in a workbook.