United States
Hong KongHow much does HKSI Paper 1 cost?
The HKSI Paper 1 examination fee is HKD 1,800 per attempt. That buys the sitting and nothing else: no study manual, no course, no second try. Because the published mean pass rate to June 2026 was 51.9%, budget for the possibility of paying it twice.
HKD 1,800. Per attempt, which is the part people skip past.
- Examination fee
- HKD 1,800 per attempt
- What it covers
- One sitting of Paper 1
- Study manual
- Sold separately by HKSI
- Resit
- Full fee again
- Published mean pass rate
- 51.9% for the twelve months to June 2026
- Our Paper 1 course
- HKD 680 for 6 months
- Other papers
- Priced separately. Check the HKSI fee schedule
What the fee does and does not include
It includes the exam. That is the entire list.
The official study manual is a separate purchase from HKSI. Any course, question bank or tuition is separate again. And a resit is charged at the full fee, not a reduced one, so the real cost of Paper 1 for a candidate who fails once is double what the headline number suggests.
The number nobody budgets for
Roughly 48.1% of candidates did not pass over the twelve months to June 2026. Applied honestly to your own planning, that means a coin-flip chance of a second HKD 1,800.
We are not saying this to frighten you into buying something. We are saying it because the most common financial mistake we see is a candidate who spends nothing on preparation to save a few hundred dollars, then pays the full examination fee twice. That is a worse trade in every direction, including the month it costs you.
What preparation typically adds
| Item | Cost | Worth it? |
|---|---|---|
| HKSI study manual | Priced by HKSI, sold separately | Yes. It is the authoritative text and the base layer for everything else |
| Free syllabus, handbook, Ordinance and SFC codes | Nothing | Yes. These are the primary sources and cost only your time |
| Question bank or online course | Varies by provider. Ours is HKD 680 for 6 months | Only if it comes with explanations rather than answer letters |
| Tuition centre | Varies. We do not quote other providers' prices | If you will not study alone, the accountability is the product |
| Employer internal training | Nothing to you | Always. Use it before you spend anything |
Can you claim the cost back?
Often, and it is worth asking before you pay. Many Hong Kong firms reimburse licensing examination fees for staff who need the licence, sometimes conditional on passing, and some fund the study material as well. Your compliance or HR team will know the policy.
If you are between roles, there is no equivalent. You are paying yourself, and the resit risk is entirely yours, which is a reason to prepare more thoroughly rather than less.
Our view on where the money should go
Manual first, then testing, then nothing else. The bit of the market we would be most sceptical about is expensive tuition bought before you have measured yourself, because a candidate who is already scoring near the line is paying for reassurance rather than instruction.
The concession, since we sell a course: you can pass this paper for the price of the manual and the sitting fee, using free primary sources and your own discipline. That route is slower and it works. We think our explanations are worth the HKD 680 and you are entitled to disagree.
For the exam fee mechanics and the payment side, the Paper 1 exam fee page has more detail, and free versus paid materials works through what you actually need to buy.
Common questions
Is the HKSI Paper 1 fee refundable?
Deferral, cancellation and refund rules are set by HKSI and published in its examination handbook, and we have not verified the current terms, so check there before you assume anything. Deadlines for changing a booking are usually well before the sitting date.
Does the HKSI Paper 1 fee include the study manual?
No. The HKD 1,800 covers the sitting only. The official study manual is sold separately by HKSI, and any course, question bank or tuition is a further cost on top of both.
How much does a resit cost?
The full HKD 1,800 again. There is no reduced rate for a second attempt that we are aware of, which is why the roughly 48.1% fail rate is a real budget consideration rather than an abstract statistic.