Syllabus · Finance & Accounting

FRM Topics Explained: Part I & Part II Areas and Weights

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The FRM (GARP) syllabus explained in plain English: the Part I and Part II topic areas and their weights, from VaR to credit and operational risk.

By The Exam Atlas Editorial Team · Verified 2026-06-05

The FRM has two parts: Part I builds the risk toolkit, and Part II applies it to market, credit, operational and liquidity risk. Weights are set by GARP and can change, so confirm the current ones with the official learning objectives.

Part I (the foundations and tools)

AreaWeightNote
Foundations of Risk Management20%Concepts, governance, ethics, the role of risk management
Quantitative Analysis20%Probability, statistics, regression
Financial Markets and Products30%Derivatives (forwards, futures, options, swaps), fixed income
Valuation and Risk Models30%Value at Risk, volatility, valuation, model basics

Part II (applied risk management)

AreaWeightNote
Market Risk Measurement and Management20%Measuring and managing market risk
Credit Risk Measurement and Management20%Default, exposure and credit models
Operational Risk and Resilience20%Operational loss, resilience, regulation
Liquidity and Treasury Risk15%Funding and liquidity risk
Risk Management and Investment Management15%Risk applied to portfolios
Current Issues in Financial Markets10%Recent market and risk developments

How the parts connect

Part I is the toolkit (quant, products, valuation, VaR); Part II is the application to each risk type. Part II is only graded if Part I is passed, so master the foundations first. Confirm current weights with GARP.

FAQ

What topics are on the FRM exam?
Part I covers Foundations of Risk Management, Quantitative Analysis, Financial Markets and Products, and Valuation and Risk Models. Part II covers Market, Credit, Operational and Liquidity risk, plus Risk and Investment Management and Current Issues.

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