Topics Covered

All in all, the CAMS exam is based on four domains. The first of which is Risks and Methods of Money Laundering & Terrorism Financing. This topic accounts for 26% of the exam items and consists of several subdomains. Thus, the following is a brief portion of the list of those subdomains: recognize ways of money laundering used by banks and similar institutions, by insurance companies, by broker-dealers, capital markets, or investment advisors. What's more, you need to also be aware of recognizing methods of money laundering utilized by organizations such as casinos or other game-related industries, by companies dealing with precious metals or other high-value goods, real estate, etc. In addition, here, you need to know more about the red flags, commercial transactions, human trafficking, and the like.

The second objective is Compliance Standards for Anti-money Laundering (AML) and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) which stands for 25% of all test content. In particular, this domain consists of 11 areas. So, to master this topic in full, you need to learn to recognize the main aspects of the EU Directives on money laundering, the USA PATRIOT Act, and the OFAC sanctions. On top of that, you need to touch on how to identify the FATF 40 Recommendations and how to deal with the aspects of the BASEL Committee Customer Due Diligence Principles including the coverage of Egmont Group objectives.

The third section the real exam tests individuals on are AML, CFT, and Sanctions Compliance Programs that covers 28% of the exam and consists of 31 subdomains. In all, under this category, you have to recognize the main items of an anti-money laundering training program and the part that senior management and director boards play in how an organization deals with anti-money laundering oversight. Then, you need to also be proficient in handling AML tools, governance, audits, and situation.

The last part covered is Conducting and Supporting the Investigation Process detailing 21% of the exam questions. All in all, such a portion focuses on recognizing suitable methods of conducting interviews for potential parties involved in an anti-money laundering event, dealing with public source information or other sources of information that may be available for use in an investigation given a specific scenario, accepting ways in which law enforcement organizations may request data from an institution with regards to money laundering, etc.

Who should take the CAMS exam

The CAMS certification is an internationally-recognized credential that identifies persons who earn it as possessing specialized AML knowledge. AML professionals who earn the CAMS designation position themselves to be leaders in the business and to expertise professional growth. If a candidate wants significant improvement in career growth needs enhanced knowledge, skills, and talents. The CAMS certification provides proof of this advanced knowledge and skill. If a person fulfills the following eligibility requirements of the CAMS exam then he should take this exam.

• Provide three professional references.
• Document a minimum of 40 qualifying credits based on education, other professional certification and professional expertise in the field.
• Submit supporting documents.

The benefit in Obtaining the CAMS Exam Certification

• Proving their AML experience to examiners and regulators
• ACAMS conducted a survey recently and the findings were pretty interesting on average, professionals who had their ACAMS made $25,000 more than their colleagues who did not have the CAMS certification!
• Meeting mandated AML training needs through preparation and study
• Increasing their skilled worth through a higher understanding of financial crime detection and hindrance techniques
• Protecting their company from money laundering threats and minimize money crime risks

Reference: https://www.acams.org/sites/default/files/2024-02/EN-CAMS_011924.pdf