AFA Certification: Which module should you start with?
This is a question that the certification programme partly answers for you: the first module is not a choice. The rest, however, depends on the branch in which you wish to specialise.
General Skills and Knowledge: the key that unlocks everything
The General Skills and Knowledge module is compulsory, and there’s a specific reason for this: it’s the module that grants access to all the other modules. Until you have passed it, you cannot sit the exams for any of the three specialisation streams: life, non-life, and health and supplementary. This is not a recommendation; it is the mandatory entry point to the certification.
To put it plainly: whatever career path you are aiming for, your journey must begin with this module, and it is only once you have passed it that you can choose your specialism.
That’s just as well, because it’s also the module that makes the most sense as a starting point. It covers the insurance industry and the full range of legal knowledge required for the profession: the legal framework, technical principles, and the basics of insurance intermediation. It’s the foundation on which everything else is built. Tackling it first isn’t just about following the prescribed order; it’s about laying the groundwork to understand the subsequent modules rather than simply learning them by heart.
It is also the most expensive module to retake (400 CHF), so it’s one you’d be well advised to pass first time. All the more reason not to rush through it. You can view its detailed content on the Competencies module page.
Next steps: depending on what you want to sell
Once you’ve passed the ‘Competencies’ module, you’re free to choose the order of the other modules, and this depends on the products you advise on:
- Non-life if you’re specialising in property and assets insurance: home, motor, third-party liability, SMEs.
- Health and supplementary insurance if you advise your clients on basic health insurance and supplementary cover.
- Life if you advise on retirement provision: life insurance, 3rd pillar, LPP.
You are under no obligation to take all four. You can easily gain certification only in the branch or branches in which you practise, and add the others later if your business develops.
Do you have to take them all at once?
No, and it’s actually rarely a good idea. Each module has its own exam format: a multiple-choice questionnaire for ‘Competencies’, a practical advisory case study for ‘Health’, a comprehensive written exam for ‘Non-life’, and an oral exam for ‘Life’. Preparing for them all at the same time means spreading yourself too thin across very different types of assessment.
The most solid strategy: pass ‘Competencies’ first, then proceed module by module, passing each one before moving on to the next. This way, you’ll build up your all-branches certification without ever losing focus.
Key points to remember
- You must start with ‘Skills and General Knowledge’.
- The rest is chosen according to your line of work, not in any set order.
- One module at a time, passing each one before moving on to the next: this is a safer approach than tackling everything in one go.