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.

Career Opportunities

Individuals who have obtained the CAMS designation may receive a range of benefits. They include furthering one's professional portfolio via demonstrating a better understanding of the detection and prevention techniques of financial crime, helping to protect their organization from money laundering threats, and lessening financial crime risks. What's more, by flaunting this qualification on your resume, you can opt for such job roles as an Anti-Money Laundering Analyst, Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) Officer, Staff Auditor, Management Consultant, etc. When it comes to the annual payment received by those specialists who got CAMS certified, it equals almost $82k per year as shown by Payscale.com.

How to Get Certified

To obtain the ACAMS CAMS certificate individuals must take and successfully pass the affiliated namesake CAMS exam, which requires individuals to go through a three-step process. This has been outlined below:

• Take the actual CAMS exam

  After an individual is found to be eligible and their application has been approved, they may go on to schedule their CAMS evaluation.

• Be a member of ACAMS

  Individuals may gain membership of ACAMS as individuals, as part of an enterprise, as public sector workers, or as part of a chapter. Members are required to make a standard membership payment.

• Submit an application

  After gaining membership at ACAMS, individuals are required to submit an application form along with payment. To be eligible to send an application, individuals must meet the following requirements: hold an active ACAMS membership, have 40 ACAMS credits, possess an education (10 credits for associates, 20 credits for bachelors, 30 credits for masters, and 40 credits for JD, or PhD), possess work experience (10 credits for each year of work experience), and have training (1 credit for an hour of training in the field of financial crime).

If you're looking for the prestigious AML certificate issued by a reputed international organization that specializes in and is dedicated to the detection and prevention of financial crime, then you should opt for the ACAMS Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) certification exam which ensures an individual's skill in the field of anti-money laundering.

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