ESG Certification Guide
An ESG certification is a credential individuals can gain to demonstrate their knowledge of and use of environmental, social, and governance factors in institutional investment analysis. This type of analysis is important to companies who want to understand the overall value and sustainability of an organization or investment.
Key Takeaways
- An ESG certification is a credential for financial professionals who want to demonstrate their knowledge of environmental, social, and governance factors in investment analysis.
- This credential can be beneficial for various financial professionals including CFA charterholders,
wealth managers, and risk managers. - The CFA Institute offers a Certificate in ESG Investing program that covers ESG topics and includes an exam.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Who Should Have an ESG Certificate?
- When To Get an ESG Certificate
- Best ESG Certificates
- How To Become ESG Certified?
- What is the CFA ESG Certificate?
- How to Study for the CFA ESG Certificate Exam?
- How To Register for the CFA ESG Certificate Exam?
- CFA ESG Certificate Exam Details
- Job Opportunities After Becoming ESG Certified
Is an ESG Certificate Worth It?
If you are a financial professional that helps investors or companies make investment decisions, gaining an ESG certificate is worth it. ESG investing is a rapidly growing practice within the institutional investment field and investors are looking for individuals with a good understanding of the different approaches to responsible investment.
Who Should Have an ESG Certificate?
Broadly speaking an ESG certificate can benefit anyone who works in operations, strategy, or management within the institutional investment field.
An ESG certification can be especially useful for CFA Charterholders, CAIA Charterholders, and Certified FRMs who would like to move into a more senior position and accelerate their careers. Even sales and distribution, wealth managers, product developers, financial advisors, consultants, or risk managers can benefit from improving their understanding of ESG issues.
Undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in pursuing a career in the investment industry may also benefit from earning an ESG certificate.
How an ESG Certificate is Beneficial for a CFA Charterholder
An ESG certificate is beneficial for a CFA Charterholder because it provides the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to being up-to-date on current ESG investing practices and knowledge of ESG issues.
An ESG certificate can help CFA Charterholders differentiate themselves and improve their investment analysis skills with environmental, social, and governance factors in their financial models, ratio analyses, and risk assessments.
When To Get an ESG Certificate
Since an ESG Certificate would be beneficial to virtually any financial professional's career, a good time to get an ESG certificate would be when someone has the time to pursue the credential. Since an ESG certificate broadly covers ESG investment factors and issues, if someone has the time to dedicate to studying and they have an interest in accelerating their career, now is a good time to get an ESG certificate.
Best ESG Certificates
There are a few providers of certificates that incorporate ESG topics into their curriculum.
Provider | Certificate | Best Fit |
CFA Institute |
| |
College For Financial Planning |
| |
European Federation of Financial Analysts Societies |
| |
Global Association of Risk Professionals |
| |
Sustainability Accounting Standards Board |
|
How To Become ESG Certified
- Meet enrollment requirements
- Enroll in the program
- Begin preparing for the exam(s)
- Register for the exam(s)
- Pass the exam(s)
How Long Does It Take to Earn an ESG Certificate?
Each program has its own steps to earn an ESG certificate, which will dictate exactly how long it takes to earn the certificate. Especially if more than one exam is required or the candidate doesn’t pass the exam the first time. Both factors determine how long it will take to earn an ESG certificate.
What is the CFA ESG Certificate?
The CFA ESG Certificate is a professional certification program offered by the CFA Institute. It is designed to meet the investment industries' increasing demand for more instruction and standards in environmental, social, and governance investing.
The Certificate in ESG Investing program was originally offered only in the United Kingdom but now is offered globally to anyone interested. The program is open to investment professionals or students with a foundational knowledge of the investment process.
How to Study for the CFA ESG Certificate Exam?
To study for the CFA ESG certificate exam, candidates with no professional experience in ESG investing should expect to study around 100 hours. Candidates with professional experience in the curriculum topics should anticipate studying around a little less than 100 hours.
Once candidates decide which category they belong in, they should begin to review the ESG curriculum and read-through the program syllabus. The syllabus tells candidates what skills and knowledge they are expected to demonstrate by the end of the program.
After becoming familiar with curriculum topics and learning outcomes, candidates should begin preparing for the ESG certificate exam. During this prep time, registered candidates will receive access to self-assessment questions and a mock exam from CFA Institute that should be used strategically.
Once candidates have their ESG prep materials and study plan, their success will be largely determined by how committed they stay to following their study plan.
How To Register for the CFA ESG Certificate Exam?
Registering for the CFA ESG certificate exam is straightforward. Simply create an account with the CFA Institute, and look for a link to register for the Certificate in ESG Investing program via your email. Once you register for the program, you will have six months to schedule the exam.
Expert Tip: It is recommended that candidates begin studying before actually scheduling a date to sit for the exam.
CFA ESG Certificate Exam Information
Learn important details for the Certificate in ESG Investing from the CFA Institute.
CFA ESG Certificate Exam Topics and Weights
Notice the weight given to topics such as “ESG Analysis, Valuation, and Integration” and “ ESG Integrated Portfolio Construction and Management.” These two topics make up a significant portion of the curriculum and will certainly test candidates' ability to apply a range of approaches to ESG analysis and integration across a range of asset classes.
Curriculum Topic | Topic Weight |
| Overview to ESG Investing and the ESG Market | 8-15% |
| Environmental Factors | 8-15% |
| Social Factors | 8-15% |
| Governance Factors | 8-15% |
| Engagement and Stewardship | 5-10% |
| ESG Analysis, Valuation and Integration | 20-30% |
| ESG Integrated Portfolio Construction and Management | 10-20% |
| Investment Mandates, Portfolio Analytics and Client Reporting | 5-10% |
Latest CFA ESG Certificate Curriculum Updates
CFA ESG Certificate Exam Costs and Fees
Enrollment in the Certificate in ESG Investing program from CFA Institute costs $890. If a candidate misses their exam window deadline, they will need to pay $690 to re-enroll in the program.
CFA ESG Certificate Exam Eligibility Window
Candidates have 6 months to sit for the exam after registering. If they miss the deadline, they will need to re-register and pay another enrollment fee to get back into the program. No refunds will be issued to those that miss their exam eligibility window deadline.
CFA ESG Certificate Exam Dates
Candidates are allowed to take the Certificate in ESG Investing exam any month of the year including January. Candidates are allowed to sit for the exam within their eligibility window at selected Prometic sites worldwide or via online proctored testing, where available and/or permissible by local regulation.
Expert Tip: Candidates will not be able to sit for the exam on holidays or weekends.
CFA ESG Certificate Exam Pass Rates
The pass rates for the CFA ESG certificate have been historically high. As of the end of January 2022, the average pass rate for the Certificate in ESG Investing exam was 81%. The certificate will have lifetime validity once a candidate has passed the exam.
Explore Fellow Candidate's Views On ESG Exam Difficulty
CFA ESG Certificate Exam Format and Duration
The CFA ESG certificate exam contains 100 multiple-choice questions and 3 answer options for each question. Candidates will have 2 hours and 20 minutes to complete the exam, which includes a survey at the end.
CFA ESG Certificate Exam Grading Process
The grading process for the CFA ESG Certification exam is pass or fail based on a minimum passing score.
How Long Does it Take for CFA ESG Certificate Exam Results to be Released?
Candidates will be presented with their exam results (pass/fail) immediately after completing the exam.
Job Opportunities After Becoming ESG Certified
There are lots of career paths available to individuals who become ESG certified. Jobs are prevalent throughout various industries including finance, government, risk management, and energy.
Individuals who earn ESG certificates hold job titles such as
- ESG Analyst
- ESG Advisor or Associate
- Sustainability/ESG Director
- Director Sustainable Finance
- ESG Sales & Delivery Manager
- ESG Program Manager
Ready To Start Preparing for the CFA ESG Certificate?
As you get ready for the CFA ESG Certificate exam, consider making the Kaplan Schweser ESG Certificate prep package—complete with ondemand videos, practice questions, access to the Kaplan Schweser Community, and mock exams—the centerpiece of your mission to earn a passing score.
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