FAQs

We require that candidates are at least 18 years of age when they register for Level 1. There are no specific requirements for work experience or academic degrees.

As a U.S. corporation, The Macro Institute must abide by the regulations of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Asset Control (“OFAC”). OFAC regulations prohibit us from doing business with persons ordinarily resident in certain countries, as well as persons/entities on the Specially Designated Nationals (“SDN”) List. When you register and sign the Candidate Agreement, you represent these restrictions do not apply to you or your employer.

As a U.S. corporation, The Macro Institute must abide by the regulations of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Asset Control (“OFAC”). OFAC regulations prohibit us from doing business with persons ordinarily resident in certain countries, as well as persons/entities on the Specially Designated Nationals (“SDN”) List. When you register and sign the Candidate Agreement, you represent these restrictions do not apply to you or your employer.

Yes. By registering for the M²SD program you are agreeing that:

• You have never been convicted of a felony or any crime punishable by 1 year or more in prison.
• You have not been banned by FINRA or the equivalent regulatory authority in the jurisdiction in which you reside.
• You are not currently suspended by FINRA or another regulatory organization in the jurisdiction in which you reside.
• You are at least 18 years of age.

Absolutely. The ability to maintain a full-time job, and income, while broadening your skill set is one of the advantages of the M²SD program over a full-time graduate academic program.

Access to the online study materials is included with the registration fee. You are not required to purchase them separately. You may incur some additional cost to obtain the required outside readings (Essential Readings).

Yes, there is a $250 annual fee to maintain an active M²SD designation and participate in M²SD program events. This fee is subject to change.

Yes, you are required to take and pass the exams for Level 1 and 2 (Path A or Path B) in order.

No. It is a self-paced study program. You may take as long as you want to prepare for an exam before you set a test date.

Yes. There will be four 3-week testing windows per year available for each level. Those dates will be published and updated on an ongoing basis. Currently they are the first three weeks of every calendar quarter.

There will be four 3-week testing windows available per year for each level. This is subject to change.

The M²SD program partners with Pearson VUE testing centers as our exam provider. After registering for the program, you will receive more information from Pearson about how to set an exam date.

You will have three hours to complete the final exam. The exam consists of 150 multiple choice and true/false questions.

No, English is the only language available for the exam and study materials.

The video lectures, slides, Q&A, and practice exams are included with your registration fee. Each chapter also contains required Essential Readings (ERs). We provide free links to most of the ERs in the syllabus on Canvas. However, a small number of ERs may require purchase at a reasonable cost.

No. This is a self-paced study program and you can take as much time as you like to prepare for the final exams before sitting for them.

Study materials are available exclusively online through the Canvas education platform. You are able to download a PDF of the slides covered in the videos.

Essential Readings are reading materials written by external authors that provide context for the core M²SD content. They are generally authored by experts on the topic at hand and they are included in the  final exam. ERs include academic articles, online posts, and portions of books.

Links to most of the ERs are provided in the syllabus on Canvas. A small number may require purchase.

The program is self-paced, and you may take as much or as little time you need to prepare for each final exam. Generally, you can expect to study for about 175 hours per level, depending on your prior experience. This would mean about 7-10 hours per week to complete a level in 6-12 months.

No, English is the only language available for the study materials.

On exam day, you must bring a valid, government issued ID. The information on your ID must exactly match the information you provided during your initial registration. If this information changes please contact support@themacroinstitute.com. Please see Pearson’s website for additional restrictions on what you are allowed to bring to the testing center. No additional equipment is required by the M²SD program, such as calculators or pencils.

You may retake the exam during the next available testing window. You may not take the exam multiple times within the same 3-week testing window.

Yes. The first three retake attempts for any level require a $300 fee for each retake. Four unsuccessful exam attempts will require you to re-register for the level and pay the $2,500 registration fee. These fees are subject to change.

You will be notified whether you passed or failed the exam within 30 days after the end of the testing window in which you took the exam.

Yes. The Macro Specialist Designation program will provide ongoing opportunities for designation holders to network with each other.

The M²SD program broadens your investment tool kit. It covers macro investing techniques not included in other financial market certifications or traditional academic programs. In conjunction with traditional pathways, such as Master of Business Administration (MBA) or Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA^®) programs, the M²SD prepares today’s investors with comprehensive skills to improve performance and navigate uncharted economic cycles ahead.