HKSI Study Manual PDF: Versions for Every Paper

HKSI sets LE questions from its study guide, so the version you revise from matters as much as the hours you put in. The Paper 7 and Paper 8 guides change version on 9 December 2026, and Papers 2 and 3 get new syllabi the same day. This guide shows which version applies to your sitting and how to get it.

How HKSI versions its study guides

HKSI now calls its study manuals eStudy Guides; older documents and forums still say “study manual”. Its “Updating Your Study Guides” notice on hksi.org (checked 11 October 2026) sets the rules:

• Guides are updated periodically, or when laws, rules, codes or market practice change.
• HKSI announces each update on its website, and enrolled candidates download the latest version.
• Each new version ends with a list of major updates from the previous one (not for a new edition).
• Unless HKSI issues an update or says otherwise, exam questions are based solely on the latest version of the study guide that is still current.
• HKSI warns that recent regulatory changes may not be in the guide straight away.

The fourth point decides most arguments. If the law changed last month and the guide has not caught up, the exam follows the guide unless HKSI announces otherwise. At work, follow the law in force.

Current versions for every LE paper

Paper 1 has no announced change as at 11 October 2026. Its syllabus is version 35, effective 30 June 2026, and its study guide is version 3.5. Papers 2, 3, 4, 7 and 8 all switch guides on 9 December 2026. Papers 15 and 16 share one combined study manual.

The Paper 1 study manual (version 3.5)

Paper 1 is the paper most people search for, usually as “HKSI Paper 1 study manual PDF”. The current guide is version 3.5, published in April 2026. It covers the nine Paper 1 syllabus topics, from the regulatory overview and the SFO through licensing, the Code of Conduct and internal controls to listing and market misconduct; our syllabus breakdown lists them. HKSI publishes no topic weights for Paper 1, so give every chapter time.

You get it free when you enrol for Paper 1, and keep access until your exam date. Without enrolling it costs HKD400 for non-members (HKD200 for HKSI members).

The manual is long. Most candidates read it once, then learn from notes and questions. Our free Paper 1 study notes give each topic's rules and traps with sources, and the cheat sheet lists the figures to memorise.

What changes on 9 December 2026

For Papers 2 and 3, HKSI also publishes a mark-up version of the updated syllabus showing what moved. Read it before you decide how much of your existing notes still stand.

Which version to study

Your exam date decides, not your enrolment date or the copy you downloaded first. Enrolment gives you 90 days to sit, so anyone enrolling from 10 September 2026 onwards can land on either side of the 9 December line.

How to get the guide

• With enrolment: each LE enrolment includes that paper’s eStudy Guide free, available until your exam date in the Online Portal (Upcoming Activity) or the HKSI app (Menu, Downloads).
• Without enrolling: HK$200 per copy for HKSI individual members and staff of corporate members, HK$400 for non-members.

Fees and versions are as shown on hksi.org on 11 October 2026. For exam fees, see HKSI exam fees.

Where our banks stand

Our Paper 1 bank is written to the current Paper 1 syllabus (version 35, effective 30 June 2026). The questions are original: we write them from the syllabus and primary sources such as the SFO and the SFC codes, and each explanation names its source and as-at date. Start with the free Paper 1 mock.

Our Paper 7 and Paper 8 banks are being written for the scope that applies from 9 December 2026. They are not live yet, so there are no Paper 7 or Paper 8 questions to practise here today. You can join the waitlist on the Paper 7 and Paper 8 pages, and compare the two papers in Paper 7 vs Paper 8.

For HKSI’s own free practice material, read HKSI past papers and sample tests.

HKSI Prep is an independent study tool, not affiliated with or endorsed by HKSI Institute or the SFC. Study guide versions change; confirm the current version on hksi.org.