Sample FRM Pracfrfqqtice Exam

2013
Sample FRM Part I Practice Exam
2013 Sample FRM Part I Practice Exam
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FRM Part I Sample Questions Candidate Answer Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
FRM Part I Sample Questions Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
FRM Part I Sample Questions Answer Sheet/Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
FRM Part I Sample Questions Explanations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
2013 Global Association of Risk Professionals. All rights reserved. It is illegal to reproduce this material in any format without prior written approval of GARP, Global Association of Risk Professionals, Inc.

Answer Sheet
a.
b.
c.
d.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Correct way to complete
1.
Wrong way to complete
1.

Questions
1.
Suppose you simulate the price path of stock HHF using a geometric Brownian motion model with drift = 0, volatility = 0.2 and time step t = 0.01. Let St be the price of the stock at time t. If S0 = 50, and the first two simulated (randomly selected) standard normal variables are 1 = -0.521, 2 = 1.225, by what percent will the stock price change in the second step of the simulation? a. b. c. d. -1.04% 0.43% 1.12% 2.45%
2.
John is forecasting a stocks performance in 2010 conditional on the state of the economy of the country in which the firm is based. He divides the economys performance into three categories of GOOD, NEUTRAL and POOR and the stocks performance into three categories of increase, constant and decrease. He estimates: The probability that the state of the economy is GOOD is 20%. If the state of the economy is GOOD, the probability that the stock price increases is 80% and the probability that the stock price decreases is 10%. The probability that the state of the economy is NEUTRAL is 30%. If the state of the economy is NEUTRAL, the probability that the stock price increases is 50% and the probability that the stock price decreases is 30%. If the state of the economy is POOR, the probability that the stock price increases is 15% and the probability that the stock price decreases is 70%.
Billy, his supervisor, asks him to estimate the probability that the state of the economy is NEUTRAL given that the stock performance is constant. Johns best assessment of that probability is closest to: a. b. c. d. 6.0% 15.5% 20.0% 38.7%
3.
A bank had entered into a 3-year interest rate swap for a notional amount of USD 300 million, paying a fixed rate of 7.5% per year and receiving LIBOR annually. Just after the payment was made at the end of the first year, the continuously compounded 1-year and 2-year annualized LIBOR rates were 7% per year and 8% per year, respectively. The value of the swap to the bank at that time was closest to which of the following choices? a. b. c. d. USD -14 USD -4 USD 4 USD 14 million million million million
4.
On Nov 1, Jimmy Walton, a fund manager of an USD 60 million US medium-to-large cap equity portfolio, considers locking up the profit from the recent rally. The S&P 500 index and its futures with the multiplier of 250 are trading at USD 900 and USD 910, respectively. Instead of selling off his holdings, he would rather hedge two-thirds of his market exposure over the remaining 2 months. Given that the correlation between Jimmys portfolio and the S&P 500 index futures is 0.89 and the volatilities of the equity fund and the futures are 0.51 and 0.48 per year respectively, what position should he take to achieve his objective? a. b. c. d. Sell Sell Sell Sell 250 futures contracts of S&P 500 169 futures contracts of S&P 500 167 futures contracts of S&P 500 148 futures contracts of S&P 500
5.
On the OTC market there are two options available on Microsoft stock: a European put with premium of USD 2.25 and an American call option with premium of USD 0.46. Both options have a strike price of USD 24 and an expiration date 3 months from now. Microsofts stock price is currently at USD 22 and no dividend is due during the next 6 months. Assuming that there is no arbitrage opportunity, which of the following choices is closest to the level of the risk- free rate: a. b. c. d. 0.25% 1.76% 3.52% Insufficient information to determine.
6.
An analyst is doing a study on the effect on option prices of changes in the price of the underlying asset. The analyst wants to find out when the deltas of calls and puts are most sensitive to changes in the price of the underlying. Assume that the options are European and that the Black-Scholes formula holds. An increase in the price of the underlying has the largest absolute value impact on delta for: a. b. c. d. Deep in-the-money calls and deep out-of-the-money puts. Deep in-the-money puts and calls. Deep out-of-the-money puts and calls. At-the-money puts and calls.
7.
The yield curve is upward sloping, and a portfolio manager has a long position in 10-year Treasury Notes funded through overnight repurchase agreements. The risk manager is concerned with the risk that market rates may increase further and reduce the market value of the position. What hedge could be put on to reduce the positions exposure to rising rates? a. b. c. d. Enter into a 10-year pay fixed and receive floating interest rate swap. Enter into a 10-year receive fixed and pay floating interest rate swap. Establish a long position in 10-year Treasury Note futures. Buy a call option on 10-year Treasury Note futures.
8.
The table below gives the closing prices and yields of a particular liquid bond over the past few days. Day Monday Tuesday Wednesday Price 106.3 105.8 106.1 Yield 4.25% 4.20% 4.23%
What is the approximate duration of the bond? a. b. c. d. 18.8 9.4 4.7 1.9
9.
Tom is evaluating 4 funds run by 4 independent managers relative to a benchmark portfolio that has an expected return of 6.4% and volatility of 12%. He is interested in investing in the fund with the highest information ratio that also meets the following conditions in his investment guidelines: I. II. Expected residual return must be at least 2% The Sharpe ratio must be at least 0.2
Based on the following information and a risk free rate of 5%, which fund should he choose? Fund Fund Fund Fund Fund a. b. c. d. Expected Return 8.4% Volatility 14.3% 16.4% 17.8% 19.1% Residual Risk 2.4% 1.5% 1.8% Information Ratio 1.1 0.9 1.3
A B C D A B C D
8.5%
Fund Fund Fund Fund
10.
Portfolio Q has a beta of 0.7 and an expected return of 12.8%. The market risk premium is 5.25%. The risk-free rate is 4.85%. Calculate Jensens Alpha measure for Portfolio Q. a. b. c. d. 7.67% 2.70% 5.73% 4.27%
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Answers
a.
b.
c.
d.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Correct way to complete
1.
Wrong way to complete
1.
11

Explanations
1.
Suppose you simulate the price path of stock HHF using a geometric Brownian motion model with drift = 0, volatility = 0.2 and time step t = 0.01. Let St be the price of the stock at time t. If S0 = 50, and the first two simulated (randomly selected) standard normal variables are 1 = -0.521, 2 = 1.225, by what percent will the stock price change in the second step of the simulation? a. b. c. d. -1.04% 0.43% 1.12% 2.45%
Answer: d. Explanation: In the simulation, St is assumed to move as follows over an interval of time of length t: St+i /St+i -1 = ( t + i (t)1/2) where i is a standard normal random variable. Therefore, (S2 - S1)/S1 = 0.2 * 1.225 * sqrt(0.01) = 0.0245 Topic: Quantitative Analysis Subtopic: Monte Carlo Methods AIMS: Describe how to simulate a price path using a geometric Brownian motion model Reference: Jorion (2005), Value-at-Risk: The New Benchmark for Managing Financial Risk, 3rd Edition, New York: McGraw-Hill, Chapter 12Monte Carlo Methods.
13
2.
John is forecasting a stocks performance in 2010 conditional on the state of the economy of the country in which the firm is based. He divides the economys performance into three categories of GOOD, NEUTRAL and POOR and the stocks performance into three categories of increase, constant and decrease. He estimates: The probability that the state of the economy is GOOD is 20%. If the state of the economy is GOOD, the probability that the stock price increases is 80% and the probability that the stock price decreases is 10%. The probability that the state of the economy is NEUTRAL is 30%. If the state of the economy is NEUTRAL, the probability that the stock price increases is 50% and the probability that the stock price decreases is 30%. If the state of the economy is POOR, the probability that the stock price increases is 15% and the probability that the stock price decreases is 70%.
Billy, his supervisor, asks him to estimate the probability that the state of the economy is NEUTRAL given that the stock performance is constant. Johns best assessment of that probability is closest to: a. b. c. d. 6.0% 15.5% 20.0% 38.7%
Answer: d. Explanation: Use Bayes Theorem: P(NEUTRAL | Constant) = P(Constant | NEUTRAL) * P(NEUTRAL) / P(Constant) = 0.2 * 0.3 / (0.1 * 0.2 + 0.2 * 0.3 + 0.15 * 0.5) = 0.387 a. b. c. This is the Prob(Constant & NEUTRAL) This is the Prob(Constant) This is the Prob(NEUTRAL | Decrease)
Topic: Quantitative Analysis Subtopic: Probability Distributions AIMS: Describe joint, marginal, and conditional probability functions Reference: James Stock and Mark Watson, Introduction to Econometrics, Brief Edition, (Boston: Pearson Education, 2008), Chapter 2Review of Probability.
14
3.
A bank had entered into a 3-year interest rate swap for a notional amount of USD 300 million, paying a fixed rate of 7.5% per year and receiving LIBOR annually. Just after the payment was made at the end of the first year, the continuously compounded 1-year and 2-year annualized LIBOR rates were 7% per year and 8% per year, respectively. The value of the swap to the bank at that time was closest to which of the following choices? a. b. c. d. USD -14 USD -4 USD 4 USD 14 million million million million
Answer: c. Explanation: Fixed rate coupon = USD 300 million x 7.5% = USD 22.5 million Value of the fixed payment = Bfix = 22.5 e(-0.07)+322.5 e(-0.08*2) = USD 295.80 million Value of the floating payment = Bfloating = USD 300 million. Since the payment has just been made the value of the floating rate is equal to the notional amount. Value of the swap = Bfloating - Bfix = USD 300 USD 295.80 = USD 4.2 million Topic: Financial Markets and Products Subtopic: Futures, forwards, swaps and options AIMS: Value a plain vanilla interest rate swap based on two simultaneous bond positions Reference: Hull, Options, Futures and Other Derivatives, 7th Edition, Chapter 7Swaps.
15
4.
On Nov 1, Jimmy Walton, a fund manager of an USD 60 million US medium-to-large cap equity portfolio, considers locking up the profit from the recent rally. The S&P 500 index and its futures with the multiplier of 250 are trading at USD 900 and USD 910, respectively. Instead of selling off his holdings, he would rather hedge two-thirds of his market exposure over the remaining 2 months. Given that the correlation between Jimmys portfolio and the S&P 500 index futures is 0.89 and the volatilities of the equity fund and the futures are 0.51 and 0.48 per year respectively, what position should he take to achieve his objective? a. b. c. d. Sell Sell Sell Sell 250 futures contracts of S&P 500 169 futures contracts of S&P 500 167 futures contracts of S&P 500 148 futures contracts of S&P 500
Answer: c. Explanation: The calculation is as follows: Two-thirds of the equity fund is worth USD 40 million. The Optimal hedge ratio is given by h = 0.89 * 0.51 / 0.48 = 0.945 The number of futures contracts is given by N=0.945 * 40,000,000 / (910 * 250) = 166.26 167, round up to nearest integer. Topic: Financial Markets and Products Subtopic: Minimum Variance Hedge Ratio AIMS: Define, compute and interpret the optimal number of futures contracts needed to hedge an exposure, including a tailing the hedge adjustment. Reference: Hull, Options, Futures and Other Derivatives, 7th Edition, Chapter 3Hedging Strategies Using Futures.
16
5.
On the OTC market there are two options available on Microsoft stock: a European put with premium of USD 2.25 and an American call option with premium of USD 0.46. Both options have a strike price of USD 24 and an expiration date 3 months from now. Microsofts stock price is currently at USD 22 and no dividend is due during the next 6 months. Assuming that there is no arbitrage opportunity, which of the following choices is closest to the level of the risk- free rate: a. b. c. d. 0.25% 1.76% 3.52% Insufficient information to determine.
Answer: c. Explanation: Due to the fact that the American call option under consideration is on the stock which does not pay dividends, its value is equal to European call option with the same parameters. Thus, we can apply put-call parity to determine the level of interest rate. C P = S K e-rT 0.46 2.25 = 22 24 e-0.25r - 23.79 = -24e-0.25r r = 3.52% Topic: Financial Markets and Products Subtopic: American options, effects of dividends, early exercise AIMS: Explain putcall parity and calculate, using the putcall parity on a nondividendpaying stock, the value of a European and American option, respectively. Reference: Hull, Options, Futures and Other Derivatives, 7th Edition, Chapter 9Properties of Stock Options, Chapter 10Trading Strategies Involving Options.
17
6.
An analyst is doing a study on the effect on option prices of changes in the price of the underlying asset. The analyst wants to find out when the deltas of calls and puts are most sensitive to changes in the price of the underlying. Assume that the options are European and that the Black-Scholes formula holds. An increase in the price of the underlying has the largest absolute value impact on delta for: a. b. c. d. Deep in-the-money calls and deep out-of-the-money puts. Deep in-the-money puts and calls. Deep out-of-the-money puts and calls. At-the-money puts and calls.
Answer: d. Explanation: a. is incorrect. When calls are deep in-the-money and puts are deep out-of-the-money, deltas are NOT most sensitive to changes in the underlying asset. b. is incorrect. When both calls and puts are deep in-the-money, deltas are NOT most sensitive to changes in the underlying asset. c. is incorrect. When both calls and puts are deep out-of-the-money, deltas are NOT most sensitive to changes in the underlying asset. d. is correct. When both calls and puts are at-the-money, deltas are most sensitive to changes in the underlying asset (Gammas are largest when options are at-the-money). Topic: Valuation and Risk Models Subtopic: Greek Letters AIMS: Define, compute and describe delta, theta, gamma, vega, and rho for option positions Reference: Hull, Options, Futures and Other Derivatives, 7th Edition, Chapter 17The Greek Letters.
18
7.
The yield curve is upward sloping, and a portfolio manager has a long position in 10-year Treasury Notes funded through overnight repurchase agreements. The risk manager is concerned with the risk that market rates may increase further and reduce the market value of the position. What hedge could be put on to reduce the positions exposure to rising rates? a. b. c. d. Enter into a 10-year pay fixed and receive floating interest rate swap. Enter into a 10-year receive fixed and pay floating interest rate swap. Establish a long position in 10-year Treasury Note futures. Buy a call option on 10-year Treasury Note futures.
Answer: a. Explanation: a. is correct. An increase in rates will increase the value of the hedge position and offset the loss in value from the Bond position. b. is incorrect. An increase in rates will decrease the value of the hedge position and add to the loss in value from the Bond position. c. is incorrect. An increase in rates will decrease the value of the futures position and add to the loss in value from the Bond position. d. is incorrect. An increase in rates (all else equal), will decrease the value of the call option and add to the loss in value from the Bond position. Topic: Financial Markets and Products Subtopic: Futures, forwards, swaps and options Reference: John Hull, Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives, 6th Edition (New York: Prentice Hall, 2006) Chapter 7Swaps.
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8.
The table below gives the closing prices and yields of a particular liquid bond over the past few days. Day Monday Tuesday Wednesday Price 106.3 105.8 106.1 Yield 4.25% 4.20% 4.23%
What is the approximate duration of the bond? a. b. c. d. 18.8 9.4 4.7 1.9
Answer: b. Explanation: The duration can be approximated from the price changes. (106.3 105.8)/106.3/.0005 = 9.4 (106.3 106.1)/106.3/.0002 = 9.4 Topic: Valuation and Risk Models Subtopic: DV01, duration and convexity Reference: Tuckman, Chapter 5.
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9.
Tom is evaluating 4 funds run by 4 independent managers relative to a benchmark portfolio that has an expected return of 6.4% and volatility of 12%. He is interested in investing in the fund with the highest information ratio that also meets the following conditions in his investment guidelines: I. II. Expected residual return must be at least 2% The Sharpe ratio must be at least 0.2
Based on the following information and a risk free rate of 5%, which fund should he choose? Fund Fund Fund Fund Fund a. b. c. d. Expected Return 8.4% Volatility 14.3% 16.4% 17.8% 19.1% Residual Risk 2.4% 1.5% 1.8% Information Ratio 1.1 0.9 1.3
A B C D A B C D
8.5%
Fund Fund Fund Fund
Answer: a. Explanation: Sharpe Ratio = Return Premium over Risk Free Rate / Volatility = E(RP Rf) / Fund A: Fund B: Fund C: Fund D: Expected residual return = 8.4% - 6.4% = 2.0%, Sharpe Ratio = (8.4% - 5%)/14.3% = 0.238 Expected residual return = information ratio * residual risk = 0.9 * 2.4% = 2.16% Sharpe Ratio = (2.16% + 6.4% - 5%)/16.4% = 0.217 Expected residual return = information ratio * residual risk = 1.3 * 1.5% = 1.95% Expected residual return = 8.5% - 6.4% = 2.1% Information ratio = 2.1% / 1.8% = 1.16 Sharpe Ratio = (8.5% - 5%)/19.1% = 0.183
Both funds A and B meet the requirements. Fund A has the higher information ratio. Topic: Foundation of Risk Management Subtopic: Sharpe ratio and information ratio AIMS: Compute and interpret tracking error, the information ratio, and the Sortino ratio. Reference: Noel Amenc and Veronique Le Sourd, Portfolio Theory and Performance Analysis (West Sussex, England: John Wiley & Sons, 2003), Chapter 4, Section 4.2 onlyApplying the CAPM to Performance Measurement: SingleIndex Performance Measurement Indicators.
21
10.
Portfolio Q has a beta of 0.7 and an expected return of 12.8%. The market risk premium is 5.25%. The risk-free rate is 4.85%. Calculate Jensens Alpha measure for Portfolio Q. a. b. c. d. 7.67% 2.70% 5.73% 4.27%
Answer: d. Explanation: Jensens alpha is defined by: E(RP ) RF = P + P(E(RM) RF) P = E(RP ) RF - P(E(RM) RF) = 0.128 0.0485 0.7 * (0.0525 + 0.0485 0.0485) = 0.0427 a. b. c. d. Incorrect. Forgets to subtract the risk-free rate for the excess market return. Incorrect. Forgets to multiply the excess market return by beta. Incorrect. Forgets to subtract the risk-free rate for both the excess market return and the excess portfolio return. Correct.
Topic: Foundation of Risk Management. Subtopic: Market efficiency, equilibrium and CAPM Reference: Amenc and LeSourd, Chapter 4.
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Creating a culture of risk awareness.
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About GARP | The Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP) is a not-for-profit global membership organization dedicated to preparing professionals and organizations to make better informed risk decisions. Membership represents over 150,000 risk management practitioners and researchers from banks, investment management firms, government agencies, academic institutions, and corporations from more than 195 countries and territories. GARP administers the Financial Risk Manager (FRM) and the Energy Risk Professional (ERP) Exams; certifications recognized by risk professionals worldwide. GARP also helps advance the role of risk management via comprehensive professional education and training for professionals of all levels. www.garp.org.
2013 Global Association of Risk Professionals. All rights reserved. 6-13

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2013

Sample FRM Part I Practice Exam

2013 Sample FRM Part I Practice Exam

FRM Part I Sample Questions Candidate Answer Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

FRM Part I Sample Questions Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

FRM Part I Sample Questions Answer Sheet/Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

FRM Part I Sample Questions Explanations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

2013 Sample FRM Part I Practice Exam

2013 Sample FRM Part I Practice Exam

Correct way to complete

Wrong way to complete

2013 Sample FRM Part I Practice Exam

2013 Sample FRM Part I Practice Exam

2013 Sample FRM Part I Practice Exam

2013 Sample FRM Part I Practice Exam

2013 Sample FRM Part I Practice Exam

Fund Fund Fund Fund

This Page Left Blank

2013 Sample FRM Part I Practice Exam

2013 Sample FRM Part I Practice Exam

Correct way to complete

Wrong way to complete

2013 Sample FRM Part I Practice Exam

2013 Sample FRM Part I Practice Exam

2013 Sample FRM Part I Practice Exam

2013 Sample FRM Part I Practice Exam

2013 Sample FRM Part I Practice Exam

2013 Sample FRM Part I Practice Exam

2013 Sample FRM Part I Practice Exam

2013 Sample FRM Part I Practice Exam

2013 Sample FRM Part I Practice Exam

2013 Sample FRM Part I Practice Exam

Fund Fund Fund Fund

2013 Sample FRM Part I Practice Exam

Creating a culture of risk awareness.

2013 Global Association of Risk Professionals. All rights reserved. 6-13

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