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Practice CGSS questions

Certified Global Sanctions Specialist

200 citation-backed multiple-choice questions, each with a full explanation. First 10 free, no login.

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200 expert-curated questions · every exam domain covered · citation-backed.

About the CGSS exam

CGSS is an ACAMS specialist-level credential that validates expertise in sanctions compliance, risk assessment, and investigations. It is built for mid-to-senior professionals who own sanctions risk across AML/CTF, regulatory, legal, and global-trade functions.

It covers the major regimes (OFAC, UN, EU, UK and others), sanctions program design, evasion detection, and the enforcement cases that define the field. It's a natural next step after CAMS.

Exam format

Questions
100 (80 scored, 20 pilot)
Duration
175 minutes (2h 55m)
Passing score
62.5% (50 of 80 scored)
Delivery
Pearson VUE testing centers
Eligibility
Active ACAMS membership + 40 eligibility credits
Registering body
ACAMS
Register at acams.org ↗

Who this is for

  • Mid-to-senior AML/CTF compliance officers and managers
  • Sanctions compliance specialists and program owners
  • Financial-crime investigators and forensic teams
  • Regulatory and legal counsel in financial services and fintech
  • Internal audit and compliance-audit professionals

What you'll learn

25 free lessons, mapped straight to the exam — read them all, no login.

  1. 01Welcome: Global Sanctions and This Exam
  2. 02What Sanctions Are and Why Governments Use Them
  3. 03The Major Sanctions Authorities: UN, US (OFAC), EU, UK (OFSI)
  4. 04Types of Sanctions: Comprehensive, List-Based, Sectoral, Secondary
  5. 05Lists and Designations: SDN, Consolidated Lists, and the 50 Percent Rule
  6. 06Prohibitions in Practice: Blocking, Rejecting, Facilitation, Licenses
  7. 07Enforcement, Penalties, and Strict Liability
  8. 08Governance: Senior Management, the SCO, and Building the Program
  9. 09How Sanctions Evasion Works: Typologies and Red Flags
  10. 10Hiding Ownership and Control: Shells, Fronts, and Intermediaries
  11. 11Trade- and Payment-Based Evasion: Vessels, Dual-Use, Stripping
  12. 12Risk-Based Sanctions Due Diligence and the Risk Assessment
  13. 13Customer and Beneficial-Ownership Diligence for Sanctions
  14. 14Geographic, Sectoral, and Trade-Finance Diligence
  15. 15Third Parties, Correspondent Banking, and Nested Relationships
  16. 16Screening Fundamentals: What, When, and Against Which Lists
  17. 17Name Screening and Matching Logic: Fuzzy Matching and Thresholds
  18. 18Payment and Transaction Screening: SWIFT, Stripping, Real-Time
  19. 19Trade and Transaction Screening: Goods, Vessels, Dual-Use
  20. 20Alert Handling, Tuning, and Screening Governance
  21. 21Investigating a Potential Sanctions Hit
  22. 22Blocking, Rejecting, and Asset Freezing in Practice
  23. 23Reporting, Licenses, and Regulator Engagement
  24. 24Recordkeeping, Lessons Learned, and Continuous Improvement
  25. 25Exam Day: Strategy, Pitfalls, and Final Review
Read all 25 CGSS lessons →

The AMLReady Academy approach

Every AMLReady Academy course works the same way. We teach to the real, published objectives — never leaked questions. We'd rather show you where you're weak than sell you false confidence. Citation-backed, mobile-first, no fluff.

Frequently asked questions

How does this compare to ACAMS's official prep?

ACAMS's own materials are the authoritative source for the exam — use them. AMLReady Academy is the honest, no-fluff layer on top: focused lessons (25 of them) mapped to the real objectives, at a fraction of a cram course's price.

Is AMLReady Academy affiliated with ACAMS?

No. AMLReady Academy is an independent study provider and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by ACAMS. Everything we publish is original work written from public exam objectives and regulations.

What's included?

All 25 lessons, plus a citation-backed question bank you can start drilling today and the AMLReady Academy study approach.

What if I already hold CAMS or a related credential?

Then you're ahead — these stack. CGSS is a natural next specialization on top of CAMS, and the two pair well as a bundle.

What's your refund policy?

Every paid AMLReady Academy product comes with a 14-day refund, and where a cert has a question bank you can try free questions before you buy.

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