The STA Diploma is an internationally recognised two-stage qualification.

The first stage, Diploma Part 1, is a two-hour, 120 question, multiple-choice exam. Passing this exam is a recommended before taking the STA Diploma Part 2 exam, which is a three-hour, paper-based examination. Both exams must be passed in order to be awarded the STA Diploma qualification and certificate. The Diploma Part 1 exam registration fee is £375 and the Diploma Part 2 exam costs £575. All candidates need to be a current member of the Society – it costs £85 a year for Associate membership.

Registration closes 1 month before exam – upcoming dates for 2026 below. For the syllabus please visit the relevant course page and you can find the recommended reading list under the Exam Information tab.

The next available exams are as follows:

Exam Preparation

Exam preparation guidance is provided as part of both the STA Diploma Part 1 and STA Diploma Part 2 courses. There is an exam preparation guide given to Part 1 course registrants and an exam preparation session plus guide on the Part 2 course.

To help with preparation, students can access some sample copies of past STA Diploma Part 2 papers from the STA shop for free. These are supplied in PDF form and do not include model answers. Past papers are not available for the STA Diploma Part 1 exam.

The pass mark for the Diploma Part 1 exam is 67% with Merit awarded to those who achieve 85% and above. The pass mark for the Diploma Part 2 exam is 60% with Distinction awarded to those who achieve 85% and above.

Bronwen Wood Memorial Prize

This award is made for the best STA Diploma Part 2 Examination paper written each year if a score of 90% or above has been achieved. It can be made to more than one candidate if more than one outstanding paper is received. If, on the other hand, it is the opinion of the judges that no such paper has been written in any one year, the prize is not awarded. Thus the merit of the award is retained.

Bronwen Wood was one of the founder Board members of the modern STA and died suddenly in late-December 2002. Bronwen was instrumental in developing both the STA Diploma Examination and the courses leading to the examination. She wrote and marked all the papers in the early years. Even when she went to work in Abu Dhabi from 1993 to 1999, Bronwen retained a lively interest in how the educational side of the STA was progressing.

In addition to her work for education, Bronwen was herself a great technical analyst, rated one of the best by her peers, particularly for her work on the equity indices and individual shares. For both her contribution to education, and for her outstanding analytical skills, she was made a Fellow of the Society of Technical Analysts in 1993.

Bronwen was also a long-standing member of the Board of the International Federation of Technical Analysts (IFTA) and of its Executive Committee, variously as Secretary and Chairman of the Nominations Committee. Through this connection, she was widely respected worldwide, as well as in the UK, as an outstanding technical analyst and an expert in the teaching of technical analysis.