The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) is delighted to announce that it will be extending its offering of remote exam testing sessions from early January 2021 to all its UK and international students sitting its popular level 3 and 4 multiple choice question (MCQ) exams.
The professional body, with 45,000 members in over 100 countries, sets the qualification standards for those working in wealth management, financial planning and capital markets sectors, with 41,000 exams being sat in 81 countries in the last 12 months. The CISI is one of the largest professional bodies in the UK to commence remote exam testing.
CISI examinations are usually sat by candidates in global exam centres, with multiple choice exams being undertaken at those centres by computer-based testing (CBT). The pandemic has resulted in test centres around the world closing, although most are now operating with social distancing guidelines including some in the UK.
The CISI has worked with Prometric, its global testing partner, on this remote invigilation testing solution, which means that all candidates can now sit their multiple choice exams in a location of their choice, eg work or home as long as their space and equipment meets the requirements. A live invigilator is present online throughout the exam, with audio and video monitoring to ensure there is no malpractice and to assist throughout.
Candidates will need to have sufficient English to be able to respond to the remote invigilators’ instructions and questions in English. CISI is beginning this programme by launching exams in English only. Arrangements for foreign language exams will be announced later in the year.
Candidates who have had to postpone their exams, or who have chosen to postpone their exams, will be contacted enabling them to rebook their remotely invigilated exam either online or by phone, at a time appropriate and convenient for their specific time zone. As part of their registration process candidates will be sent a detailed email from CISI setting out the remote invigilation testing procedures, including links to the Prometric ProProctor remote testing user guide and CISI FAQs.
Strict technical and environmental requirements must be met before a candidate can undertake a remote invigilation exam session. These include the candidate being able to use a personal or work laptop, as long as it meets the specific technical requirements. Candidates are also asked to run a simple test that takes no more than five minutes, to ensure that their PC/laptop meets the technical requirements and then upload the Prometric ProProctor exam software at least 48 hours in advance of their exam. A webcam and microphone must also be available to use. As part of the checking in process, candidates are also asked to ensure they can use their machine or webcam to show the remote invigilator the space around their machine.
Richard Phillips, Customer Service Manager at Link Fund Solutions, Leeds (right) who took part in the CISI remote exam testing pilot said: “The process of logging on was straight forward, once the applications were downloaded. The instructions were clear and easy to follow.
“When I successfully logged into the exam, somebody was there to ensure that the environment was appropriate to test conditions. They were also clear and factual.
“The exam itself, although challenging was easy to navigate with clear instructions and also an added benefit of chat functionality to contact the invigilators if needed. All in all, I’m very impressed with the new remote test service from the CISI.”
Simon Culhane, Chartered FCSI, CISI CEO said: “We are extremely pleased to now be able to offer this remote invigilation exam testing solution for our multiple-choice question exams. This will be welcomed by candidates and by our firms, as members continue to upskill and increase their knowledge during this unprecedented time. Some of our physical test centres will stay open during the national lockdown but many will be closed and candidates now have the reassurance that they can sit their exam, as planned, remotely.
“Our main priority now is to ensure that all our exam candidates, wherever they are based in the world, have the opportunity to complete the examinations they have been revising for and to enable them to take the next step in their personal professional qualification and learning journeys.”
For more information, please visit cisi.org/remoteexams. To arrange to book a CISI remote exam, please visit cisi.org/shop or contact customersupport@cisi.org or + 44 20 7645 0777.