Notes to exam entry
Details of terms and conditions which apply to candidates entering for exams
with the CII are detailed below, these are in addition to the terms and conditions contained within the Information For Candidates brochures. As detailed in the Information For Candidates brochures, in the terms and conditions on the website and on your
acknowledgement of examination entry, by entering any examination with the CII
you agree to be bound by these terms and conditions.
In all the processes described below, where deadlines have passed,
exceptional circumstances may still be considered.
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Accessibility and reasonable adjustments
The CII is committed to creating and maintaining conditions which
give access to its education and assessment provision regardless
of gender, ethnic or national origin, religion, age, disability or other
attributes and will allow candidates to maximise their potential to the best of their abilities.
The CII acts at all times to ensure that no unfair barriers apply to
those seeking to gain the qualifications it offers. The CII is committed
to giving all candidates an equal opportunity of achieving its qualifications
in line with current UK and EU directives.
The CII carries its equal opportunities policy through to cover all the exams
it administers. Provisions are made for candidates who are disabled, this may
include dyslexic, blind, partially sighted or those with dexterity impediments.
If you are disabled or have a condition which you believe should be taken into
consideration in assessing your exam performance, you should apply in writing,
enclosing medical evidence such as a doctor’s letter. Applications without medical
evidence will not be considered.
Your application should preferably accompany your exam entry. The CII will hold
your medical evidence on file, but you must send in a written request for provision
to be made/consideration given before each subsequent exam you enter.
The CII is registered under the Data Protection Act 1998 and will ensure that in
providing products and services to you, it will process your personal data fairly.
Where your employer pays for any of your tuition including e-learning, exam entries,
study texts or membership fees, the CII will upon the employer’s request provide
your employer with details of your membership status and/or exam record including
attempts and results, unless you notify us to the contrary by contacting Customer
Service.
Organizations other than the CII sponsor prizes and awards based on CII exam
performance. If you do not wish any information to be passed on to these
organisations please contact Customer Service.
We may from time to time wish to draw your attention to other CII products and services which are likely to be of interest to you. We may also share your data with third parties who will use this for similar purposes, but will never sell your personal data to third parties. The CII will assume that you consent to us using your data in this way unless you notify us to the contrary by contacting Customer Service.
Please note examinations are based on the published syllabuses; you can find syllabuses in the relevant qualification section on this website.
Candidates taking CF5 obtain their free exam technique guide here.
Important deadlines including closing dates for entries and examination sitting dates can be found at www.cii.co.uk/deadlines, in the appropriate ‘Information for candidates’ brochure or from Customer Service.
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Changes to entry and cancellations
If you wish to withdraw completely from the exam 50% of the original entry fee will be refunded if you withdraw within the timescales below.
No later than 21 days before the examination date.
Before the normal fee closing date.
If you wish to defer your entry, change the unit or centre, your request together with a fee of £40 must be received in accordance with the timescales below.
No later than 21 days before your examination date.
No later than the normal fee closing date for the session for which you were originally booked.
If you apply for more than one change at the same time, a single fee of £40 will cover all changes.
No changes apart from to your name (which must be supported by original or certified evidence) or address can be made to your entry later than the cut-off dates shown below.
Three weeks prior to the examination date.
After the normal fee closing date.
You cannot withdraw after these dates except in the case of illness.
If you are absent from the exam due to illness, you may apply either for your entry to be transferred (for paper based exams this would be to the next available session subject to space being available) or for a 50% refund of the original entry fee. Refunds are not available in the case of entries for the Award in Financial Planning.
Your written application, supported by medical evidence (which must confirm that you were unable to attend the exam on the relevant date due to illness/accident) must be received by Customer Service within two months of the exam from which you were absent. In your application you must confirm which of the two options you wish to take and, for online exams, if applying for your entry to be transferred, indicate when you would like to sit (subject to available capacity).
Applications will not be considered without medical evidence. Please note that self certification is not acceptable and the CII will not reimburse any costs involved in obtaining medical evidence.
Exam fees will not be refunded or credited for any other reason after the normal fee closing date for paper based exams, or within the three weeks prior to the examination date for online exams.
The CII’s liability is limited to a complete refund of the entry fee paid for the exam concerned. Nothing in these conditions excludes or limits the liability of CII:
(a) for death or personal injury caused by the negligence of CII; or
(b) for any matter which it would be illegal or unlawful for CII to exclude or attempt to exclude its liability.
You must show proof of identity to any official who requests it. This proof of identity is in addition to your Exam Admission Document for online examinations, or Admission Permit for paper based examinations. The following are acceptable as identification:
- a current passport;
- a company identification card containing both your photograph and signature;
- a driving licence containing both your photograph and signature;
- a national identity document containing both your photograph and signature.
If you do not hold one of these, you will be expected to obtain one before the exam. If you fail to bring acceptable identification to your exam, the CII reserves the right to withhold your result.
You should arrive at the centre at least 30 minutes before the exam is due to start.
You may not be allowed to take your exam if you arrive late.
Candidates should refer to the syllabus and CII update website www.cii.co.uk/updates for the general testing position and the latest information on changes to legislation and industry practice and when they will be examined.
In all instances the CII employs best endeavours to ensure that examinations meet the specified criteria.
Exams are based on the published syllabuses which are available online at www.cii.co.uk. It is important that you keep yourself informed of any changes which may occur affecting the units you are studying by using material suggested in the reading lists on the syllabuses in the relevant qualification section of this website.
The CII will do all it can to provide students enrolled on a study programme with updated materials as soon as legislative changes become known but it cannot guarantee this in time for any particular exam. Candidates should refer to the CII update website www.cii.co.uk/updates for the latest information on changes to law and practice and when they will be examined .
Any breach of the following instructions may result in your disqualification, not only from the examination you are sitting and any examinations you have already sat, but also from all future examinations, either for a period of years or indefinitely.
You must submit in all matters to the direction and rulings of the exam co-ordinator and invigilators.
You must not take into the exam room or consult in any way any book, paper, document or other written, typed or printed matter (except your admission permit for paper based exams or your Exam Admission Document for online exams and items provided by the invigilators in connection with the unit being examined).
All briefcases, handbags, books, revision notes, mobile phones, electronic devices and other personal belongings must be left in a cloakroom or other area as specified by the invigilators.
You are not allowed to bring any tax guides or tables into the exam. Rates of tax, tax bands, allowances and exemptions for Income Tax, Inheritance Tax and Capital Gains Tax are provided for all relevant units. No procedural or background information is provided, as you are expected to know this.
Examples of all information provided in the examinations can be found here. Candidates taking AF5 or R06 should go here for details of information sent to them prior to their examination .
For online exams rough paper is provided. Before leaving the exam room you must give any rough paper to the invigilator.
For paper based exams, you must hand the answer book and/or answer form and question book to the invigilator before you leave the exam room. If you do not, your book or form will not be marked and you will be prevented from entering this exam in the future.
You must not communicate with, or willingly receive communication from any person during the exam other than an invigilator. Any attempt on the part of another candidate to communicate with you must be reported to an invigilator.
You must not read or attempt to read the work of any other candidate.
You must not temporarily leave the exam room, except in the case of urgent necessity when you must be accompanied by an invigilator.
Mobile phones are not allowed in any examination.
There are likely to be some questions in exams which require calculations to be made. We recommend that you bring a silent battery or solar-operated non-programmable calculator into the exam room.
The use of electronic equipment capable of being programmed to hold alphabetic or numerical data and/or formulae is prohibited. You may use a financial or scientific calculator, provided it meets these requirements.
Disciplinary action may be taken against any candidate found guilty of dishonourable or unprofessional conduct or committing a breach of the exam regulations. Penalties may be imposed for falsification of documents or cheating during an exam. The CII reserves the right to notify the relevant regulatory body of any disciplinary action taken.
The CII reserves the right to publish exam results, whether a pass or failure. Pass lists are published only after results have been issued to candidates.
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