Remember now not to post anything relating to the actual content of the exam, once we’re past this weekend. I recall there was some fuss last year (I think it was last year) over a couple of guys who were, as it appeared to the casual onlooker, trying to reengineer parts of the very content of the exam in a thread in this very forum. Somewhat later, maybe in August or September, you could read about them on CFA Institute’s official bulletin board where they had been suspended from the CFA Program for some time and/or the institute or something along those lines (and had their exam results waived). I don’t remember any details any longer, but it was all pretty flagrant and a clearly unsuitable thing to do. Very unnecessary. I presume even these guys had once enrolled into the program with an honest intention to pass the exam on their own merits (including the ethics section). From other posts you could guess they had probably put down a lot of time, maybe more than 300 hours of study time, because they knew a lot. As things later turned out there’ll be no chance of a CFA charter for them for a very long time. I seem to recall reading on CFA Institute’s bulletin board that one was banned for many years to come, or forever, and the other guy for at least one or a couple of years, or something like that. I searched the internet just now but was unable to veryfy any of the details, but this is how I remember it.
? Re engineer the exam? What the hell are you talking about?
MissCleo Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > ? Re engineer the exam? What the hell are you > talking about? MissCleo: He meant “re-create”, not “re-engineer”, and that story is 100% true. Last year or the year before, there was a thread on AF about “post exam problems here” or something like that, and by having a huge number of people contribute the problems they remembered (like a CFA mock, almost wikipedia style), they basically re-created the exam. Some people then put it in a document and started e-mailing it around. CFAI found out, looked into it, and suspended two candidates for a year, if I recall correctly. So yeah - feel free to talk about how you felt, how mean your proctors were, how glad you are to be done. Don’t talk about the content of the exams.
A couple of guys were compiling all the questions/answers by assembling all of the post-exam “what did you get for that question about…?” posts. Discussing specific questions from the exam is a big CFAI no-no. They got a five-year suspension from the program. See the details under “Disclosure of Exam Content” here -> http://www.cfainstitute.org/ethics/conduct/Pages/candidate_sanctions.aspx It really doesn’t help anyway, since the exam is already over at that point.
Ethical issues aside, how did the CFAI identify them? Not too many folks use their real name on here. Did they really go to the trouble of chasing down IP addresses?
I believe they feigned as if they were a normal poster on AF. I think they put a msg up saying that they wanted the document (.doc) where the questions were assembled, as if they were a candidate. From there they got a few email addresses that had been involved. Other people in the thread had done similar ("email me the file at idiot.whoever@gmail.com… ") and probably had their e-mail addresses with their names or partial names either in the thread or in the e-mail chain.
Hayek Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Ethical issues aside, how did the CFAI identify > them? Not too many folks use their real name on > here. Did they really go to the trouble of chasing > down IP addresses? That had me wondering too. As far as I can figure it, it could only have been done with Chad’s help. If that’s the case, that really sucks. Sure, ban them, but don’t turn them in. Weaksauce. Edit: Hadn’t thought about the emails that were floating around. I guess it’s likely they were nabbed that way. At any rate, I just hope this site wasn’t involved in turning them in.
Chad specifically stated he doesn’t disclose emails. They got it by requesting the document and tracingn it to the people they suspended. I don’t think Chad is a charterholder and this bound to comply with disclosures or whatever.
jcole21 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Chad specifically stated he doesn’t disclose > emails. They got it by requesting the document and > tracingn it to the people they suspended. > > I don’t think Chad is a charterholder and this > bound to comply with disclosures or whatever. Chad is a charterholder, but I don’t believe that he had anything to do with it. It was just a smart bit of basic detective work by CFAI, and exceedingly dumb behaviour by candidates.
supersadface Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > jcole21 Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Chad specifically stated he doesn’t disclose > > emails. They got it by requesting the document > and > > tracingn it to the people they suspended. > > > > I don’t think Chad is a charterholder and this > > bound to comply with disclosures or whatever. > > Chad is a charterholder, but I don’t believe that > he had anything to do with it. It was just a > smart bit of basic detective work by CFAI, and > exceedingly dumb behaviour by candidates. You’re right - my mistake. Doesn’t that mean hed have to comply with a pcp and provide emails if asked?
This was discussed last year in this thread: http://www.analystforum.com/phorums/read.php?1,1162989,1163097#msg-1163097 No information was disclosed by AF. I believe they were sending around a spreadsheet via email trying to re-create the exam. It does illustrate how serious the CFAI is about the pledge not to discuss specific questions. I will post a reminder when the forums re-open on Sunday. Chad
Chad, always wanted to ask. Why QQB was banned? Will he also have a problem with CFAI?
If I remember correctly these dudes were compiling the exam using their real first name.lastname@blabla.com
That’s my recollection as well.
Why then are the folks at level III forum discussing questions on the exam ?
Valores Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Chad, always wanted to ask. Why QQB was banned? > Will he also have a problem with CFAI? qqqbee was banned because he discovered the truth. Never stop believing!
Valores Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Chad, always wanted to ask. Chances are you won’t get an answer. Chad is too important to talk to us the riffraff.
Well, you have to assume that he reads every single post. That would take a good hour or 2 per day.