Every year a month or so after the exam, I get a bunch of e-mails from people who have been accused of cheating on the CFA exam. I try to help them but there is a limited amount I can do. CFAI is very serious about enforcing the rules and if there is any question about whether you broke the rules, the process is heavily biased toward finding that you did. In particular, here are some important rules:
Do not write past when the proctor calls time. Do not finish filling in an oval, darken an existing oval, make corrections to the name sheet, or even keep reading the exam book. When the proctor calls time, immediately drop your pencil and close your exam book.
Do not look around the exam room. If you are taking a break or just need to clear your head, close your eyes and look down. I can’t tell you how many people get busted because they let their eyes wander. If a proctor sees you looking in the direction of someone else and they write you up, you are done.
Protect your own paper. CFAI is busting innocent (I think) people whose exams bear too much similarity to another exam in the same test center. You definitely care if someone else is copying from you.
Do not do anything to your exam ticket. If you write ‘CAPM’ on your exam ticket they will kick you out of the CFA program for 5 years. They really will.
Don’t smuggle anything into the exam room. This isn’t just exam aids but really innocuous stuff. There’s a list, read it and follow it and leave the rest of your stuff in the car.
Treat the proctors respectfully. OK, so the proctors will never be CFA Charterholders and don’t make nearly as much money as you do. But piss off a proctor and s/he can make your studying for this exam a complete waste of time. Treating people respectfully is a good idea anyway.
If there is some problem, do not ever admit to doing something wrong and then try to explain it. If you say “Well I did look at his paper but it was only a passing glance” you might as well just pack up your stuff, go home and forget about the CFA program. You just admitted to a violation and they will bust you for it. Listen respectfully and then deny it if you can honorably, else say nothing.
Finally,
Don’t deliberately cheat like trying to hide your notecards in the bathroom or something. That’s just disgraceful BS. I help out nearly everyone who asks for help on these PCP things, but I have my lines where you are on your own.
quick ethics question, If I receive additional compensation from a client and notify my employer who approves of it, prior to receiving it in writing. Is this okay or does the client have to in writing send my employer the exact details?
Hi Joe Thanks for the list of do’s n dont’s!! One quick q , someone is going to drop me to the center, so I wont be having my car. Can I keep my lunch bag n notes (in a bag)outside the exam hall?
Heh heh, when I took L1, I was dumb and took the cell phone in the room with me, because I didn’t like the idea of leaving a valuable piece of equipment just on a table outside. Fortunately, at my center, they asked if anyone had a phone and the proctors collected the phones from everyone. There were actually a lot of us who’d decided that the room outside was not a safe place for pricey stuff. Anyway, about half way through the afternoon session, my girlfriend calls me to ask how the exam went. Supposedly my girlfriend was smart, but apparently she didn’t know that 4:30 was before 5:00. It rang, and everyone in the room (maybe 250 people in the Javits Center) heard it. And the proctor came over to me to ask me to turn it off. I was seriously wondering if I was going to get a violation letter. Fortunately, because I’d surrendered the phone to the proctor, nothing happened. If I’d had the phone on me (and I thought I had turned the ringer off, but apparently hadn’t), I’d have been busted for sure! Anyway, for L2 and L3, I left the phone on the table. JDV is giving very good advice there. And I got rid of the girlfriend (later).
Oh, why didnt I read your post before taking exam last Sat? after the exam I was actually happy for a short period until I read about stories of ppl whose grades got voided because they “continued to write after time called”. probably I did this in morning section too… I thought if they did not come to me to give me a warning then it was ok. but actually they would simply write me down or flag my ticket? so what to expect? receiving grades followed by a mail two weeks later telling me my grades should be voided? it’s so bad.
^ I don’t get you people, what part of “STOP WRITING” is not clear? Also, just because they didn’t come warn you after the exam doesn’t mean you are free. You may get a letter in the mail
The guy next to me was flagrantly writing for a good 10-15 seconds after they called stop. I was about to warn him, but then figured that any sign of me talking, gesturing, etc might result in me getting in trouble and no way was I going to risk my own test because of him.
right when i started the test the guy next to me was looking around… almost uncomfortably… i wanted to look up n see what he was looking at but i didnt want anything to happen… then 1 minute later he got up and handed paper in and left… then did the exact same thing for the second part… i duno if he even tried filling bubbles in i dont think so cuz it was like one minute to two maximum he was in his seat for each… but why even show up for the second half to do the same thing, if at all…
^ because if you don’t show up for both sessions, you won’t get a failing exam score email. Perhaps his company is paying for it but he needs to show he actually sat for the exam
I took my exam in a convention center right next to where cruises ships come in and out. There were 2 boat horns that startled me during the exam and I looked up at the proctor each time bc I was thrown off…do you think I’m in trouble?
I think a mail is definitely… they won’t budge… also I don’t think continuing to write is something ungraceful. Had I known their way of flagging ppl who is suspected of violation of standards, I definitely would throw my pencil away right on hearing the proctor saying “stop writing”.
You can be in trouble and not know it. I’ve known people who get scolded by the proctors and people who have no clue they are in trouble until they get the letter in the mail. In any event, I suggest that you do not post any comments about how you violated CFA ethical policies on this site. If you want to talk about it, e-mail me.
Speaking of the exam day, I took level 1 in Atlanta on December 3rd. Needless to say I complied with all the rules, but what about the proctors? Two major things bugged me: 1. I brought 2 calculators to the exam, HP 12Cs, with me (I was too paranoid about the battery dying). During the morning session one of the proctors comes to my desk and grabs my spare calculator and starts to analyze it right in front of me even though the calculators had already been screened when I got in. This certainly made me lose my focus for about 2-3 minutes. 2. During the afternoon session the same routine with the calculator occurred (are you kidding me?) and to top things off, 2 hours into the exam I caught the proctors talking to each other, making me lose another 2-3 min. Are you kidding me??? I know 30 more seconds would have made a difference because I went back to a question I found hard but I knew the answer to and didn’t have enough time to finish the problem. Any thoughts?
I rushed into the exam room last Saturday when the proctors announced the doors were closing any minute for the afternoon session… when I was checking in, I noticed my cell phone in my possession and I apolgized and handed it to the proctor. He said I was lucky to have found it then and not when taking the exam. I broke out in a sweat but calmed down to normal once the exam started.
A proctor had a 5 minute cell phone call during our exam. Everyone could hear it. I was waiting for another proctor to scold her but it never happened.
Also, it’s distracting when you’re seated on the edge and the proctors walk by you 100 times during the exam. Or when they stand right beside you. Major distraction.