While reviewing the LII ethics material, I was reminded of a question I once encountered while studying for Level I, but I couldn’t remember the answer. Not sure if it was Schweser or CFAI. Essentially, it involved someone who intended to cheat on the exam and wrote a formula down. But as it turned out, they changed their mind or didn’t need to reference it because it wasn’t tested. The bottom line - they intended to cheat but didn’t. Is this a violation of VIIA?
Yup
that is an attempt to circumvent rules of CFAI , addressed in VII A so its a violation
As doworkson and viktorv have said, yes it’s a violation. See p.132 of the Handbook. They key portion is the second line of the “Comment” paragraph. “Example 2. Loren Sullivan is enrolled to take the Level II CFA examination. He has been having difficulty remembering a particular formula, so prior to entering the examination room, he writes the formula on the palm of his hand. During the afternoon section of the examination, a proctor notices Sullivan looking at the palm of his hand. She asks to see his hand and finds the formula to be a bit smudged but readable. Comment: Because Sullivan wrote down information from the Candidate Body of Knowledge and took that written information into the examination, his conduct compromised the validity of his examination, and violated Standard VII(A). Sullivan’s conduct was also in direct contradiction of the rules and regulations of the CFA Program, the Candidate Pledge, and the CFA Institute Code and Standards.”
Thanks all. This was my interpretation too but its nice to get some well-reasoned feedback as well.