How do I get support?

Pre-Exam Support

If you have any difficulties with the pre-exam requirements you should contact the Institute via education@actuaries.asn.au or by phone as soon as possible: Domestic students: 1800 568 878; International students: +61 2 8052 3450.

If you have any questions on the day of the exam it is important that you contact the Institute rather than the technology providers. The Institute will be able to help you more quickly and can seek expert help for you if required: Domestic students: 1800 568 878; International students: +61 2 8052 3450.

How will the exams operate?

You will:

• access your exams through Canvas;
• test the system in advance; and 
• receive an exam permit at least two weeks prior to the exam with the relevant details you need.
• A few days prior to the exam you will need to register with our authentication and proctoring partner Examity, complete your profile and schedule your exam.
• On the day of the exam ensure your exam area is prepared (see checklist ) and, 30 minutes prior to the start time for your exam you will sign on to Canvas and be directed to Examity to complete online authentication, initiate proctoring and access the exam.
• You will need to have the photo ID credential with you which you used to set up your profile in Examity e.g. passport or driving licence.
• Following authentication, you will return to Canvas, and at the exam start time, the paper will be available in a zipped PDF file for you to download.
• We highly recommend that you save the exam paper and regularly save your responses on your hard drive.
• You will need to answer your exam using MSWord and Excel and include your candidate number on your answer sheets.
• Your answer sheets need to be uploaded to Canvas at the end of the exam.

Full details are available in the Candidate Instructions.

What are the technical requirements to enable me to sit the examination?

Full details of the technical requirements for the examinations can be found in our Online Exams Minimum System Requirements document.

How long will I have for the exam?

Other than for CAP (see below) the standard exam time is 3 hours and 15 minutes. You should work for this full time and you will then have 10 minutes to upload your answer scripts.

How long will I have for the CAP exam?

The total exam time will be 8 hours and there will then be 10 minutes allocated to upload your answer scripts.

It is not compulsory to take a break, but candidates are advised to take  short breaks and have food and drink readily available.  Short bathroom breaks are allowed but you must not speak to anyone in those breaks.

What time will my exam be?

Your exam time will be on your exam permit which you will receive two weeks before your exam.  The time shown on the permit will be either AEST or AEDT.

For most students exams will be held at 11am AEST (or AEDT) but for subjects with larger numbers of candidates we may stagger the start time so that we can be confident of having sufficient support available if you need it.

The CAP exam will be held at 9am AEST (or AEDT).

Please check your exam permit carefully and if you have any questions contact the education team on education@actuaries.asn.au

Will I be alerted to the end of the exam approaching?

No, time keeping is your own responsibility and you should organise a clock or use the timer on your phone to assist you with this.

What if I need to hand write formulae in my response?

If candidates are required to handwrite some part of their answers, e.g. formulae and calculations which may be difficult to type in Word they will be advised of this on their exam permit. In this case you should have paper available on which to write your answers. On completion of the exam time you will need to scan or photograph your handwritten responses, upload them to your computer and then submit them as part of your exam. Candidates will be given 30 minutes in which to upload their answers after the end of the exam.

Can I print my exam?

You are not required to print your exam, but you may do so in the first 15 minutes of the exam.  Movement from your desk to collect your printout will be allowed in that time.

Can I use two screens?

Candidates may use two screens if they wish to work on a larger screen than their laptop provides but the screens must be duplicated. Before starting the exam you should ensure your screens are in Duplicate Screens mode (see here for more information). You may not use any additional devices e.g. iPad.

Can I test the system?

All students will have the opportunity to test their equipment and the authentication and exam process in advance of the exam. Practice exam schedule is provided each semester via the Exam Information hub in Canvas.

It is strongly recommended that you take this opportunity to test your equipment and internet connection as well giving you familiarity with the process, which will reduce possible anxiety on the exam day.  It is your responsibility to make sure you are able to sit the exam.

No special consideration will be given for equipment or connection failure in the exam for students who have not tested in advance.

When will I receive my candidate instructions?

You will receive joining instructions at least two weeks before the examination date.

What are the open book conditions?

The exams are open book assessments.

The exams are designed to test your ability to synthesis and apply the content on Canvas in specified scenarios.

Candidates will be allowed to access all the subject material on Canvas which they have had access to during the semester and may also use any personal notes either in hard copy or which they have saved to their own computer. 

Candidates may access the internet. 

Copying and pasting is allowed but you need to address the specified scenarios to pass the examination. 

Candidates must not contact, or attempt to contact, another person (for example via email or chat rooms) in an attempt to gain unfair advantage during the exam and this will be monitored. Note: this does not apply to contacting the Support Team should you experience technical difficulties during the exam.

Any files related to a question will be provided in digital form with the exam. 

Candidates may use calculators for the examination. However, it is envisaged that students will use Microsoft Excel for their calculations.

What is the format for naming my answer documents?

Candidates should submit one Word and one Excel (if required) document and it is recommended you format your answer sheets in advance of the exam as the documents MUST be de-identified. This means that not only must you not have your name on any of the answer sheets but you must also ensure that the author and “last modified by” are removed. If you do not know how to do this please refer to Microsoft support here.

Word document: Your candidate number should be included in the header of the Word document. The Word document should be saved as: Candidate number.docx

Excel document: save as Candidate number.xlsx

For CAP candidates: save as Candidate number_Topic.docx

You should not include your name on any part of the document.

How many documents can I submit?

You can submit multiple files but they must all be submitted in one batch or you will be unable to upload further documents.

Where can I sit the exam?

We recommend you sit the exam in a quiet, well lit, space where you will not be interrupted for the duration of the exam and there must not be anyone else in the room.  You must not speak to anyone during the exam and ideally will not move from your desk area as this will be flagged by the online proctoring system.  If you do need to take a bathroom break we recommend you record the time of the break.

Can I move from my desk?

If you have completed authentication and proctoring but still have time before the exam starts you may leave your desk in this time, similarly you may leave your desk in the first 15 minutes to collect a printout of your exam. 

Otherwise, you should remain at your desk at all times.  If you must visit the bathroom please note the time, include it in the comments when you submit your answers and be as quick as you can.

Will I be allowed my mobile phone?

Candidates should have their mobile phone with them in the exam on silent mode. It is only allowed to be used for the following purposes:

• As an Internet hotspot if this is how you connect to the Internet to complete your exam, rather than using a land-based broadband connection.
• As a timer to alert you to the end of the exam.
• To enable the Actuaries Institute to contact you if necessary
• To contact the Actuaries Institute Help Desk via phone.

How is potential misconduct managed?

To maintain the integrity of our exams, we take a range of measures to enhance security.

There is an authentication process to ensure a student’s identity is verified prior to sitting the exam.  In addition, there will be automated proctoring, where students and their screens will be recorded and unexpected behaviour will be flagged for future review if necessary.  Examiners will scrutinise exam ‘scripts’ for possible cases of collusion.

Candidates are reminded that all members of the Actuaries Institute are bound by the Code of Conduct. Any finding of examination misconduct could result in you being denied the ability to sit exams for three years and put your career at risk. 

All candidates will be asked to make the following declaration by submitting their work.

DECLARATION:

By submitting your exam paper, you are confirming that the work is your own and that you have complied with the requirements of the Actuaries Institute Code of Conduct, which binds all.

You are required to be honest and work with integrity at all times. Committing plagiarism or collaborating with others is a breach of the Integrity principle under the Actuaries Institute’s Code of Conduct.

What is considered misconduct?

Candidates are well aware of general misconduct around exams and should consider what it means to be a professional actuary and the standards expected of them. Some areas which would clearly represent misconduct include:

• Collaboration with another person (student or actuary) on the content of the exam.
• Providing information to other candidates.
• Accessing material which is expressly not allowed during the exam
• Copying material directly from the internet or course materials.

What happens if my computer equipment or internet connection fails before my examination starts?

Contact the Actuaries Institute Support Team, who will make alternative arrangements as required.

What happens if I am unable to upload or am late in uploading my exam script at the end of the exam?

You should work on your answers until the end of the exam time as you will be given an additional 10 minutes to upload your script. In our experience this is plenty of time but if you have problems you should contact the exam support team immediately and they will help you with the submission.  You may be asked to complete a special consideration form if there is a delay with your submission. Students must not continue working after the exam time is reached and where students are late in submitting their exam, penalties may apply.

What happens if the system fails?

The systems have been well tested and we have alternative arrangements which can be initiated if required. In these circumstances, you will either have been contacted in advance of or receive an email or SMS message.

What Support will there be on the day of my exam?

The Actuaries Institute will have help and support available to you before and during the exam. On the day of the exam please phone the Institute: 1800 568 878 (domestic students); or +61 2 8052 3450 (international students).

If you have any difficulties with the pre-exam requirements you should contact the Institute via education@actuaries.asn.au or by phone as soon as possible: 1800 568 878 (domestic students); or +61 2 8052 3450 (international students).

When will the exam results be released?

The exam results will be released according to the timetable here.