Requirements and rules for writing an exam

As an overarching principle, all students must abide by the Insurance Institute of Canada’s (IIC’s) Academic Integrity Policy. Academic integrity refers to principles of honesty and ethical conduct that apply to academic activities including exams.

Students are required to follow all exam directives provided in writing by the Institute and verbally by personnel administering the exam, including Institute staff and proctors.

The following requirements apply to all students/candidates writing Institute exams.

1.1. Students must be members in good standing of a local Insurance Institute (membership paid in full) to register for an Institute exam and obtain their results.

1.2. Students will be permitted to write exams only for courses/exams in which they have registered with The Insurance Institute of Canada and at the date and time scheduled.

1.3. Students are responsible for ensuring they are registered for and receive the correct exam.

1.4. Students can write only one exam per course, per session. Students who fail an exam cannot rewrite in the same session.

1.5. Students must present original, valid (non-expired) government-issued photo identification (e.g. passport, driver’s license, health card, Canadian Permanent Resident card) for identity verification before they can write their exam. The following ID formats are not permitted: IDs without a photo, digital/electronic, paper, photocopies, images, laminated, IDs without any security features. Proctors have the right to reject any government-issued photo identification if authenticity cannot be verified. Students without original, valid government-issued photo identification on exam day will not be permitted to write their exam and will be required to reschedule within the same exam administration period. A rescheduling fee of $100 will apply.

1.6. The name on the government-issued photo identification must match the name the student used to register for the course/exam (the name in the Insurance Institute Member account), otherwise the student will not be permitted to write the exam and will be required to reschedule. A rescheduling fee of $100 will apply.

The following rules are intended to ensure that all students are given an equal opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of exam content. IIC maintains strict exam security before, during and after the exam. All exam materials are protected by copyright and property rights law.

Students will be presented with the Requirements and Rules for Writing an Exam at the start of the exam. Students must read and agree to the Requirements and Rules for Writing an Exam before starting the exam.

Important!

Exams are routinely reviewed for irregularities and/or breaches of exam rules. Any breach of the rules will result in a disqualification of the exams grade and a suspension for nine exam sessions or 3 years, whichever is longer.

The circumstances will be referred to the student’s local institute for disciplinary action additional to the automatic and minimum suspension of registration privileges mentioned herein. Any subsequent breach of the regulations will result in permanent disqualification from all exams of the Insurance Institute.

2.1. Only the student registered for the exam is allowed to take the exam.

2.2. Students are prohibited from accessing books, notes, cell phones, or electronic devices such as smart watches, tablets, headphones, or any technology, including artificial intelligence (e.g. ChatGPT), that can be used to transmit information during the exam including during a break.

2.3. All written responses must be expressed using the student’s own words. Submitting content that is identical to passages in the textbook, or to any other source, is strictly prohibited.

2.4. Students may not record or copy exam content including copying and pasting, taking screen shots, photos, or recordings of questions and answers.

2.5. Students are prohibited from sharing information about the content of the exam with anyone including other IIC students, colleagues, employers, family members, friends, etc. This includes talking about the exam before, during or after the exam, and copying, sharing, or posting exam content online or in person.

2.6. Students may not use any tools other than those provided within the exam interface. The exam interface includes a section where students can type their notes and access an online calculator during the exam.

2.7. Students may not communicate either verbally or non-verbally with anyone other than authorized personnel (such as the proctor) during the exam.

2.8. Students are prohibited from hiding, placing, or arranging to hide or place any prohibited material that may be accessed by themselves or others during the exam.

2.9. Students may not read or attempt to read or copy any information from any other person.

2.10. Students may not consume food in the vicinity of the exam or access food. Students are permitted water at their desk in a clear, transparent bottle or container without any solid writing, logos, pictures, etc. and all labels removed. For In-person exams, the bottle or container must have a lid which may be non-transparent.

2.11. Students must remove and place out of reach any head coverings that are not deemed essential for their identity or self-expression (e.g., religion, cultural identity) such as hats, watches, sunglasses, and other head coverings.

2.12. Students may not leave the exam area without permission from the proctor.

2.13. Students are not permitted to be rude, discourteous, or behave unprofessionally with the proctor.

2.14. Students must comply with proctor instructions or warnings.

3.1. Students must arrive in the exam room no later than 15 minutes before the scheduled exam start time.

3.2. Students who arrive less than 30 minutes after the exam start time will be able to write their exam with no additional time given. Students who arrive 30 minutes or more after the exam start time may not write the exam. They will be marked as absent and will be required to retake the course.

3.3. Students may not leave the exam room within the first 30 minutes of the exam.

3.4. Students must turn off their cell phones, smart watches, headphones, tablets, and any other transmission devices and put them in a designated area.

3.5. All personal belongings including coats/jackets, bags and purses must be placed in the designated area. IIC and the exam center are not responsible for lost, damaged or stolen personal belongings.

3.6. If a student needs help or to speak to the proctor, they must raise their hand and wait until the proctor approaches them. Students must speak discreetly and quietly, or outside the room, to avoid disturbing the other students.

3.7. Students must not begin their exam until advised to do so by the proctor.

3.8. Students may only leave the exam room for a short break (for example, to go to the washroom) if accompanied by a proctor, or after their exam has been submitted. The exam timer will continue to count down while on a washroom break.

3.9. Students must stop typing when the scheduled exam session time has expired.

3.10. No persons other than the proctors and students eligible to take the exam shall be present during the exam session.

3.11. All materials supplied by IIC or the exam center must remain in the room or be returned at the end of the exam.

3.12. Students are required to comply with any health, safety and security screening procedures as posted in the exam center or stated by the proctor or exam staff.

4.1. Students must ensure that their exam area does not contain any prohibited materials including books, notes, cell phones, or electronic devices such as smart watches, tablets, headphones, or any technology that can be used to transmit information. This applies for the duration of the exam including during a washroom break. If a cellphone is used to conduct a room scan, it must be placed in another room or out of reach and within the proctor’s view, once the room scan is complete. Students must follow the Proctor’s instructions during the room scan, including to remove any items from the exam area.

4.2. Students are not permitted to have multiple monitors or TV screens anywhere in the vicinity of the exam area.

4.3. Students must avoid actions which could be interpreted as an attempt to communicate with others or an attempt to consult unauthorized resources, including, but not limited to:

4.3.1. Repeatedly/excessively looking off screen

4.3.2. Obstructing their face with anything such as papers or hands

4.3.3. Speaking to someone else in the room

4.3.4. Speaking, whispering, or singing in any language

4.3.5. Moving outside of camera view, turning off their camera, or turning off their microphone

4.3.6. Interacting with another person, other than the proctor, in any way

4.3.7. Accessing any content, software applications, or websites during the exam other than the exam platform

4.3.8. Excessive noise in the environment or playing music

4.4. Students are permitted one short break during the exam. Students must ask the proctor before they can take a break and must inform the proctor when they return from the break. The exam timer will continue to count down during the break.

The Insurance Institute of Canada (IIC) exam and exam questions are the property of IIC. Possession, use, or distribution of IIC exams or exam questions outside of the environment used for writing the exam is an offense and will result in suspension and/or legal and financial penalties.

Please note, information such as your name, ID and video recording may be shared with relevant third parties, such as regulatory bodies, institute partners, or third-party investigators, in situations of suspected exam breaches.