ICB: Institute of Certified Bookkeepers

Guidelines and Rules for Exam Conduct:

Online Exam

Arrival & start of the exam

• Students must log in to the assessment platform 30 minutes before the exam start time on the exam day. 
• Students must have completed all their online exam pre-checks and submitted their PoE.
• Once these are complete and the exam start time arrives, the student will have 3-hours and 30-minutes to complete the online assessment. A timer will commence, and the student can't pause the timer. 

Proof of Identity

• Students will be required to present a photo identity document during the online exam

Late Arrival/ Starting Issues

• Students have half an hour to log into the exam after the start time of the exam. Thirty minutes after the start of the exam, all access is locked, meaning that a student cannot enter the exam more than thirty minutes after the scheduled start time.
• In the event of system failure before the start of an examination, which renders it impossible for a student to launch the assessment, the student or a representative from the provider must contact the ICB, who will attempt to resolve the problem.

Online Exam Technical Issues

• Students must ensure that they have met the prescribed technical requirements.
• If the connection drops during the assessment, the student must reconnect as quickly as possible as the assessment needs to be completed within the initially allocated timeframe. No extension in time will be granted.
• The ICB must be contacted through the prescribed method to log any issue during the exam. 
• If a student's exam is compromised to circumstances beyond their control, a postponement application must be lodged in the prescribed format within 48 hours of the exam.  

Books & Materials

• Students may not have any book, manual, paper or manuscript in the exam room, except those approved by the ICB.

Calculator

• Students may use basic or scientific pocket calculators (not financial) in the exam as long as the calculators are not used to display information or run programmes that were stored on them before the exam.

Writing Pen

• All answers are typed online.

Blank Paper / Workings

• Students may use a note sheet to do their rough calculations as long as
  • o   The note sheet is a single blank sheet, not an entire notebook
  • o   The note sheet has no pre-existing notes/ rough work on it
• Students must take note that this will be monitored by the proctoring functionality.

Sharing of items

• Students may not pass any information, book, paper or other material to any other person during the exam.

Leaving the Room (with Permission)

• If a student needs to leave the room for a bathroom break and are writing their online exam alone, away from campus, they must keep such breaks to an absolute minimum as both the duration and frequency of such breaks will be monitored by the camera.  (DO NOT close your exam tab or shut down your PC when going on a bathroom break)
• If a student is writing online at a campus, the physical exam venue rules apply.

Leaving the room after the start exam

• No permission is required

Leaving the Room (without Permission)

• No permission is required.

Communi-cation

• Students may not communicate with other people during the exam, except for the exam invigilator or the ICB support team.

Other Prohibited actions

• Students may not
  • o  tab out of / away from the exam screen
  • o  close, cover or disconnect the camera at any point during the exam
  • o  use a second screen
  • o  copy and paste from outside the exam
  • o  use a cellular telephone or tablet during the exam (except to contact ICB)
  • o  use a landline telephone during the exam (except to contact ICB)

Exam Papers

• All pre-exam sections and declarations need to be fully completed to unlock access to the actual exam. If these are not completed, the exam will not unlock.
• Students will be asked to review and sign certain declarations and perform certain security activities on exam day.

Exam Completion

• The online exam will close at the end of the exam session, and your work will automatically be submitted.

Exam Papers

• The recording of questions asked and/or sharing of these with anyone, either during or after the exam, is seen as cheating and may result in disqualification from the programme.

At Exam End

• Students must complete the assessment within the allotted time, and after the completion of the allotted time, students are required to finalise and submit the assessment for marking. 
• The exam will automatically close three-and-a-half hours after the scheduled start time.

• The camera must be positioned in front of the learner in order to show the learner's face
• The camera must show the learner's head and shoulders in full

• Headgear (hats, caps) must not be worn during the exam as they inhibit the functionality of the proctoring tool which monitors facial and eye movement amongst other indicators.

• No second or additional display screen or monitor is allowed, the student must only make use of the screen on the device their main device i.e. laptop or desktop PC.

• Test takers must not wear earphones or headphones during the exam

• Unless writing at an ICB accredited college, the test-taker must be alone in the room
• The room must be quiet
• The student must not engage in conversation with others unless this is an invigilator at an ICB accredited college
• The room must be well lit