ExamRulesandRegulations/InstructionstoCandidates

(ExamP,FM,MFE,C,andGIINTpaperandpencilversion)

MLC,CFEFD,CFESDM,EA1,EA2F,EA2L,ERM,GHADV,GHCORC,GHCORU,
GHSPC,GIADV,GIFREU,GIIRR,ILALFVC,ILALFVU,ILALP,ILALRM,QFIADV,QFICORE,
QFIIRM,RETDAC,RETDAU,RETFRC,RETRPIRM

ForExamP,FM,MFE,C,andGIINTCBT(computerbasedexams),RulesandRegulationsarelocatedatwww.soa.org

Centerlocationsaresubjecttochangepriortotheexamdate.Checkourwebsiteofupdateswww.soa.org
Thefollowinginstructionsmustbecarefullynotedandobservedineverydetail.

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AcknowledgementLetter/TicketofAdmissionCandidatesshouldbring
their Acknowledgement Letter/Order Summary to the exam. The
electronic Acknowledgement Letter is the Ticket of Admission.
Candidates should retain their candidate number(s) to check exam
results. All candidates will be required to sign in and show
identification upon entering the test center as follows: One current
form of photo identification withyour signature (e.g., drivers license,
passport,schoolorworkidentification,etc.)or,intheabsenceofphoto
identification,twocurrentformsofidentificationwithsignature,andat
least one of these forms should have a physical description (height,
weight, color of hair and eyes, etc.). Anyone unable to meet these
requirementswillNOTBEPERMITTEDintothetestcenter.Supervisors
havetheauthoritytobancandidateswithimproperidentificationfrom
writing.
Candidateswhohavenotregisteredfortheexamwillnotbeallowedto
write.WalkinsareNOTaccepted.
ExamRoomOpensTheexamroomwillbeopenatleast30minutes
priortothestartoftheexamtoallowforcheckinprocedures.Exam
centerswithlargeattendancemayrequireadditionaltimetocheckin
candidates. Once checkin procedures and verbal instructions are
completed the exam will begin. Candidates will be given the full
amountoftimetowritetheexam.Examtimesdonotincludecheckin,
reading of instructions, or the collection of exam materials at the
conclusion of exams. FSA Exams, a.m. and p.m. sessions have a 15
minutereadthrutimeand3hourstowritetheexam.ExamMLChasa
15minute readthru at the beginning of the exam. No one will be
admittedmorethanthirtyminutesafterasessionbegins.Candidates
arerequiredtoremainintheexamroomforaminimumoftwohours,
orthedurationoftheexam.
Personal Belongings Candidates must provide their own pens or
pencils. For multiplechoice exams a #2 pencil or HB lead is
recommended.Hats,caps,andearphonesmaynotbewornduringthe
exam (except for religious observance). Simple foam earplugs are
allowedandmustbecheckedinwiththeSupervisoruponentranceto
the exam. The ability to hear all verbal instructions, including exam
start and stoptimes is theresponsibility ofthe candidates,regardless
oftheuseofearplugs.Theonlymaterialsyouareallowedtohaveat
your desk during the exam are writing instruments and approved
calculators. Any other personal items must be setaside (out of
candidatesview)priortotheexamstart.
Electronics All electronic devices (including cell phones) are
prohibited.Allcellphonesmustbeturnedoffandstowedawayduring
theexam.Intheeventthatacellphoneisleftonandringsduringan
examtheSupervisorwillberequiredtoreporttheincidenttotheSOA.
Thismayresultintheexambeingdisqualified.
SmokingSmokingisprohibitedintheexamroom.
Food and Drink Only beverages are permitted in the examination
room.Fortheconsiderationofothercandidates,pleasedonotbring
beveragesthatmaycauseadisturbance.Consumptionofanyfoodis

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prohibited except for medical situations where the SOA has provided
authorization.
AbsenceNoadditionaltimewillbegiventocandidateswhoare
absentforpartoftheexam,regardlessofthereasonfortheirabsence.
Candidate Number Appears on the Acknowledgement Letter. The
candidatenumbermustbewrittenoneveryanswersheet.Candidate
shouldretaintheircandidatenumber(s)tocheckexamresults.
CalculatorsForallexams(exceptEAexams):onlythefollowingTexas
Instrumentcalculatormodelsmaybeused:
BA35

TI30Xa
BAIIPlus*

TI30XIIS*
BAIIPlusProfessionalEdition*
TI30XIIB
TI30XSMultiView*

TI30XBMultiView*
*Uponentrancetotheexamroom,candidatesmustshowthesupervisor
thatthememoryhasbeencleared.FortheBAIIPlusandtheBAIIPlus
Professional Edition, clearing will reset the calculator to the factory
defaultsettings.
Candidates mayuse and have ontheir desktop more than one of the
approved calculators during the examination. The supervisor must
checkallcalculatorsusedduringtheexam.Candidatesareencouraged
to bring a spare approved calculator and additional batteries to the
examination.
Calculatorinstructionscannotbebroughtintotheexamroom.
Candidates are responsible for resetting their calculators. Candidates
whoneglecttopurchaseanapprovedcalculatororwhoforgettobring
one to the test site must write the examination without one.
Candidatesusingacalculatorotherthantheapprovedmodelswillhave
their exam disqualified. Candidates can purchase calculators at any
office supply store or directly from Texas Instruments at
http://epsstore.ti.com.

ForEAExams:Candidatesmayuseanycalculatormodelthatmeetsthe
specificationslistedintheJointBoardsExaminationProgramfoundat:
http://www.soa.org/education/examreq/eduexameadetail.aspx

ScratchPaperCandidatesarenotallowedtobringscratchpaperinto
theexamroom.Blankpaperisprovidedforscratchworkintheexam
book.Formultiplechoiceexams,lefthandedcandidatesmayrequest
additionalpaper,ifneeded,fromthesupervisor.
SpecialInformationorTablesfordistribution will bedistributed with
theexambooksforExamsP,MLC,MFEandC.
MeaningofQuestionsCandidatesmaynotconsultthesupervisoras
tothemeaningofanyquestion.
Sign your sheets Candidates must sign their multiplechoice answer
sheetsand/orwrittenanswerenvelopes.Candidateswhofailtodoso
willhavetheirexamsdisqualified.
Activities requiring disciplinary action Candidates must not give or
receive assistance of any kind during the exam. Any cheating, any
attempttocheat,assistingotherstocheat,orparticipatingtherein,or
engaginginsuchimproperconductaslistedbelowisaseriousviolation

and will generally result in the Society of Actuaries disqualifying the

candidates paper, and such other disciplinary action as may be
deemedappropriate.Examplesofimproperconduct:

Gainingaccesstoexamquestionsbeforetheexam.

Usinganunauthorizedcalculatororothermechanicalaid,whichis
notpermitted.

Lookingintheexambookbeforethesignaltobeginisgiven.

Markingorotherwisewritingontheexambookoranswersheet
beforethesignaltobeginisgiven.

Making any changes, additions, deletions or otherwise marking,

erasing or writing on the exam book or answer sheet after the
timefortheexamhasexpired.

Havingaccesstoorconsultingnotesorbooksduringtheexam.

Lookingatorcopyingfromanothercandidatespaper.

Enablinganothercandidatetocopyfromonespaper.

Talking or otherwise communicating with another candidate

duringtheexamorduringreadthroughperiod.

Disturbingothercandidatesduringtheexam.

Consulting other persons or resources outside the exam room

duringtheexam.

Copyingquestionsoranswerseitheronpaperorwithacalculator
totakefromtheexamroom.

Taking an exam book or other exam materials from the exams

room.

Takinganexamforanothercandidate.

Arrangingtohaveanotherpersontakeanexamforthecandidate.

Threatening or verbally abusing a supervisor or proctor

responsibleforcurbingorreportingimproperconduct.

Unprofessional and/or unruly behavior towards any SOA staff,

supervisors,proctors,orvolunteersatanytime.

Disclosingthecontentsofanexamtoanyotherperson.

Presentingfalseinformationonanexamapplication.

Failingtoremainintheexamroomforaminimumoftwohours,
orthedurationoftheexam.

Failingtofollowotherexaminstructions.

Accessing or using a communication device (PDA, cell phone,

smartwatchesandwearablefitnesstrackers)duringtheexamor
whileattheexamsite.

TheEducationandExaminationCommitteeoftheSocietyofActuaries
will pursue any evidence that a candidate has cheated or failed to
follow exam rules, either in letter or spirit. Any irregularity or
suspectedviolationwillbeinvestigated.Whenaviolationisconfirmed,
disciplinaryactionsmayinclude,butarenotlimitedto,disqualification
of the candidates exam paper and a prohibition against writing SOA
examsforaspecifiedperiod.

Thesestandardsmayseemstricterthanthosetowhichcandidatesare
accustomed in other exam environments. The SOA maintains these
strict standards because the exams are such a significant part of a
candidates career. Therefore, equitable administration of the exams
and enforcement of the highest standards of conduct cannot be
emphasizedtoostrongly.
15. SpecialInstructionsforMultipleChoiceExams:Detailedinstructionsare
on the covers of the multiplechoice exam books. All written
computations must be made in the exam books. Lefthanded
candidates whoare given extra paper for their calculations must turn
the paper in along with the exam books. Clearly indicated answer
choices in the test books can be an aid in grading an exam in the
unlikely event of a lost answer sheet. MLC Exam candidates will be
allowedareadthroughtimepriortothestartoftheexam.ExamMLC
consists of multiplechoice and writtenanswer questions. Writing,
highlightingortheuseofacalculatorwillnotbepermittedduringthe
readthroughtime.
Note:Allanswerstomultiplechoicequestionsmustbemarkedonthe
separate answer sheet during the allotted time. The supervisor will
announce when 15 minutes and when 2 minutes are remaining for
ExamsP,FM,MFE,CandGIINT(paperandpencilversion),MLCandEA
andwhen5minutesareremainingforallotherexams.Candidatesmay

not leave the examination room from the time the 15minute
announcement is made until time has expired. It is the candidates
responsibility to complete the answer sheet within the proper exam
time, regardless of whether or not the supervisor makes the time
remainingannouncement.Noadditionaltimewillbeallowedforcoding
your answers after time has been called. If a candidate codes any
answersbeforeoraftertimeiscalled,theexamwillbedisqualified.

Acandidatesscorewillbebasedonthenumberofquestionsanswered
correctly. No credit will be given for omitted answers, and no credit
willbelostforwronganswers;therefore,acandidateshouldanswerall
questions, even if the candidate needs to guess. Before handing in
theirexambooksandanswersheets,candidatesshouldmakesurethey
have correctly written and coded their candidate number and center
numberintheappropriateplaces.
16. Special Instructions for WrittenAnswer Exams: Candidate numbers
shouldbewrittenclearlyandlegiblyonallanswersheets.Candidates
are not permitted to write their candidate numbers on the written
answersheetsbeforebeingtoldtobeginworkoraftertimehasexpired.
Paperwillbeprovidedonwhichtoanswerthequestions.Besureto
writethequestionnumberthatisbeingworkedonandyourcandidate
numberoneachanswersheet.Candidateswillbeallowedtimebefore
theexambeginstotearaparttheboundanswerpad(iftheychooseto
do so). Candidates attending writtenanswer exams will be allowed a
readthroughtimepriortothestartoftheexam.Writing,highlighting
ortheuseofacalculatorwillnotbepermittedduringthereadthrough
time.Candidatesshouldconfinetheiranswersstrictlytothequestions
as set. Unnecessary remarks and explanations should be omitted.
When finished, the candidate must insert all papers into the Written
AnswerEnvelope,writethecandidatenumberontheoutsideandsign
it. The candidate should be sureto include all papers in the envelope
since they cannot be accepted later. A candidates original envelope
maynotbeopenedafterithasbeensealedandcollected.
17. Released Exams For exams that will be released, questions will be
availableontheSOAswebsite(www.soa.org)aftertheexamsession.
18. Defective Questions Occasionally, through an inadvertent error or a
differenceininterpretation,anexamquestionisfoundtobedefective.
Examplesofdefectsmightincludetypographicalerrors,ambiguitiesor
questionsrelatingtomaterialthatisnolongercoveredintheCourseof
Reading. Candidates who believe that a question is defective should
sendanemailtoEducation@soa.orgwithintwoweeksofthedatethe
exam was administered. This email should explain in detail why this
questionseemstobedefective.TheSOAsEducationandExamination
Committeewillinvestigateallquestionsbroughttoitsattentioninthis
way,andmaymakeallowancesinthegradingprocess,ifappropriate.
The committee cannot consider correspondence that does not reach
theSOAofficewithintwoweeksaftertheexamadministration.

Grade release: Approximately 810 weeks after the exam is

administered. The finalized grade release date will be posted on the
SOAwebpagewww.soa.org.

SpringMLC,EAandFSAExamgradesarereleasedinJuly.
Fall MLC, EA and FSA Exam grades are released in January of the
followingyear.
ExamP,FM,MFE,CandGIINTreleasedatesvarybyadministration,
checkthewebsiteforexactdetails.

Alistofpassingcandidatenumberswillbeavailableat:
http://examresults.soa.org.

Tolocateyourcandidatenumber,LogintoMySOA,fromwww.soa.org,
gotoOrderSummary,locatetheexamandyourcandidatenumber.If
you experience anydifficulties,contacttheCustomerServiceCenterat
+18886973900oremailcustomerservice@soa.org

BrettRogers,Registrar&DirectorofExamAnalysis
KathyHusak,ExaminationAdministrationManager
October2015