The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) has announced it will be extending its offering of remote exam testing sessions from early January 2021 to all its UK and international students sitting its popular level 3 and 4 multiple choice question (MCQ) exams.

The professional body, with 45,000 members in over 100 countries, sets the qualification standards for those working in wealth management, financial planning and capital markets sectors, with 41,000 exams being sat in 81 countries in the last 12 months. The CISI is one of the largest professional bodies in the UK to commence remote exam testing.

CISI examinations are usually sat by candidates in global exam centres, with multiple choice exams being undertaken at those centres by computer-based testing (CBT). The pandemic has resulted in test centres around the world closing, although most are now operating with social distancing guidelines including some in the UK.

The CISI has worked with Prometric, its global testing partner, on this remote invigilation testing solution, which means that all candidates can now sit their multiple choice exams in a location of their choice, eg work or home as long as their space and equipment meets the requirements. A live invigilator is present online throughout the exam, with audio and video monitoring to ensure there is no malpractice and to assist throughout.

Simon Culhane, CISI CEO, said: "We are extremely pleased to now be able to offer this remote invigilation exam testing solution for our multiple-choice question exams. This will be welcomed by candidates and by our firms, as members continue to upskill and increase their knowledge during this unprecedented time.

"Some of our physical test centres will stay open during the national lockdown but many will be closed and candidates now have the reassurance that they can sit their exam, as planned, remotely."

He added: "Our main priority now is to ensure that all our exam candidates, wherever they are based in the world, have the opportunity to complete the examinations they have been revising for and to enable them to take the next step in their personal professional qualification and learning journeys."

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