In a tweet this afternoon (January 24), the CII said the R06 exam which was due to start at 1pm today was “experiencing a technical problem”.
It added: “We are working rapidly to resolve this for all those affected.
“We will provide a further update as soon as possible.”
In a statement on its website, the CII said: “We are extremely sorry that due to a technical fault, some R06 students sitting via remote invigilation were not able to access the exam or experienced a delay.
“Candidates that were not able to access the exam before 1.30pm, will not be able to sit their exam today.
“If affected, CII will be in touch with you before [close of play] Friday 27 January about a date for a new sitting.
“We appreciate how frustrating and upsetting this situation is and we are urgently looking into what caused the issue to ensure it does not happen again."
We are aware that the R06 exam that was due to start at 1pm is currently experiencing a technical problem.
— Chartered Insurance Institute (@CIIGroup) January 24, 2023
We are working rapidly to resolve this for all those affected.
We will provide a further update as soon as possible.
Candidates took to Twitter to vent their frustrations at not being able to sit their exam.
One said: “Can we please try and sort today please. Candidates just want to get this exam done and off our backs.”
Others complained that they had been unable to log in for more than 90 minutes and that technical teams at the CII were taking a while to answer the phones.
Some questioned that if it was rescheduled to another day or later time, whether they could expect the costs of taking the exam to be reimbursed, for example for childcare and days off of work.
According to the CII, the R06 Financial Planning Practice exam tests the “practical application of technical knowledge and planning skills already gained, typically through previous study, thereby supporting the provision of competent and appropriate advice”.
It comprises a three-hour exam made up of two written case studies on financial planning practice (candidates receive the case studies two weeks prior to exam sitting).
Some students complained on the CII’s tweet that the disruption to today’s exam would have caused a lot of stress and would be a “major inconvenience” to many.
One tweeted: "In seriousness we have spent so long revising this, we should be allowed to do this exam based on these case studies and not made to do new ones, and the grading curve reduced to reflect the stress inflicted on those waiting.”
Earlier this month (January 16), the CII announced it was piloting a new form of assessment for the R06 Financial Planning Practice unit which would see written examinations replaced by coursework.
Previous exam troubles
The CII has been plagued with a number of technical issues over the past couple of years.
In November 2021, the CII faced exam glitches as candidates were unable to view their results and certificates online.
During the pandemic, the CII also apologised to candidates for “unacceptable instances” including problems with accessing remote invigilation sessions and technical issues during sittings.
Candidates had experienced a delayed start to a remote invigilated exam in July 2020, followed by some candidates experiencing technical issues with a remote multiple choice exam in August.
Technical issues continued in test centres in October 2020, with candidates claiming their computer system froze or shut down hours into the exam.
However, these issues continued into 2021. In March, the CII was forced to issue its exam results a day early after it suffered a technical issue, causing confusion among candidates.
In April, it was reported that advisers were unable to take exams due to system failure.
Between January 2021 to March 2022, FTAdviser understands the CII has delivered 62,000 examinations and received 1,906 complaints, equating to around 3 per cent of candidates.
amy.austin@ft.com
