First it was the office, then happy hour, and now even Certified Financial Planner (CFP) exams have gone remote.
The CFP Board will allow certain candidates to take the test for the Certified Financial Planner credential at home. In order to be eligible, the board’s official website explains, “The remote proctoring option is available only to candidates who are eligible based on location or health criteria. This includes candidates in states where testing centers are not available or closed due to the pandemic, as well as those who need to travel more than 50 miles to get to a Prometric test center. It also includes candidates who have an eligible health reason. In order to participate in remote proctoring, candidates must meet minimum technology requirements.”
This won’t just be some open-book walk in the park either, there will be proctoring, though probably a bit different than you’re used to. While exam takers will be able to take their test from the comfort of their home or a location of their choice, rather than at a Prometric test center, the CFP Board’s test delivery vendor “will administer the CFP® exam to candidates through the ProProctor remote assessment platform.” And candidates should expect should expect “the security process” and “check in procedures” to be comparable to the test center. “Prometric live Proctors monitor the candidate test session through audio and video throughout the duration of the exam.”
Here’s how it’ll work: Before the test even begins, remote proctors will supervise a 360-degree webcam inspection of the candidate’s room to ensure there’s no information nearby that could be used to their advantage during the exam. That means those taking the test either need to be in a clean room, or be prepared to conceal cluttered areas with a linen. No third party is allowed to enter the room during the course of the exam, otherwise proctors will void the test. And in what might be the craziest sounding rule, test takers will be able to keep a maximum of two tissues at their desks, which we examined by proctors prior to the start of the test.
The only CFP exam dates currently eligible for remote proctoring are in September, which were postponed from July due to the coronavirus pandemic, and November.
