Get set for FAE exam success

With CAP1 exams completed in late May and CAP2 in June, The Bottom Line asked the exams team where students ran into problems with the exams platform, and what lessons FAE students can learn to make for a good exam-day experience. Bryan Rankin explains.

17 and 19 August 2021 are doubtless indelibly printed on FAE students’ minds as the dates for the main exams. CAP1 and CAP2 have already completed their exams, and are taking a moment of relaxation. What we can be learnt from their experience? When it comes to professional exams, there are many unknowns – what topics, questions, or indicators will come up? Yet, what is certain is that you’ll be undertaking your FAE exam on Chartered Accountants Ireland’s eAssessment platform, Cirrus, and entering the exam (on-boarding) through the invigilation service, ProctorU.

Where a student flags a problem in accessing the exam platform during testing, a resolution can almost always be found. It may be instructive to look back at individual problems encountered by a small minority of CAP1 and CAP2 students recently as a predictor of potential problems. According to the Exams team, the most frequent causes of CAP1 exam-day problems were:

While the success rate for CAP1 and CAP2 students in on-boarding the exams platform this summer was extremely high, it’s not uncommon for students to experience a connection issue. In most cases, this is momentary – but it can happen, so don’t be perturbed. Reconnect by going through the usual procedure.

There’s so much you can do to prepare for the online exam experience ahead of time. Take the time to visit the eAssessment pages on the Exams section of the website. On these pages you will find videos and screenshots of the practice papers, and a video tutorial on how our eAssessment platform, Cirrus, functions. Students must ensure that they have run all the checks as per question 23 on the FAQs page prior to exam day to identify possible issues, and contact us as soon as possible so we can assist rather than waiting until exam day. Students should also shut down their laptop the evening before each exam and turn it on fresh each morning.

If a student experiences issues on the day, they should use the dedicated ProctorU chat. If their issue is not resolved, they should then contact the Exams executive and Exams team, who are contactable by phone and email. Students should provide the exact details of the error message or issue, and keep the details concise.

Finally, it is worth recognising that exams are always a stressful experience. Managing your stress is key to exam success. Simple techniques, such as mindful breathing, can reduce your stress levels. Anticipating issues and having a plan to manage your response can mitigate any anxiety you may have. If students intend using an Apple computer, they must contact ProctorU in advance for assistance in adjusting security settings.

FAE students have had access to practice papers since 10 May 2021, with one paper per subject. You have four attempts at each practice paper, so make the most of them. The Exams team recommends that you keep a number of practice attempts to use in advance of your main exams so you can test your knowledge and timings in an exam setting. Try writing the whole practice paper in one sitting in exam conditions at least once.

The exams team will be in contact with you via email on several occasions with important updates in advance of main exams. The practice on-boarding will take place on Wednesday 28 July, which is approximately three weeks before your sitting. The exams team will issue the practice timeslots to students a couple of days before this date. Final timeslots will be issued in the week beginning 9 August. The practice on-boarding session, in particular, can be extremely valuable as a test run; however, the Exams team report that only a minority of CAP1 and CAP2 students engaged in the exercise. Please take the opportunity to go through the process when notified.

Students can only test their equipment once they have received their exam time slot. Students should not try to create a ProctorU profile. Once the student clicks on the exam link, which will be visible on the student portal on the ‘My Enrolments’ page, they will be automatically re-directed to their ProctorU dashboard. Here, students can test their equipment in advance of their exam.

Before receiving their exam slot, students can check that their camera and microphone are working by using settings on their laptop and check their internet by doing an internet speed check at www.speedcheck.net. And the FAE Exams team can be contacted at faeexam@charteredaccountants.ie if you have any queries.

Bryan Rankin is CAP1 Lead at Chartered Accountants Ireland.