On the Examination Day

On exam day, candidates should plan to arrive at their examination center 30 minutes before the time slated for the examination. Any candidate that is more than 30 minutes late will not be permitted to sit for the examination. Upon arrival, candidates must present a hard copy of their Examination Admission Letter and an unexpired government issued photo identification (Driver’s license, National Identity card, or International passport) that includes a signature.  No other personal belongings are allowed in the examination room and the examination center may not have provisions for any personal belongings, so it’s advisable not to bring anything valuable to the examination center.

The first and last name on the photo-bearing ID must be exactly the same as the first and last name on the Examination Admission Letter. Candidates whose ID names do not match the name on these forms will not be permitted to take the examination. Candidates who are not allowed to take the examination due to invalid or expired ID will forfeit all examination fees, and must reapply and pay the full examination fee in order to take the examination subsequently.

Upon arrival at the examination centre, candidates must present the required identification, sign an Examination Attendance Sheet and keep away personal belongings from the examination room.

Candidates will then be instructed to write ONLY their Candidate Identification Number (CIN) on the appropriate space provided for it on the Examination Answer Booklet. Also, candidates should come along with their pen and authorized calculators (as permitted by the Invigilator). The Invigilator will guide candidates to their assigned examination sits and provide brief instructions regarding the examination.

Each category of examination consist of 100 multiple choice questions of one (1) mark each. Candidates are expected to answer all the questions within the time stated on the question paper/booklet, candidates are required to choose the correct answer from options A to D.

Break Time
The entire examination session is scheduled for the time stated on the question paper/booklet and there is NO authorized break time. However, Examinees are allowed with the permission of the Invigilator to take unauthorized break time in order to visit the rest room or take their medications.

Examinees who take unauthorized breaks may lose examination time and run the risk of not being able to complete the examination. IPAN-SoTLAN does not, under any circumstances, provide additional time to examinees that are unable to complete examination questions as a result of losing time due to unauthorized breaks. At the end of the examination session, ALL examinees will be required to complete a Candidates’ Feedback form regarding their examination experience.

All candidates must abide by the examination rules and regulations. Examinees suspected of noncompliance or cheating behavior will be reported to IPAN-SoTLAN. IPAN-SoTLAN will thoroughly investigate any reports of irregularities at an examination center, and IPAN-SoTLAN holds the authority to cancel any score(s) resulting from an examination irregularity.

The examination room rules and regulations include:

  • No study aids (e.g., textbooks, notebooks, notes are allowed anywhere in the examination room).
  • No papers, books, food, drinks, wallets, cell phones, beepers/pagers, electronic devices, purses, or other personal belongings are allowed in the examination
  • Candidates must enter the examination room immediately after having their identification checked and can only use the restroom at the permission of the Invigilator.
  • Candidates may not leave the examination room without the invigilator’s permission. Time lost by candidates who leave the examination room will be counted toward their total examination
  • Candidates must present photo ID each time they enter/re-enter the examination
  • Candidates must sign out before they finally leave the examination
  • Candidates should come along with their pen and authorized calculators (as permitted by the Invigilator).
  • Eating (including gum, candy, etc.), drinking, or use of tobacco is not allowed in the examination
  • Personal items must be stored outside the examination room at owners’ risk. IPAN-SoTLAN does not bear any responsibility for items left outside the examination. Visitors are not permitted at examination centers.
  • Candidates are required to complete the Feedback Form at the end of the examination session and before leaving the examination
  • Although an Invigilator will allow all duly identified candidates to complete their examination, he/she will be required to formally report any of the following incidents during the exam: creating a disturbance, giving or receiving help on the test, attempting to remove exam materials or notes from the examination room, impersonating another candidate or failing to follow examination procedures and instructions. In such case(s), the affected candidate(s) MUST complete the appropriate Exam Misconduct Form.

After completing the examination, candidates are asked to complete a Feedback Form, which is brief survey that assesses the quality of customer service provided to them and the fairness and accuracy of the examination. The results of the feedback provide important information for the examination scoring process and will give IPAN-SoTLAN necessary feedback to help improve the quality of future examination administrations. IPAN-SoTLAN requires all examination candidates to take time to complete this form, as information provided will be treated confidentially.
To protect the security of examination and maintain the validity of the scores, each candidate will be asked to endorse a statement certifying that he/she is the person whose name appears on the examination, and that he/she will not copy or retain examination items/questions or transmit them in any form to anyone. Candidates will be monitored at all times while taking the examination through direct observation by Invigilator(s) and examination center staff as well as any of these methods - video, audio monitoring and photograph of examination session(s).

Any Candidate with complaints or comments about examination center facilities, supervision, examination content or any other matter related to the certification examination programme should do so using Feedback form at the end of the examination session.

Also, candidates can send in their complaints, questions or comments concerning an examination already taken. In such cases, all correspondence must include the Candidate Identification Number, address and should include the name of the examination, the date of the examination, and the location of the examination center. IPAN-SoTLAN will treat such complaint confidentially, objectively; consider each complaint on a case-to-case basis and respond within a reasonable length of time.