2020 Exam Update from GARP (updated on a regular basis)

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Eustice_Langham

Active Member
at this time, even people who are well prepared but reasonably concerned about risking their health would not go write the October exam. The only people who will go would be the ones who are desperate to finish off the exam and don't care about the risks. If GARP still fails 50% of this group of candidates then that will be a lot harsher than the marking standards in the past...
Maybe, but if the exam is to go ahead then I dont see why an individual should not attend,HK is a good example, the last two exams have been cancelled.
 

Charlymanlangit

New Member
I just received a message from Asia World Expo that the examination is postponed but have not received any notification from GARP yet. Anyone have heard anything about cancellation in HK?
 

UsedEconomist

New Member
Maybe, but if the exam is to go ahead then I dont see why an individual should not attend,HK is a good example, the last two exams have been cancelled.
im not talking about HK or mainland China where Covid is largely contained. Im talking about USA, Canada, and many countries in Europe where the daily increase of new cases are still very high. GARP seems to not care at all about candidates' health and only pay attention to compliance with local laws.
 

Eustice_Langham

Active Member
Hi Hedwig,

I used this email - [email protected]. You can check the website as well (https://www.asiaworld-expo.com/en-us/about-us/contact-us/ ) and see that there are no planned activities for 2020.
Yes I looked at the website as well, I suspect that the venue is simply not bothering to update the website given that there is little activity. I would hope that the exam is going ahead as scheduled in HK, as three successive cancellations is beyond the pale.
 

Eustice_Langham

Active Member
So, HK candidates will be unable to attend the FRM Exam for a straight 3 times? should I continue my studies..
Its an appropriate question...by rights I should have it all completed by now. If cancelled again I will need to seriously think if I can waste more time in studying and have these rolling cancellations.
 
Its an appropriate question...by rights I should have it all completed by now. If cancelled again I will need to seriously think if I can waste more time in studying and have these rolling cancellations.

GARP should give back all Level 2 candidates their 2 attempts lost (3 now for HK) due to force majeur, regardless if they have 1 attempt left or not. My brother is extremely worried he will have to retake level 1 due to the 4-year rule, if this pandemic drags on.
 

Eustice_Langham

Active Member
GARP should give back all Level 2 candidates their 2 attempts lost (3 now for HK) due to force majeur, regardless if they have 1 attempt left or not. My brother is extremely worried he will have to retake level 1 due to the 4-year rule, if this pandemic drags on.
I rang up the exam centre earlier and they tell me that they do NOT have any exams/events scheduled to take place on the 24th October. I dont know what is happening..
 

Nicole Seaman

Director of CFA & FRM Operations
Staff member
Subscriber
So, HK candidates will be unable to attend the FRM Exam for a straight 3 times? should I continue my studies..
I assume that GARP does not work over the weekends so there will not be any updated announcements from Saturday or Sunday. It is currently 8:30 a.m. on the East coast in the US where GARP is located. Most offices here open around 8 or 9 a.m. I would recommend that you do not discontinue your studies until they have made an official announcement regarding your specific location.
 

dciobanu

New Member
I wonder if is someone in this kind of situation: registered to the exam site in UK, London (or other country), but is living in other country from Europe (where aren't exam sites), and at the moment this country is not on the travel corridors list (non-exempt country), because of this, on arrival in the UK it needs self-isolation for 14 days.
How do you manage this kind of situation?
I am working and during this period I can not have a 14 days holiday to self-isolate in London, and honestly is quite expensive and too complicated (too much uncertainty).
I asked the GARP for the change of exam site and other alternatives in the last months, but the last response from GARP was: if you are unable to appear to your exam, you will be marked as a "No-show" for that exam and will need to re-register for the next exam dates (you will not forfeit the 400USD enrollment fee) ... :) thank you for that, but the exam fee next year is higher, 550USD and the material will have some changes...disappointing situation :(
We live in a very unstable period and measures should be implemented to take into account the new situation.
Honestly, the CFA changes related to COVID-19 are more human oriented and have some empathy to the candidates.
 

LucreziaB

Member
I wonder if is someone in this kind of situation: registered to the exam site in UK, London (or other country), but is living in other country from Europe (where aren't exam sites), and at the moment this country is not on the travel corridors list (non-exempt country), because of this, on arrival in the UK it needs self-isolation for 14 days.
How do you manage this kind of situation?
I am working and during this period I can not have a 14 days holiday to self-isolate in London, and honestly is quite expensive and too complicated (too much uncertainty).
I asked the GARP for the change of exam site and other alternatives in the last months, but the last response from GARP was: if you are unable to appear to your exam, you will be marked as a "No-show" for that exam and will need to re-register for the next exam dates (you will not forfeit the 400USD enrollment fee) ... :) thank you for that, but the exam fee next year is higher, 550USD and the material will have some changes...disappointing situation :(
We live in a very unstable period and measures should be implemented to take into account the new situation.
Honestly, the CFA changes related to COVID-19 are more human oriented.
I’m in a similar situation. Frankly, I regret choosing to do the FRM first instead of the CFA. If I were faced with what they told you I think I’d walk away and just start over and register for the CFA instead. Sick of GARP and their...nonsense. And for all that work, no one knows what the FRM is when I say I’m preparing for it. I support the October exam writing where safe to do so but all this uncertainty and horrifically bad communication is frankly intolerable.
 
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Its an appropriate question...by rights I should have it all completed by now. If cancelled again I will need to seriously think if I can waste more time in studying and have these rolling cancellations.

You point out the most important thing... I am not saying the FRM materials are not useful but repeatedly studying them can kill. especially in this chaotic time.... I personally am dissatisfied and even angry with the poor communication of the GARP...almost no update except those stereotype FAQs.. I am not demanding a full refund or so but at least give me a brief contingency plan... less than 3 weeks prior to the exam now...concentrating on the revision AND on the official announcement from GARP. The worst exam arrangement I have ever faced!
 
I assume that GARP does not work over the weekends so there will not be any updated announcements from Saturday or Sunday. It is currently 8:30 a.m. on the East coast in the US where GARP is located. Most offices here open around 8 or 9 a.m. I would recommend that you do not discontinue your studies until they have made an official announcement regarding your specific location.

I agree with you that staff members of GARP should have normal day off, even in today's situation. What I worry most, like many of the candidates, is another arrangement similar to the exam cancellation of HK in 2019 - saying everything would be fine but suddenly cancelled the exam 3 days before the exam... Can't imagine it is from a professional institute which has been holding exams for years....:(
 

LucreziaB

Member
You point out the most important thing... I am not saying the FRM materials are not useful but repeatedly studying them can kill. especially in this chaotic time.... I personally am dissatisfied and even angry with the poor communication of the GARP...almost no update except those stereotype FAQs.. I am not demanding a full refund or so but at least give me a brief contingency plan... less than 3 weeks prior to the exam now...concentrating on the revision AND on the official announcement from GARP. The worst exam arrangement I have ever faced!
Yeah those FAQs were comically useless! Why bother publishing them at all?
 
Another concern is what the passing score will be....the number of candidates sitting in the exam will be significantly less than usual, every candidate will be more representative to determine the passing score..... will this increase the volatility (variability?) of scores such that it is harder to predict the passing score? really no idea...
 
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