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

[badbunny]

For the May 20 exams how last minute did they leave it before postponing? I'm trying to gauge how when they likely to make a decision for London Nov 20

Even three days before the exam they made changes

 

[lucalaboranti]

For the May 20 exams how last minute did they leave it before postponing? I'm trying to gauge how when they likely to make a decision for London Nov 20

May 20 was postponed globally more than a month in advance. I think we should look at the Oct exam rather than the one in May. In some countries that was totally last minute. Ask people in Milan, theirs got postponed just a couple of day before the exam!

 

[Nicole Seaman]

For the May 20 exams how last minute did they leave it before postponing? I'm trying to gauge how when they likely to make a decision for London Nov 20

@mbbx5va2 As a user said above, the May exam was postponed globally about two months before. The October exams were postponed in certain countries only, and there were some exams postponed the day before the exam. If you go through the comments in this thread, it shows the dates that I posted each of the postponement announcements. I posted them in the comments on the same day they were announced by GARP. This is the last announcement that I made before the Oct 24th exams: https://forum.bionicturtle.com/thre...p-updated-on-a-regular-basis.23454/post-84818. I would not suggest referring to the May postponement process, as their process for October was VERY different.

 

[mattheweidinger]

For the May 20 exams how last minute did they leave it before postponing? I'm trying to gauge how when they likely to make a decision for London Nov 20

They cancelled the May 2020 exams in late March I believe.

 

[mbbx5va2]

Thanks guys. Its all very frustrating.

 

[Nicole Seaman]

UPDATE: NOV 3, 2020
MUNICH NOVEMBER EXAMS POSTPONED TO JANUARY

Due to local restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, GARP is postponing its November 2020 Financial Risk Manager (FRM®) and Energy Risk Professional (ERP®) Exams in Munich, Germany to January 16, 2021. All candidates registered for November’s Exams will automatically be registered for January’s Exams, which will be based on the same curriculum. Candidates do not have to take additional steps to register for January.

UPDATE: NOV 3, 2020
PARIS SITE A & B NOVEMBER EXAMS POSTPONED TO JANUARY

Due to local restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, GARP is postponing its November 2020 Financial Risk Manager (FRM®) and Energy Risk Professional (ERP®) Exams in Paris, France Sites A and B to January 16, 2021. All candidates registered for November’s Exams will automatically be registered for January’s Exams, which will be based on the same curriculum. Candidates do not have to take additional steps to register for January.

UPDATE: NOV 3, 2020
NEW YORK, NY NOVEMBER EXAMS POSTPONED TO JANUARY

Due to local restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, GARP is postponing its November 2020 Financial Risk Manager (FRM®) and Energy Risk Professional (ERP®) Exams in New York, NY to January 16, 2021. All candidates registered for November’s Exams will automatically be registered for January’s Exams, which will be based on the same curriculum. Candidates do not have to take additional steps to register for January.

 

[Intbrok]

To everyone taking the exam in Frankfurt: I've recently taken a look to the new Corona-guidelines for Hessen and found that exams are among the activities exempted from the most stringent regulations (see §1 "Zusammenkünfte und Veranstaltungen" https://wirtschaft.hessen.de/sites/default/files/media/hmwvl/20-10-31-auslegungshinweise_cokobev.pdf).
However I could not find any indications regarding the maximum number of participants allowed, so I called the coronavirus Hotline for Hessen and they told me that the number is still 100 (like it was during the Oct exam - which wasn't postponed) and additionally, since FRA is classified as "risk area", GARP would very likely need the approval from the city's health ministry. So, technically, there's a path for GARP to hold the exam as planned and if they postpone it, it's because GARP thinks it is too dangerous to hold it (assessment I would not have a problem with, considering the current situation here in Germany) and not because it was ruled out by the guidelines. If you guys have different/additional information please let me know!

Many thanks for your research!
I also read that theoretically (!) it is not prohibited to hold the exam. Munich has been postponed today BUT the Bavarian rules are different and prohibiting much more events than the rules in Hessen.
(I didn’t find anything related to exams but the general expression related to events is strikter.) Although it doesn’t make any sense because the Bavarian Corona figures are not much different from the Frankfurt ones...
Due to the fact that GARP is formulating the announcements like „Due to local restrictions related to COVID-19“, it suggests to me that if there is no restriction, they won’t postpone but find a way to hold it. This is very irresponsible according to my view but what can we do...

 

[deepanair28]

Hi,

Were the October exams conducted as scheduled for rest of US? I see a notification postponing NY exams for Oct and Nov 2020, but nothing for rest of US. Also just curious, when GARP holds the same exam on different dates in different locations, do they come up with a new set of questions?

 

[Eustice_Langham]

Speak for your own country, at the rate we currently have, Switzerland will have 250% of it's population having had covid by Jan

What is your point?

 

[Nicole Seaman]

Hi,

Were the October exams conducted as scheduled for rest of US? I see a notification postponing NY exams for Oct and Nov 2020, but nothing for rest of US. Also just curious, when GARP holds the same exam on different dates in different locations, do they come up with a new set of questions?

@deepanair28

There were a couple of other exams that were not held in the U.S. I don't have time to go through the list, but I believe San Francisco and Los Angeles were postponed in October. There may have been others. So far for November, NY has been postponed, and if there are other cities, they will announce them. I am not sure about the exam questions being the same or different. GARP has not made any statement on that. I wouldn't think that they would have the same questions, as that would give people in January an advantage over those who took the exams in October and November.

 

[Nicole Seaman]

What is your point?

I think that they are just saying that by January most of their population will have already had COVID so they wouldn't need to worry about postponing the January exam if the worst of the situation has passed in that country. It took it as a semi-serious joke though with the emoji that was used after their comment

 

[deepanair28]

@deepanair28

There were a couple of other exams that were not held in the U.S. I don't have time to go through the list, but I believe San Francisco and Los Angeles were postponed in October. There may have been others. So far for November, NY has been postponed, and if there are other cities, they will announce them. I am not sure about the exam questions being the same or different. GARP has not made any statement on that. I wouldn't think that they would have the same questions, as that would give people in January an advantage over those who took the exams in October and November.

I agree! Hopefully I'll get some clarity from GARP too. Thanks

 

[Nicole Seaman]

UPDATE: NOV 4, 2020
FRANKFURT, GERMANY NOVEMBER EXAMS POSTPONED TO JANUARY

Due to local restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, GARP is postponing its November 2020 Financial Risk Manager (FRM®) and Energy Risk Professional (ERP®) Exams in Frankfurt, Germany to January 16, 2021. All candidates registered for November’s Exams will automatically be registered for January’s Exams, which will be based on the same curriculum. Candidates do not have to take additional steps to register for January.

 

[ambrosianas]

Hi Nicole, I am taking Nov Chicago exam. However, there seems to be an EMERGENCY CHICAGO TRAVEL ORDER that would force non-IL state candidates to quarantine in Chicago for 14 days! I am from MO, and if I travel to Chicago for the exam, I'll have to stay for 14 days there and risk losing my job in MO! I am sure there are many candidates traveling to Chicago from elsewhere in Mid-West for the exam. Is GARP aware of the Chicago Travel Order?

Chicago Emergency Travel Order - https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/covid-19/home/emergency-travel-order.html

 

[Eustice_Langham]

I think that they are just saying that by January most of their population will have already had COVID so they wouldn't need to worry about postponing the January exam if the worst of the situation has passed in that country. It took it as a semi-serious joke though with the emoji that was used after their comment

OK....nothing funny about Covid at all in my opinion. Thanks

 

[LucreziaB]

Hi Nicole, I am taking Nov Chicago exam. However, there seems to be an EMERGENCY CHICAGO TRAVEL ORDER that would force non-IL state candidates to quarantine in Chicago for 14 days! I am from MO, and if I travel to Chicago for the exam, I'll have to stay for 14 days there and risk losing my job in MO! I am sure there are many candidates traveling to Chicago from elsewhere in Mid-West for the exam. Is GARP aware of the Chicago Travel Order?

Chicago Emergency Travel Order - https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/covid-19/home/emergency-travel-order.html

For any of these types of travel restrictions, people, you need to contact GARP. This is the kind of thing they would deal with on a case by case basis. They aren’t going to be proactively checking that you live in MO (and that doesn’t mean that’s where you’ll be 14 days before) or anywhere. People have had success by calling GARP and clearly showing why they are subject to a travel restriction. But you need to do so ASAP.

 

[Nicole Seaman]

OK....nothing funny about Covid at all in my opinion. Thanks

I completely agree. There is absolutely nothing funny about COVID and I would never suggest that there is. Maybe some people are trying to lighten things up a bit and that is their way of dealing with this horrible pandemic that we are all experiencing. I don't think anyone has suggested that there is anything remotely funny about COVID. We are all getting through this the best that we can.

 

[Nicole Seaman]

Hi Nicole, I am taking Nov Chicago exam. However, there seems to be an EMERGENCY CHICAGO TRAVEL ORDER that would force non-IL state candidates to quarantine in Chicago for 14 days! I am from MO, and if I travel to Chicago for the exam, I'll have to stay for 14 days there and risk losing my job in MO! I am sure there are many candidates traveling to Chicago from elsewhere in Mid-West for the exam. Is GARP aware of the Chicago Travel Order?

Chicago Emergency Travel Order - https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/covid-19/home/emergency-travel-order.html

@ambrosianas

Unfortunately, we do not receive more information than you do from GARP. I have to check the announcements page on their website throughout each day to see if there have been any postponements. I recommend that you contact GARP directly with any concerns that you may have regarding your exam. As another member stated above, they have been allowing deferrals, but I do not know what their process is so it is best to contact them directly. From what I have heard from other members in the forum, you should contact them by phone and not by email. It sounds like candidates have had more luck getting through to them on the phone.

 

[z.raim]

just called and confirm with the officer that my examination will be postponed to May 21 as there is no other option and the syllabus will be different. oops, forgot to ask whether do they still providing free ebook for the next year

Hi! When did you get your follow-up email from GARP? I've been granted with same deferral for Nov 2020 examinations and it pasted 2 days since the first email. Still can't see any change in my GARP account

 

[tylerswob]

@ambrosianas

Unfortunately, we do not receive more information than you do from GARP. I have to check the announcements page on their website throughout each day to see if there have been any postponements. I recommend that you contact GARP directly with any concerns that you may have regarding your exam. As another member stated above, they have been allowing deferrals, but I do not know what their process is so it is best to contact them directly. From what I have heard from other members in the forum, you should contact them by phone and not by email. It sounds like candidates have had more luck getting through to them on the phone.

I am in a similar situation. You need to call GARP and tell them. The Chicago order makes it pretty much impossible for test takers outside of Chicago. That same order was in effect in October also and I was given a deferment. If you defer now, I'm thinking you will likely be moved to May 2021.