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

[Hedwig_who_has_red_socks]

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....

Not even 3 days. If my memory serves, it was cancelled just 1 day before (I could be wrong). I remember some of my friends were already checked-in at the nearby hotel, in anticipation of travel disruptions. They all took mandatory 10 days leave from work just to prepare.

 

[UsedEconomist]

Not even 3 days. If my memory serves, it was cancelled just 1 day before (I could be wrong). I remember some of my friends were already checked-in at the nearby hotel, in anticipation of travel disruptions. They all took mandatory 10 days leave from work just to prepare.

A total fiasco for the ultimate institute for risk management!
This time if any candidates get covid from writing the exam they will suffer a deadly blow. They should have offered CBT option a long time ago!

 

[Sjegathe]

I don’t understand what the fuss is about the passing score and the exam being cancelled. The Covid situation is challenging for every institute, GARP, CFA, CPA etc. Think of this as some one calling in sick and you will have to cover their work. We should be happy that GARP has opted to include CBT exams for wide range of exam dates. If you miss this, you will be re-enrolled for exam. This is the only designation you can take both exams at once and become designated with required experience, we need to appreciate the things that we have and not complain too much!

 

[Nicole Seaman]

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....

Oh, I completely agree. I just wanted to make sure everyone realized that if exams in other countries are canceled that there most likely would not have been any announcements over the weekend since most offices are closed on the weekends here in the US. If GARP has already decided to postpone the exams at more sites, then I do really hope that they make an announcement today.

 

[Eustice_Langham]

Not even 3 days. If my memory serves, it was cancelled just 1 day before (I could be wrong). I remember some of my friends were already checked-in at the nearby hotel, in anticipation of travel disruptions. They all took mandatory 10 days leave from work just to prepare.

wow 10 days leave...fortunate....but it wasn't 3 days notice, it was 1 day notice. On the Wednesday GARP said that the exam was going ahead as planned, then on the Friday morning I woke up to see an email saying that the exam was cancelled.

 

[Eustice_Langham]

Oh, I completely agree. I just wanted to make sure everyone realized that if exams in other countries are canceled that there most likely would not have been any announcements over the weekend since most offices are closed on the weekends here in the US. If GARP has already decided to postpone the exams at more sites, then I do really hope that they make an announcement today.

Agree, but try as I might I cannot begin to understand why the exam centre in HK has no record of the site being booked for the exam day if the exam is going ahead as planned. It may well be that the exam site here in HK is simply wrong, but I dont know how it can be. The only explanation that I can arrive at is that the October exam is indeed cancelled and that GARP are attempting to reschedule for another date say November but will not confirm either until they can confirm the new date. HK is a special case, and for three successive cancellations is embarrassing for GARP. Anyway keep studying people.

 

[Eustice_Langham]

D

I don’t understand what the fuss is about the passing score and the exam being cancelled. The Covid situation is challenging for every institute, GARP, CFA, CPA etc. Think of this as some one calling in sick and you will have to cover their work. We should be happy that GARP has opted to include CBT exams for wide range of exam dates. If you miss this, you will be re-enrolled for exam. This is the only designation you can take both exams at once and become designated with required experience, we need to appreciate the things that we have and not complain too much!

Disagree with you completely

 

[ps_ricky_son]

I don’t understand what the fuss is about the passing score and the exam being cancelled. The Covid situation is challenging for every institute, GARP, CFA, CPA etc. Think of this as some one calling in sick and you will have to cover their work. We should be happy that GARP has opted to include CBT exams for wide range of exam dates. If you miss this, you will be re-enrolled for exam. This is the only designation you can take both exams at once and become designated with required experience, we need to appreciate the things that we have and not complain too much!

I am not saying GARP has done nothing. What I mean is that they should demonstrate their professionalism, especially in this challenging time and for being a reputable institution. We could also imagine the exponentially increasing workload, but no excuse please.. we are also studying and working hard - same as the staff members of GARP. As I replied in previous post, I appreciate the effort they made but it does not mean I appreciate the result they deliver. Pointing out the fact that GARP has poor exam arrangement is NOT a complaint, but only voice out that many of the candidates do expect a basic standard.

Regarding the CBT exam, yes, it is a good arrangement, but it seems to dissociate with the coming 2020 exams..(please correct me if I misunderstand this) Instead of shifting the focusing to future exams, can they pay more attention to resolve the current situation first?

 

[LucreziaB]

I am not saying GARP has done nothing. What I mean is that they should demonstrate their professionalism, especially in this challenging time and for being a reputable institution. We could also imagine the exponentially increasing workload, but no excuse please.. we are also studying and working hard - same as the staff members of GARP. As I replied in previous post, I appreciate the effort they made but it does not mean I appreciate the result they deliver. Pointing out the fact that GARP has poor exam arrangement is NOT a complaint, but only voice out that many of the candidates do expect a basic standard.

Regarding the CBT exam, yes, it is a good arrangement, but it seems to dissociate with the coming 2020 exams..(please correct me if I misunderstand this) Instead of shifting the focusing to future exams, can they pay more attention to resolve the current situation first?

Agreed! Also these exams and prep aren’t cheap; I’m not saying they don’t have value (shout out to BT who is absolutely worth it IMO ) but I’m questioning why I’m spending this money (my employer doesn’t cover 100% of costs) to be treated like this by GARP? It’s been how many days since a bunch of people noticed their dates changed in the portal but no notice has gone out?! They deserve to know what’s going on!

GARP still has to compete with the CFA and others and CFA seems to have at least anticipated these kinds of issues by communicating farther in advance and acknowledging that “one off” cases are rather frequent and making it easy to defer.

 

[tylerswob]

I am scheduled to take the test in chicago but there is a quarantine in place for those from outside of the area that are going there to take the October exam. GARP has not emailed back on this almost a week later. Most of us cannot sit in quarantine in Chicago for two weeks just to take this test. Honestly, with GARP not answering emails or (from what I am reading) being understanding about all of this...it makes me wonder. Honestly it makes me wonder. Others have said it accurate--GARP is competing for our dollars in a market environment dominated by CFA. Other credentials like CAIA can also be completed in one year but not in the same day. Further, for a "Risk Professional" association they certainly are asking test takers (who are paying members, I might add) to take some some potentially irrational risks according to their own curriculum. Them not responding to emailed messages to test takers is very troubling.

 

[mattheweidinger]

I called GARP again today and they said that "As of now, the Montreal Exam is going ahead as planned. If there are any changes, we will announce them in the next 1-2 weeks. We do expect to make an announcement in the next week or two." However, the hotel still insists that all events there are still not going forward. I remarked that it was extremely unprofessional for them to string us along for this long...

Is anyone in MTL still studying?

 

[shuffleshoe]

Are our concerns and discontent about how this is being handled known to GARP? Seeing the earlier reaction about saying they will have certainty about Montreal in 1 or 2 weeks is crazy, considering the exam is nearing.

I'm of the opinion that they should just postpone the whole exam to January...

 

[UsedEconomist]

Anyone scheduled for the Toronto October exam seeing their exam place somewhere other than Exhibition place? I think all FRM and ERP Toronto candidates are now scheduled to take the exam on October 24th at Exhibition place. This will very likely be incompliant with latest restrictions in Toronto that place an indoor limit of 50 per facility (instead of per room previously) for all events.

It would be unlikely that all October FRM and ERP candidates and proctors in Toronto combined would be under 50 people.

https://dailyhive.com/toronto/ontario-coronavirus-measures-gyms-restaurants-toronto-peel

 

[dciobanu]

Are our concerns and discontent about how this is being handled known to GARP? Seeing the earlier reaction about saying they will have certainty about Montreal in 1 or 2 weeks is crazy, considering the exam is nearing.

I'm of the opinion that they should just postpone the whole exam to January...

In my opinion GARP could give each candidate the option to choose the date of exam is appropriate for him. The situation is different from one country to another, postponing the exam to January, it doesn't seem to be the best decision, because is winter, it may be an increase of covid cases.
For comparison, please read the options given by CFA for Postponed Candidates,(https://www.cfainstitute.org/en/programs/cfa/exam/exam-updates) ...really, a professional approach to the situation.

 

[bonbonmoo]

Anyone scheduled for the Toronto October exam seeing their exam place somewhere other than Exhibition place? I think all FRM and ERP Toronto candidates are now scheduled to take the exam on October 24th at Exhibition place. This will very likely be incompliant with latest restrictions in Toronto that place an indoor limit of 50 per facility (instead of per room previously) for all events.

It would be unlikely that all October FRM and ERP candidates and proctors in Toronto combined would be under 50 people.

https://dailyhive.com/toronto/ontario-coronavirus-measures-gyms-restaurants-toronto-peel

Mine is also showing exhibition center and I think Toronto-wide, this is the only exam site. Given that it takes a long time for GARP to respond to the new restriction and even in MTL area, I am wondering when we will be receiving any update from them.

 

[UsedEconomist]

Mine is also showing exhibition center and I think Toronto-wide, this is the only exam site. Given that it takes a long time for GARP to respond to the new restriction and even in MTL area, I am wondering when we will be receiving any update from them.

I just called Exhibition place and they said GARP will need to comply with the 50 persons per building rule, otherwise the event will not be able to proceed. GARP never replied any of my three emails so I don't know how they will respond, if anything at all.

 

[bonbonmoo]

I just called Exhibition place and they said GARP will need to comply with the 50 persons per building rule, otherwise the event will not be able to proceed. GARP never replied any of my three emails so I don't know how they will respond, if anything at all.

Just to give my personal estimate here, if 50ppl/building, given that roughly there will be 500 candidates (very conservative number) in Toronto, they will need to find another 9 exam sites in order to admin the exam within next 18 days. There are chances but very very unlikely I would say.

 

[bonbonmoo]

GARP just posted their updates on their website, TRT, MTL both postponed to Jan.

 

[UsedEconomist]

https://www.garp.org/#!/important-notices
Just announced!
Ireland, Montreal, Toronto, Singapore, Los Angeles October exams postponed to January

 

[mattheweidinger]

https://www.garp.org/#!/important-notices
Just announced!
Ireland, Montreal, Toronto, Singapore, Los Angeles October exams postponed to January

Just saw it too.

I agree with the above comments from @dciobanu - different localities potentially warrant different exam dates. For instance, August would have been PERFECT for most places in Canada. Very disappointed about the last minute effort...but, at least there is more time to study now.