22 September 2025
We would like to thank everyone who took part in our April 2025 exam experience survey.
Over 3,490 candidates completed the survey, which is 35.65% of all April 2025 exam sitters and over double September 2024’s response rate of 15.39%.
We ask IFoA exam candidates to complete a survey after every exam session, so we can understand the exam experience and continue to improve our exam processes and support.
The overall candidate exam satisfaction score has fallen to 5.33 out of 10 compared to 7.48/10 in April 2024. We hear and understand the dissatisfaction and are working hard to provide better support for our exam candidates.
We held a webinar in July to hear further feedback on the April session and address any questions candidates had about our plans for the September session.
We are grateful to those who took the time to share valuable feedback to help us improve our exam experience for future candidates.
We listened to feedback on our April session from candidates and employers, and as a result, we have been able to make focussed, impactful improvements to our candidate experience.
We understand how disappointed candidates were that we were unable to offer a choice of exam centre location for the April exams. Our teams worked hard to put new processes in place for our September session to offer candidates more choice over where they sit their exams.
For September exam bookings, we introduced the option for candidates to change their exam centre, or to opt for to sit their exam under remote invigilation. We were delighted to be able to offer over 98% of candidates, who requested a change of exam location, their preferred alternative.
Using feedback, we have made changes to our exam platform, exam resources and the support we provide for candidates, delivering the improvements that candidates and employers have said are important to them.
We introduced a trial session where candidates could experience the remote invigilation system. This gave candidates an opportunity to connect to ProctorU, present their ID to their webcam and use the Guardian Browser and identify any potential problems with their computer configuration well in advance of their exams.
We revised our Access Arrangements Policy to clarify which access arrangements we can offer in exam centres and which we can offer to candidates sitting under remote invigilation.
We also updated our Exam Rules for in-person and remotely invigilated exams to provide further guidance, addressing feedback from the April session. Areas of additional guidance included: the exam environment; taking breaks; making notes; and resolving issues during the exam.
We held two interactive exam preparation webinars based on feedback and queries from candidates who sat exams in April. Candidates were encouraged to ask questions and clarify anything they were unsure about when sitting exams in person and online.
We launched a Student Hub on our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) to help candidates quickly and easily navigate all the essential information most important to exam preparations. Resources include links to all key documents and guidance, and new video content.
We revised the content of our Exam Handbooks based on your feedback. We amended wording to make sure guidance was as clear as possible in areas where candidates had requested greater clarity. We also created bite-sized video content from the Exam Handbooks, hosted in your new Student Hub, to make the information easier to navigate and review.
To help candidates report any issues that may impact their exam performance, we introduced a new QR code reporting system for candidates sitting in exam centres. Candidates can now quickly and easily report incidents that may have impacted on their performance in an exam centre, supporting applications for mitigating circumstances.
We’ve also worked with our Remote Invigilation provider to improve the online chat help function available to candidates on exam day to offer detailed and accurate guidance as quickly as possible.
We understand that candidates who sat exams in centres in April were disappointed that they couldn’t access their scripts after their exam. We listened and worked with our supplier to make improvements to the exam platform. This means all candidates, including those who have sat exams in centres, can now log in and access and download their submitted exam scripts after their exams.
To help us shape future exam sessions, we’d like to encourage all candidates who sat exams in our September to share their thoughts and feedback in the September 2025 exam experience survey.
Your feedback is essential as we continue to improve your exam experience together.