Welcome to Hong Kong Securities Institute

DPE Examination Regulations

DPE Students are advised to read carefully all the rules and regulations set out under the headings бзGeneral Rulesби, бзProof of Identityби, бзUse of Electronic Calculatorsби and бзMisconductби below before attending their examinations. Failure to follow, and/or breach, of ANY of these examination regulations may result in DISQUALIFICATION from the examination.

General Rules

DPE Students should ensure that they attend the examination for which they have enrolled at the scheduled examination time and venue. DPE Students are advised to report to the examination centre at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the examination.
DPE Students should bring their own stationery (HB pencils, black/blue ball pens, eraser, calculators, etc.) to all examinations. Calculators brought into the examination hall/room are subject to inspection. (Refer to "Use of Electronic Calculators" below.)
DPE Students are NOT allowed to use any communication devices during the examination. DPE Students are required to switch off all communication devices such as mobile phones and pagers, as well as devices which produce sound of any kind, such as alarm watches, BEFORE entering the examination hall/room.

DPE Students are NOT allowed to use Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) or any devices (except authorised calculators mentioned under the heading бзUse of Electronic Calculatorsби below) which include any of the following functions during the examination:

- input/output and/or transmission of information such as data, text and images;

- data, text or image storage/display functions (e.g. electronic diaries, dictionaries and databank watches);

- wireless communication functions such as Bluetooth® wireless technology, infrared interface,
Wireless Local Area Network (LAN);

- audio/video play-back and/or recording (e.g. MP3 and compact disc players);

- walkie-talkie (i.e. radio transmitting and/or receiving) capability;

- text/graphics scanning functions;

- photo-taking functions.

DPE Students should use HB pencils to fill in all the particulars on the question booklets/answer sheets of the multiple-choice questions and to answer multiple-choice questions on the answer sheets. ONLY correct answers marked on the answer sheet will be counted towards a DPE Student's score.
DPE Students should use black or blue ball pens to fill in all the particulars on the question booklets/answer booklets of the structural questions and to write their answers in the answer booklets. ONLY correct answers marked in the answer booklets will be counted towards a DPE Student's score.
DPE Students must sit in their designated seat according to the seat number printed on their Admission Form, unless otherwise approved by the invigilator.
Only the Admission Form, HKID card/passport, stationery and authorised calculator are allowed on the desk. All personal belongings, textbooks, notes, dictionaries, electronic diaries and any other study materials must be placed in the designated area during the examination.
The Hong Kong Securities Institute (HKSI) will not be responsible for any loss, theft or damage of personal belongings during the examination.
Drinking, eating and smoking are not allowed during the examination.
No DPE Student will be admitted to the examination hall/room more than 30 minutes after the scheduled starting time of the examination.
Once the examination has been in progress for more than 30 minutes, DPE Students may request to leave the examination hall/room with the approval of the invigilator. However, DPE Students are not allowed to leave the examination hall/room in the last 15 minutes of the examination.
At the end of the examination, DPE Students should remain silent and seated until all examination materials, including but not limited to question booklets, have been collected and the invigilators have told them that they may leave.
DPE Students are not allowed to copy, distribute, publish, modify, create derivative works from or otherwise use in any manner or media, the information, materials and questions contained in the question booklet. All information, materials and questions contained in the question booklet are the proprietary information of the HKSI and all copyright therein belongs exclusively to the HKSI. By taking the examination, DPE Students are deemed to acknowledge the HKSI's intellectual property rights (including copyright) in all such information, materials and questions contained in the question booklet. The HKSI reserves the right to take appropriate action against DPE Students to enforce its intellectual property rights.

Proof of Identity

On the examination date, each DPE Student MUST bring:

the original copy of his/her Admission Form; and
his/her original identity document, such as HKID card, valid passport or other identity documents with a photo accepted by the HKSI. The number of the identity document must be identical to the one indicated on the Admission Form.

Anyone failing to produce the above documents will not be permitted to sit for the examination. The DPE Registered Student Card will NOT be regarded as a valid form of identification.

Use of Electronic Calculators

Non-programmable electronic calculators may be used by DPE Students in examinations, provided that the calculators are battery-powered, operate soundlessly and include neither print-out nor graphic/word display functions.
DPE Students are NOT permitted to bring calculators that use LCD dot-matrix technology display and/or other electronic devices that are able to store text to the examinations.
Please click here for a list of approved models of calculator. It is subject to change and modification by the HKSI at its absolute discretion without prior notice.
Calculators brought into the examination hall/room are subject to inspection and, in case of doubt, may be taken away for inspection. NO extra time will be given to the DPE Student in these circumstances.
Should DPE Students have any queries regarding the acceptance of their calculators, for example if their calculator is not on the approved list but has features which may meet our standard, they are advised to call the HKSI or bring them to the HKSI office for approval before the examination.

Misconduct

A DPE Student may be disqualified from the examination if he/she:

improperly obtains information about an examination paper prior to the examination;
communicates or attempts to communicate with any person inside or outside the examination hall/room during the examination;
copies from notes, books or electronic devices brought into the examination hall/room or from the work of other DPE Students during the examination;

takes away, or attempts to take away, from the examination hall/room any examination materials, such as examination question booklets, answer booklets, answer sheets, backing sheets or graph paper;

leaves the examination hall/room without permission;
starts to work on the examination paper before being instructed to do so, or continues to write after being told to stop writing at the end of the examination;
does anything which causes unnecessary distraction to other DPE Students or disruption of the examination;
takes an examination on behalf or in the name of another person;
fails to follow the invigilators' instructions during the examination; or
is found cheating in any manner whatsoever.

Guidelines on the Postponement and Cancellation of Examinations

DPE Students should take note of the guidelines below regarding the postponement and cancellation of examinations:

Examinations will be cancelled when typhoon signal No. 8 or above or the black rainstorm warning signal is hoisted.
All examinations that start between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. will be cancelled when typhoon signal No. 8 or above or the black rainstorm warning signal is in force after 6:00 a.m. but before 12:00 noon.
All examinations that start between 12:00 noon and 10:00 p.m will be cancelled when typhoon signal No. 8 or above or the black rainstorm warning signal is in force at or after 12:00 noon.
If typhoon signal No. 8 or above or the black rainstorm warning signal is hoisted while the examination is in progress, the examination will continue until the scheduled finishing time.
DPE Students are advised to call the HKSI's Examination Hotline (3120 6220) or refer to the HKSI website for any special announcements.
DPE Students are also advised to listen to radio and/or television broadcasts for any special announcements.
If an examination is cancelled, the HKSI will notify DPE Students in writing of the examination's rescheduled date and time. In these circumstances, DPE Students do not have to re-enrol for the examination. Applications for a refund and/or transfer of the DPE Student Registration Fee and/or Examination Fee(s) paid will not be entertained.
The HKSI reserves the right to postpone and/or cancel an examination under extraordinary circumstances.

All the times mentioned in these DPE Examination Regulations refer to Hong Kong standard time as announced by the Hong Kong Observatory (http://www.hko.gov.hk/contente.htm).