Programme Handbook
Exam Syllabus
List of Suggested Readings
Exam Regulations
Exam Timetable
Application Form for PDFM Registration and Enrolment
Refund Policy

Home > Examination
 
Examination Regulations of the HKSI Professional Diploma in Financial Markets (PDFM)

PDFM Students are advised to read carefully all the rules and regulations set out under the headings ¡§General Rules¡¨, ¡§Proof of Identity¡¨, ¡§Use of Electronic Calculators¡¨ and ¡§Misconduct¡¨ below before attending their examinations. Failure to follow, and/or breach of, ANY of these examination regulations may result in DISQUALIFICATION from the examination, unless otherwise specified.
PDFM Students have the sole responsibility to ensure that the examination regulations are complied with at all times. The Hong Kong Securities Institute (HKSI) will NOT accept any claims from PDFM Students for being misinformed by others (including the invigilation staff) as an excuse for exemption from disciplinary actions for any breach of the regulations.

General Rules

  1. PDFM Students should ensure that they attend the enrolled examination at the scheduled examination time and venue. PDFM Students are advised to report to the assigned examination centre at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the examination. Late PDFM Students will not be given extra time to compensate for the time lost.
  2. Under NO circumstances should any Chief Invigilator/invigilator(s) possess the authority to grant extra time to any PDFM Students.
  3. PDFM Students who are not able to attend the examination or report to the correct examination hall/room listed on their Admission Forms for whatever reason will be graded ABSENT. No PDFM Student will be admitted to the examination hall/room more than 30 minutes after the scheduled starting time of the examination; such PDFM Student will also be graded ABSENT.
  4. Once admitted to the examination hall/room, PDFM Students should follow the instructions of the invigilators strictly until they are dismissed, failing which the PDFM Students may be disqualified.
  5. Kindly note that the PDFM is currently conducted in English only. It is the responsibility of all PDFM Students to be familiar with the Examination Regulations before sitting for any PDFM examinations. PDFM Students who have difficulty in speaking and/or understanding English are advised to pay attention in this regard. They should seek assistance from the invigilators should they have any problems during the examinations. Any breaches of the Examination Regulations for linguistic reasons will NOT be accepted, and may result in a PDFM Student¡¦s disqualification from the examination.
  6. PDFM Students should bring their own stationery (HB pencils, black/blue ball pens, erasers, correction fluid/tapes, highlighters, rulers, pencil sharpeners and authorized electronic calculators) to all examinations. No stationery will be provided by the HKSI at the examination centre. All items (including electronic calculators) brought into the examination hall/room are subject to inspection by the invigilators. (For electronic calculators, please refer to ¡§Use of Electronic Calculators¡¨ below.)
  7. Sharing, transferring, exchanging, borrowing and/or lending of, and trading in materials of any kind (including but not limited to stationery and electronic calculators) between PDFM Students during the examination are NOT allowed, and may result in disqualification from the examination.
  8. PDFM Students are NOT allowed to use any communication devices at any time inside the examination venue and/or during the examination. PDFM Students are required to switch off all communication devices such as mobile phones, Bluetooth headset and pagers, as well as devices which produce sound of any kind, such as alarm watches, BEFORE entering the examination hall/room. All devices of such kind should have the power off (including the alarm function) at all times inside the examination venue and/or during the examination. Those who are in breach of this Clause may be disqualified from the examination.
  9. PDFM Students are NOT allowed to use Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) or any devices (except authorized electronic calculators mentioned under the heading ¡§Use of Electronic Calculators¡¨ below) which include any of the following functions at any time inside the examination venue and/or 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, electronic dictionaries, databank watches and/or any such like);
    - computer connectivity via any cable, infrared, or wireless technology;
    - 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.
    Those who are in breach of this Clause may be disqualified from the examination.
  10. Any PDFM Students whose devices listed as above sound at any time inside the examination venue and/or during the examination will be asked to reveal the call log / SMS (Short Message Service) log / MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) log / alarm clock setting to the Chief Invigilator/Invigilators, so that the relevant information can be recorded in the Chief Invigilator¡¦s report for the HKSI to assess whether cheating is involved. If such PDFM Students refuse to do so, the Chief Invigilator will include this in the report to the HKSI, and the refusal may be ground for disqualification from the examination.
  11. At any time inside the examination venue and/or during the examination, PDFM Students are NOT allowed to
    - litter anywhere in the examination venue;
    - drink, eat (including chew gum), or smoke;
    - take photographs with any electronic or photographic devices;
    - give/receive assistance to/from person(s) other than the invigilator(s)
    - communicate with anyone other than the invigilator(s)
    - start filling in any information on the answer sheet/answer booklets until they are told to do so;
    - start writing/turn over the pages to read/work on the examination paper until they are told by the Chief Invigilator to do so;
    -

    cause unnecessary distraction to the invigilators or other PDFM Students, or disruption to the examination process. Such a PDFM Student will be requested to leave the examination hall/room should he/she refuse to stop the distraction or disruption immediately, and he/she may be disqualified from the examination. The Chief Invigilator has the sole discretion in determining what constitutes unnecessary distraction or disruption, and whether the PDFM Student concerned should be requested to leave the examination hall/room in order to stop the distraction or disruption.
    Those who are in breach of this Clause may be disqualified from the examination.
  12. PDFM Students should maintain absolute silence at any time inside the examination venue and/or during the examination.
  13. PDFM Students must sit at the designated seat according to the seat number printed on their Admission Form, unless otherwise approved by the invigilator.
  14. PDFM Students must use HB pencils to fill in all their personal particulars and the examination details on the answer sheets. ONLY CORRECT personal particulars and examination details marked in the specified areas on the answer sheets with HB pencils will be used to identify the PDFM Students. Personal particulars and examination details marked outside the specified areas on the answer sheets will not be used for identification purposes. PDFM Students will be graded ¡§ABSENT¡¨ if their personal particulars and/or the examination details provided cannot be read by the marking machine to identify the PDFM Students, regardless of whether or not the PDFM Students have proved their identities to the invigilators and/or their attendance have been recorded. Wrong personal particulars and/or examination details filled in must be completely removed with a clean eraser to avoid inaccurate reading by the marking machine.
  15. PDFM Students must use HB pencils to answer the multiple-choice questions on the answer sheets. ONLY correct answers marked with HB pencils within the specified boxes on the answer sheet will be counted towards a PDFM Student¡¦s score. NO marks will be given to any question in which the answers provided cannot be read by the marking machine, and/or two or more answers are marked on the answer sheet for a single question. Any answers marked in the question booklets or outside the specified boxes on the answer sheet will NOT be counted. Wrong markings and/or unnecessary markings on the answer sheet must be completely removed with a clean eraser to avoid inaccurate reading by the marking machine.
  16. PDFM Students must use black or blue ball pens to fill in all their personal particulars and the examination details on the answer booklets of the structural questions and the question booklets. ONLY CORRECT personal particulars and examination details marked in the specified areas on the answer booklets of the structural questions and the question booklets with black or blue ball pens will be used to identify the PDFM Students. Personal particulars and examination details marked outside the specified areas on the answer booklets of the structural questions and the question booklets will not be used for identification purposes. PDFM Students will be graded ¡§ABSENT¡¨ if their personal particulars and/or the examination details provided cannot be read to identify the PDFM Students, regardless of whether or not the PDFM Students have proved their identities to the invigilators and/or their attendance have been recorded. Wrong personal particulars and/or examination details filled in must be completely removed with correction fluid/tapes to avoid inaccurate reading.
  17. PDFM Students must use black or blue ball pens to write their answers of the structural questions in the answer booklets. ONLY correct answers written with black or blue ball pens within the specified areas in the answer booklets will be counted towards a PDFM Student¡¦s score. NO marks will be given to any question in which the answers provided cannot be read. Any answers written in the question booklets or outside the specified areas in the answer booklets will NOT be counted. Wrong markings and/or unnecessary markings in the answer booklets must be completely removed with correction fluid/tapes to avoid inaccurate reading.
  18. By taking the examination, PDFM Students acknowledge that reading of the marking machine/marking by the HKSI¡¦s appointed marker(s) shall be final, conclusive and binding upon the PDFM Students. PDFM Students shall waive any claims against HKSI regarding the function of the marking machine or accuracy of its reading/the marking by the HKSI¡¦s appointed marker(s) and agree to be bound by the reading delivered by the marking machine/marking by the HKSI¡¦s appointed marker(s).
  19. Only the Admission Form, HKID card/passport and stationery (HB pencils, black/blue ball pens, erasers, correction fluid/tapes, highlighters, rulers, pencil sharpeners and authorized electronic calculators) are allowed on the desk. These items must remain on the desk and be clearly visible. All personal belongings, wallets, pencil case/box, baggage of any kind, documents, paper of any kind, textbooks, notes, dictionaries, electronic diaries, electronic/communication devices, food, drink, and any other study materials must be placed in the designated area (i.e. on the floor under the chair of the respective PDFM Student) at any time inside the examination hall/room and/or during the examination. Invigilators have the right to remove any unauthorized items from PDFM Students/the desk, and to inspect and/or photograph/make a record of such items. PDFM Students must not access such items during the examination.
  20. Failure by the invigilators to detect any unauthorized item prior to the start of the examination, admittance to the examination hall/room, or even completion of the examination does NOT imply that the item is authorized in the examination, or that the PDFM Students possessing the item will not be subject to disciplinary actions.
  21. The HKSI will not be responsible for any loss due to whatever causes, or damage of personal belongings at any time inside the examination hall/room and/or during the examination.
  22. Timing devices may be but are not necessarily provided in the examination hall/room. PDFM Students are advised to keep the time with their own noiseless timekeepers. The Chief Invigilator will make announcement regarding the scheduled start, 15 minutes before the end, and the end of the examination.
  23. No PDFM Students are allowed to leave the examination hall/room within the first 30 minutes of the starting time of the examination. Once the examination has been in progress for more than 30 minutes, PDFM Students may request to leave the examination hall/room with the approval of any invigilator. However, PDFM Students are not allowed to leave the examination hall/room in the last 15 minutes of the examination because during this period the invigilators have to handle administrative work prior to the end of the examination.
  24. Once the Chief Invigilator announces the end of the examination, PDFM Students should stop writing, erasing and/or using correction fluid/tape to amend any writing whatsoever (including but not limited to the filled box(es) on the answer sheet/answers in the answer booklets) immediately. Subsequent requests for special consideration in filling in the box(es)/personal particulars and/or examination details on the answer sheets/answer booklets/question booklets, filling in, erasing and/or using correction fluid/tape to amend any writing whatsoever (including but not limited to the filled box(es) on the answer sheet/answers in the answer booklets) on/in the answer sheets/answer booklets/question booklets will NOT be entertained after the announcement of the end of the examination.
  25. Following the announcement of the end of the examination, PDFM 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.
  26. All answer sheets/answer booklets submitted by PDFM Students will be and remain the properties of the HKSI and as such, will be handled by the HKSI at any time and in any way it deems fit. While the HKSI will exercise reasonable care to protect and preserve the answer sheets/answer booklets, in the event of any loss or damage, as a result of which the PDFM Student¡¦s performance cannot be assessed based on the answer sheets/answer booklets, the PDFM Students concerned will waive all claims, if any, against the HKSI.
  27. PDFM Students are not allowed to take photograph of, record, 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 and/or any intellectual property rights therein belong exclusively to the HKSI. By taking the examination, PDFM 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 actions against any PDFM Students to enforce its intellectual property rights and hold the PDFM Students liable for all losses, damages and/or costs incidental thereto.
  28. PDFM Students (a) who are not able to attend the examination or report to the correct examination hall/room or are not admitted to the examination hall/room under Clause 3 in this section; or (b) whose personal particulars and/or examination details provided on answer sheets cannot be read by the marking machine to identify them; or (c) whose personal particulars and/or examination details provided on answer booklets cannot be read; or (d) who fail to produce the original and valid (non-expired) identification documents for verification within 30 minutes after the scheduled starting time of the examination and/or whose identity cannot be verified will be graded ABSENT under Clause 3, Clause 14 or Clause 16 in this section or Clause 1 in the section ¡§Proof of Identity¡¨(as the case may be). PDFM Students who are graded ABSENT or disqualified as a result of breach of any provision(s) herein will NOT be rescheduled to another examination session and the fees paid are not transferable and not refundable.

Proof of Identity
¡@
  1. On the examination date, each PDFM Student MUST bring the following for verification purposes:
    i) the original copy of his/her Admission Form; and
    ii) his/her original and valid (non-expired) identification document, such as HKID card, passport, or other formal travel documents with a photo acceptable to the HKSI. The name and number of the identification document must be identical to the one indicated on the Admission Form.
    Anyone failing to produce the above documents within 30 minutes after the scheduled starting time of the examination, and/or whose identity cannot be verified will NOT be permitted to sit for the examination. Such a PDFM Student will be graded ABSENT. The PDFM Registered Student Card will NOT be regarded as a valid form of identification.
  2. NO examination-related information is allowed to be printed/written on and/or attached to the identification document.
  3. PDFM Students are NOT allowed to write anything on the Admission Form at any time.
  4. If, in the opinion of the invigilators, a PDFM Student¡¦s identity is in doubt, the invigilators will take photographs of this PDFM Student and photocopy his/her identification document. The PDFM Student whose identity is in doubt should offer all necessary assistance (e.g. by removing any glasses, hat or mask) to ensure that the photographs can reveal his/her full face. The photographs and copy/copies of the identification document will be retained for further investigation. In the event that the HKSI is unable to clear its doubt about the true identity of the PDFM Student taking the examination, it has the sole discretion in invalidating his/her results of the examination. If he/she does not allow the invigilators to take photographs of him/her or photocopy his/her identification documents, he/she will be disqualified from the examination.
  5. Any incident of impersonation will be reported to the police. Those who commit criminal offences may be prosecuted.

Use of Electronic Calculators

  1. Electronic calculators may be used by PDFM Students in examinations, provided that the electronic calculators are battery-powered, operate soundlessly and include neither print-out nor graphic/word display functions.
  2. PDFM Students are NOT permitted to bring electronic calculators that use dot-matrix technology in the main display and/or other electronic devices that are able to store text to the examinations. NO examination-related information is allowed to be printed/written on and/or attached to the electronic calculators. The jacket/case of the electronic calculators should NOT contain any piece of paper, card or cloth.
  3. Please click here for a List of Approved Models of Electronic Calculators. It is subject to change and modification by the HKSI at its absolute discretion without prior notice.
  4. Electronic 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 or replacement of electronic calculators will be given to the PDFM Student under such circumstances. The model numbers of the electronic calculators should be clearly visible to the invigilators. Electronic calculators with which model numbers and/or functions cannot be verified/identified are NOT allowed to be used in the examination. Sharing, transferring, exchanging, borrowing and/or lending of, and trading in electronic calculators between PDFM Students during the examination are NOT allowed.
  5. NO help will be offered from the Chief Invigilator/invigilators should the electronic calculators fail to function properly for whatever reason. Allowance of any kind (such as replacement, extra time or mark) will NOT be given for any mistakes arising from electronic calculator malfunctioning.
  6. Should PDFM Students have any queries regarding the acceptance of their electronic calculators, for example if their electronic calculators are not on the approved list but have features which may meet our standard, they are advised to call the HKSI or bring them to the HKSI¡¦s office for approval before the examination. PDFM Students that use any electronic calculators not on our approved list and/or having feature(s) not authorized by the HKSI may be disqualified from the examination.
  7. Failure by the invigilators to detect any unauthorized electronic calculators prior to the start of the examination, admittance to the examination hall/room, or even completion of the examination does NOT imply that such electronic calculators are authorized to be used in the examination, or that the PDFM Students using the electronic calculators will not be subject to disciplinary actions. PDFM Students have the sole responsibility to ensure that the electronic calculators brought into the examination hall/room comply with the requirements stipulated in this section and ¡§General Rules¡¨ above.

Misconduct

When, in the HKSI¡¦s judgement in accordance with the examination regulations, there is misconduct in connection with the examination, the HKSI may issue a warning letter to the PDFM Student concerned, disqualify him/her from the examination and decline to release his/her examination results, or take whatever disciplinary action(s) it deems necessary. A report regarding the incident will be filed by the HKSI in the PDFM Student¡¦s personal records for future reference. Misconduct means a failure to follow, and/or breach of, any of the latest examination regulations published by the HKSI.
A PDFM Student may be disqualified from the examination if he/she:
  1. provides false personal particulars in his/her enrolment form;
  2. improperly obtains information about an examination paper prior to the examination;
  3. communicates or attempts to communicate with any person other than the invigilator(s) inside or outside the examination hall/room during the examination in any manner whatsoever;
  4. copies from/uses notes, books or electronic devices brought into the examination hall/room, or any writing whatsoever of other PDFM Students (including but not limited to answer(s)) during the examination;
  5. glances or looks at another PDFM Student¡¦s examination materials, or gives the appearance of doing so;
  6. allows another PDFM Student(s) to copy from his/her own writing whatsoever (including but not limited to answer(s));
  7. leaves an electronic/communication device (including but not limited to a mobile phone or pager) switched on at any time inside the examination venue and/or during the examination;
  8. uses any unauthorized devices such as communication devices not approved by the HKSI at any time inside the examination venue and/or during the examination, including the time when he/she is having a convenience break;
  9. uses an electronic calculator that is not on the HKSI¡¦s list of approved models and/or has any feature(s) not authorized by the HKSI as listed in the sections ¡§General Rules¡¨ and ¡§Use of Electronic Calculators¡¨ above during the examination;
  10. leaves any unauthorized materials including but not limited to documents, textbooks, notes, dictionaries, electronic diaries, electronic/communication devices, food, drink, and any other study materials on the desk and/or on his/her person at any time inside the examination venue and/or during the examination;
  11. takes away, or attempts to take away, from the examination hall/room and/or damage any examination materials, such as examination question booklets, answer booklets, answer sheets, backing sheets or graph paper;
  12. copies any information, materials and questions contained in the question booklet on any media other than the question booklet;
  13. discloses any information, materials and questions contained in the question booklet by any means to any parties;
  14. vandalizes any properties not belonging to him/her and/or belonging to the venue provider in the examination hall/room on purpose;
  15. leaves the examination hall/room without permission;
  16. starts to read/work on the examination paper before being instructed to do so, or continues to write/erase/use correction fluid/tape to amend any writing whatsoever (including but not limited to the filled box(es) on the answer sheet/answers in the answer booklets) after being told to stop writing at the end of the examination;
  17. does anything which causes unnecessary distraction to the invigilators or other PDFM Students, or disruption to the examination;
  18. fails to follow the invigilators¡¦ instructions during the examination;
  19. fails to adhere to any of the latest examination regulations published by the HKSI;
  20. disregards the instructions contained in the warning letter issued by the HKSI in connection with his/her misconduct in any examination(s) conducted by the HKSI; or
  21. is found cheating in any manner whatsoever.

Guidelines on the Postponement and Cancellation of Examinations

PDFM Students should take note of the guidelines below regarding the postponement and cancellation of examinations:
  1. Examinations will be cancelled when typhoon signal No. 8 or above or the black rainstorm warning signal is hoisted.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. PDFM Students are advised to call the HKSI¡¦s Examination Hotline (852) 3120 6220 for any special announcements.
  6. PDFM Students are also advised to listen to radio and/or television broadcasts for any special announcements.
  7. If an examination is cancelled, the HKSI will notify PDFM Students in writing of the examination¡¦s rescheduled date and time. PDFM Students do not have to re-register for the examination. Applications for a refund and/or transfer of examination fees paid will not be entertained.
  8. The HKSI reserves the right to postpone and/or cancel an examination under extraordinary circumstances, e.g. black rainstorm, typhoon, etc.

All the times mentioned in these Examination Regulations refer to Hong Kong standard time as announced by the Hong Kong Observatory (http://www.hko.gov.hk/contente.htm).
On all matters concerning the interpretation of the examination regulations, the decision of the HKSI shall be final.
In case of discrepancies and/or inconsistencies between the latest examination regulations and other document(s) published by the HKSI, the latest examination regulations shall apply and prevail.

Sitemap | FAQ | Contact Us | Privacy Policy Copyright © 2003 Hong Kong Securities Institute. All rights reserved.