IRSE Professional Exam October 2023: Terms and conditions for the IRSE Professional Examinations (Advanced Diploma in Railway Control Engineering and Certificate in Railway Control Engineering Fundamentals)
Approved by Education & Professional Development Committee November 2022
1. Fees paid are non-refundable unless the IRSE is at fault.
2. The exam date of Saturday 7 October 2023 is fixed and cannot be changed.
3. The candidate is responsible for informing exam@irse.org of any special requirements, including any additional time requirements, for them to sit exam modules by 15 August 2023 including the submission of any additional detail, for example medical certificates even if they have informed the IRSE previously of their requirements.
4. Candidates for the Advanced Diploma modules (B, C and D) have the right to appeal against their results in accordance with the IRSE exam appeals procedure. Appeals will not be allowed for the Certificate in Railway Control Engineering Fundamentals (Module A) under any circumstances.
5. Exam candidates choose at the time of booking fixed time periods during which they will be able to log into and start their module. These will be fixed and will not be able to be changed after booking closes on 31 July 2023.
6. Full results will be shared with IRSE Council for their monitoring of institution activities. Results of candidates who have passed one or more of the exam modules will be published in IRSE News unless the candidate has informed exam@irse.org by 15 August 2023 that they wish their results not to be published.
7. Answers to exam questions submitted by candidates may be used anonymously for training purposes.
8. Candidates will not receive copies of the exam answers that they submit under any circumstances and the candidate specifically agrees to waive any rights under Freedom of Information etc. in this respect.
9. Full scripts of correct answers will not be published or shared with candidates.
10. Candidates can book EITHER the Certificate in Railway Control Engineering Fundamentals (Module A) OR if they have previously passed IRSE professional examination module(s), they can book up to three (3) modules from the Advanced Diploma modules (Modules B-D).In addition, candidates applying to sit the Advanced Diploma module(s) must be members of the IRSE at any grade with their subscription fees and any other dues paid.
11. Candidates agree to sitting exam module(s) online in their own home / office using their own / work computer and agrees to the following terms and conditions around these arrangements:
- 11.1.The candidate agrees that the IRSE has no liability whatever for any issues the candidate may experience when taking the exam associated with:
- 11.1.1.The speed / reliability / stability of the candidate’s internet connection.
- 11.1.2.Any perceived hardware deficiencies in the computer the candidate uses to sit the exam. E.g. speed / reliability of the machine or size / clarity of the screen.
- 11.1.3.Any software compatibility issues between the software utilised for sitting the exam and any other software resident on the computer that the candidate uses to sit the exam.
- 11.1.4.Any other issues related to IT equipment utilised by the candidate in sitting the exam or submitting their answers, which the candidate perceives may have disadvantaged them.
- 11.1.5.Any issues associated with the environment in which the candidate chooses to take the exam, which the candidate perceives may have disadvantaged them, for example background noise / sources of distraction etc.
- 11.1.6.Any disadvantage the candidate may perceive associated with their non familiarity with the software utilised for sitting the exam
- 11.1.7.The clarity / legibility of any scanned images which the candidate submits as part of their exam answers.
- 11.2.The software utilised for sitting the exam for Advanced Diploma module candidates (Modules B-D) includes Anti Plagiarism functionality, and the candidate consents to the use of this functionality to screen their answers to the exam. The Anti Plagiarism function includes a check of the candidate’s answers against a very wide range of published sources and against all answers provided by other candidates. Candidates whose answers bear a high degree of similarity with published sources and/or other candidate’s answers will be required to provide a written explanation for this. In the absence of a satisfactory explanation, they will be disqualified.
- 11.3.The software utilised for sitting the exam for all candidates includes “Remote Proctoring” functionality for the purposes of fraud prevention. This will need to be installed on the computer used by the candidate for the exam prior to exam day. The Remote Proctoring functionality will amongst other things:
- Monitor the candidate visually during the exam including their continued presence, the absence of other individuals and the use of listening devices such as headphones.
- Log all other software used on the candidate’s computer during the exam (including access to websites, access to email and messaging services, access to files on the computer, etc.). Candidate should ensure that before sitting the exam they close ALL other browser tabs / documents / explorer windows etc and that these remain closed for the duration of the exam. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.
- Record the candidate’s IP address during the exam. Candidates whose IP address is the same as other candidates will be required to provide a written explanation as to why this is the case. In the absence of an appropriate explanation (for example connecting via a corporate network), all candidates sharing IP addresses will be disqualified.
In the event that the candidate believes that the Remote Proctoring software may have identified an adverse action on the part of the candidate during the exam (for example leaving the room for a physical needs break), then the candidate should submit a written explanation within 24 hours of the end of the exam to exam@irse.org including their name, candidate number and the full details of the suspected adverse action and the explanation for it.