Personal Belongings Policy

 

You are strongly encouraged to leave your personal belongings at home or in your car; however, as a courtesy, your test center will have an area away from the testing room designated for personal belongings. If you must bring personal belongings to the test center, please ensure they are clearly identifiable as many items look the same, particularly mobile phones.

 

ALERT: CFA Institute continues to closely monitor developments related to the spread of the H1N1 virus with concern for the health and safety of candidates sitting for the CFA exam. As a precautionary measure, CFA Institute has revised the Personal Belongings Policy for the December 2009 exam permitting you to wear a medical facemask in the testing room. You will also be allowed to bring and use hand sanitizer. If you choose to wear a facemask on exam day, you will be asked to remove it for inspection and identification purposes during the check-in process for each exam session. Hand sanitizer is also subject to inspection and must be kept in your pockets or under your desk. Please note that facemasks and hand sanitizer will not be provided by CFA Institute. 

 

If proctors or security personnel find items that are not permitted in the testing room, you will be required to place them in the Personal Belongings Area. You will not have access to these items during the examination, but may access them during the lunch break and at the conclusion of the examination.

 

Please note that it is not the responsibility of the proctors or security personnel to ensure the safety of the materials in the Personal Belongings Area. Neither CFA Institute nor the test center, testing personnel, or vendors will assume responsibility or liability for stolen, lost, or damaged personal property left in this area.  

  

You must follow these guidelines at your test center. With your cooperation, we will ensure that candidates are checked in promptly and seated on time.

 

The following items must be kept on your desk during the exam:

Exam admission ticket
Current government-issued photo identification
Approved calculator(s), including calculator case(s)
Writing instruments (pencils for Levels I and II, pens and pencils for Level III)

 

The following items may be kept on your desk, if needed:

Erasers, calculator batteries (and screwdriver for battery replacement), pencil sharpeners (no knives), eyeglasses, earplugs, and wristwatches (analog and digital) are acceptable; however, audible alarms and/or timers must be turned off

 

The following items are permitted in the testing room but must remain in your pockets or under your chair when not in use:

Wallet (money purse)
Medicine, tissues, and other necessary medical or personal items

 

The following items are not permitted in the testing room:

Food or drinks
Baggage of any kind including transparent bags, backpacks, handbags, tote bags, briefcases, luggage, carrying cases, passport covers, or pencil cases
Study materials including notes, papers, textbooks, or study guides
Scratch paper, present/future value tables, or calculator manuals
Highlighters, correction fluid, correction tape, or rulers
Knives of any type, including box cutter and X-ACTO^® knives for use as pencil sharpeners
Mobile phones, MP3 players, BlackBerrys^®, cameras, pagers, headsets, computers, electronic organizers, personal data assistants, or any other remote communication or photographic devices
Any type of desk clock or timer