Did exam changes improve March’s pass rate?
ASIC has released the results from the latest financial adviser exam, the first to be run since changes to its structure earlier this year.
The exam held on 26 March, which had been delayed from 15 February in order to implement the changes, was the first to see the removal of short-answer questions from the exam, leaving only multiple-choice questions. The requirement that only provisional relevant providers and existing advisers could sit the exam was also removed.
The changes followed a brief Treasury consultation on draft legislation at the end of 2023 which ASIC then confirmed it would be implementing in January.
It was hoped that multiple-choice questions would be more efficient by enabling computer marking to replace manual marking which would reduce the cost of administering the exam and improve response times for candidates to receive their results.
Some 298 people sat the exam, and 70 per cent of these (210 candidates) passed the exam. The majority of the candidates at 230 were sitting the exam for the first time, ASIC said.
This pass mark was up slightly from 66 per cent in the November exam but below the highest pass mark in 2023, which was 73 per cent of candidates who sat the exam in August.
The results were issued exactly a month after sitting the exam compared to around six weeks previously.
Unsuccessful candidates will receive general feedback from the Australian Council for Educational Research on the areas they underperformed.
To date, 21,102 individual candidates have sat the exam and 92 per cent of them have passed, demonstrating their knowledge in advice construction, ethics and legal requirements.
AUTHOR
Laura Dew
Recommended for you
With HNW investors representing the largest market for alternative assets, Praemium and CoreData research underscores why this presents a compelling opportunity for advisers.
Having completed the successful integration of Diverger, Count has upgraded its forecast for expected synergy benefits achieved by the acquisition by a third.
Australia’s largest licensee has seen the biggest number of adviser losses over the past week, while the expected wave of new entrants has boosted overall adviser numbers.
Iress has increased its forecast adjusted EBITDA by $5 million for the 2023/24 financial year in light of the sale of its platform business to Praemium and hinted at a return to dividend payments.
Would love if ASIC provided results to the individuals who sat the exam first... still waiting...
Add new comment