Mindset management is one of the most important factors to financial adviser exam success, according to a Griffith University lecturer, and something that can be easily alleviated by seeking reasonable adjustments.
Griffith University financial planning lecturer, Katherine Hunt, said the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) candidate information booklet was very helpful because it set out the conditions for reasonable adjustment.
Factors eligible included a physical disability, hearing impairment, neurological condition, mental health condition or long-term medical condition such as diabetes.
“An easy way to take a little bit of the weight off our own shoulders is to apply for extra time which they call reasonable adjustments,” Hunt said.
“Turns out, pretty much everyone can get extra time if they need it.
“Think about it, there’s no downside, applying for extra time doesn’t mean you have to use the extra time.”
Hunt said common reasonable conditions included anxiety caused by the exam, which could be proven by a doctor’s certificate, and vision impairment.
“Bottom line, 54% of Australians have an eye disorder which results in them wearing glasses,” she said.
“I have a lot of friends who wear glasses, and they tell me that wearing glasses and looking at computer screens is not a good mix. They tell me that they get headaches, blurred vision, they get the inability to concentrate when they look at a computer screen too much.
“So just consider if you do want extra time for the exam… and you wear glasses then then that's quite a simple process to follow.”
If a candidate was thinking of seeking reasonable adjustments, Hunt suggested they clearly specified what adjustment they required, such as asking for a 20-minute break per hour to look away from the exam.
Reasonable adjustments did not affect exam results, however, and scores were not adjusted for disadvantages.
Comments
People aren't failing because they need more time for the exam. They are failing because they're just going through the motions to maximise the extensions, or because they are completely clueless about ethics and law and will never pass it no matter how long they get per exam or how many attempts they have.
Let's start by being treated as an adult. Having a successful multi-decade self employed career leading up to the exam, suddenly I'm told to take my watch off, empty my pockets, place my phone on a table in front of the room and ask permission to have a drink of water (I think there's a human rights issue here). Oh, I nearly forgot. Anyone going to the bathroom had an escort. So thanks for the tips, but I'm glad this humiliating experience is behind me.
This is the same procedure for any university level exam, get over yourself
Thanks for making this personal. It's one thing to be a student heading out into the world and being used to this sort of thing, it's another when you've been reduced to this process while still being responsible for clients' wealth and risk management, plus running a practice AND a license. Funny I didn't have to take my watch off for my Masters or my Grad Dip, CFP etc. For the record I sat the first FASEA and passed, but that doesn't make me smug, I have empathy for our colleagues who have found this much more difficult than I have.
That's so funny... FASEA exam and human rights in the same paragraph. If your that sensitive, don't go to an airport and catch a plane precise...
I don't see the connection.
I must have hardened you up.
Tough as nails, I do enjoy the occasional sparring that happens in these forums. It's too easy to think your own opinion is all that matters and it's good to get kicked around a bit from time to time. Keep up the good fight.
Will do. You too.
Perhaps more energy and effort is directed towards the learning process, the content and materials, different exam styles, and methods on sitting exams, may be better warranted.
What is the unemployment rate in Australia Bob?
Ummm...errr...I don't know, I give up.
Talking from experience I know it's pretty high in Academia...especially since all those foreign students left us and a six week tafe course allowing you to get a mining job will pay three times more than financial planning. That's why you get a pass, I get a pass, especially full fee Chinese paying. Could be a reason why a whole lot of Academics when it came to FASEA said cha ching job saved... and you were FASEA'd.
I have diabetes and was VERY tired at the end of the 3.5 hour exam.
It must be impossible for you to complete 10 hour SoAs or multiple client meetings per week then. Best you submit IP and TPD claims and retire. Make sure to mention on your claim form about the damage the process has caused to your "mental health". The insurer will pay it without question rather than risk the wrath of the mental health lobby. Then they'll jack up premiums again for the dwindling pool of remaining policy holders.
I took the exam on valentines day. I knew the people proctoring would be borderline retarded. so I bought an adult diaper and wore it on the day.
luckily for me, I finished the exam in little more than 1 hour so the diaper was not required, but this may be a handy tip for some.
good luck.
Wow, what a way to make yourself look completely insufferable
Add new comment