Exam preparations are always a stressful time. No matter how many practice questions  we  do, or  how many  mock exams  we  complete, our natural desire to  succeed  will always  result  in  feelings of nerves and anxiousness  when  it comes  time  to  test our CIMA  knowledge.   

The rise of COVID-19 and the implications of social distancing  mean that these exam sessions  now  have  an added layer of complexity to them –  Remote Testing.  

But what does  remote  testing mean and what impact will it have on your exam experience? F3 student and part-time lecturer Pilisa Matyholo recently completed his module via online  examination  and  has a few tips for those looking to try it for themselves.  

But first, what is Remote Testing? 

The term refers to any assessment or exam which can be  completed  from home via the internet. CIMA’s remote testing  has various control measures in place to ensure regular session rules are followed. These include an online invigilator who supervises the sitting via webcam  and maintaining  the  same question format as a traditional exam.  

How Does It Work? 

Registration for remote testing is  open and  done via the  MyCIMA  portal. You are required  to complete a System Test before  scheduling your exam. This  will  test your  device (laptop/PC) and internet connection to ensure that you have a smooth experience when taking your exam.  

If all goes well  with  the System Test, you  then  need  to download  the  ONVUE software (the platform on which you will complete the exam) and set up your exam space to match the Room Requirements.  Various regulations such as  not  being  within an arm’s length of books  and notepads and ensuring additional TV’s and monitors are turned off  need to be followed.  

Finally, all that’s left is to log in 45 minutes prior to your  session  start time, making sure you have your  ID and  confirmation email open on your phone for reference.   Once the session begins you should treat it as you would any exam under regular conditions.  

This is what  Pilisa  had to say about  his  experience  completing a  CIMA  remote testing  session;  

Briefly describe your experience completing  CIMA Remote  Testing. 

PM:  “I enjoyed my experience with remote testing. Taking the exam at the office was great as there were limited disruptions.  I did have an issue with  the firewall from  the  work  router  not allowing the exam to load even after the system test was successful.  Luckily, my personal router  was there to  save the day.  With a stable connection the exam is a breeze from a functionality  perspective,  and you shouldn’t run into any serious issues.” 

Did you face any  other  unique challenges during the session? 

PM:  “I had one unexpected issue when trying to adjust the positioning of the chat tool on my screen. As  I  tried to drag it to the bottom corner, my laptop suddenly stalled. This  was  quickly  resolved,  and the  invigilator  simply  reloaded my exam.  The  invigilator  later sent  me a message  saying they could  no longer  see me  on the camera. She asked  me  to pause and restart the exam and this was done  without a  hassle.  The rest of the session was incident  free, and I was able to focus on completing my paper.”  

Any advice or bonus tips you could offer students looking to complete their exams via remote testing? 

PM:  “I  would  suggest  students  learn  to use  a  scientific calculator. This allows calculations to be done in a single step  as opposed to  using the whiteboard/scratchpad  which is provided, as  I  found it to be rather unintuitive. 

In addition to the above, I would suggest  skimming  through all the questions  and  answering  the simple ones first. Doing this  did wonders for my confidence. I suddenly felt  more at ease  and didn’t even think about failing. 

Lastly, students should not panic  if  the exam takes a little longer to load.  Stay calm and try  to  be  patient.  However, if it takes more than 15 minutes,  you  should  go through the check-in process again.” 

Remote Testing provides a viable alternative for any student looking to complete their exams during the global lockdown. By following the guidelines set out by CIMA  and making the correct adjustments to your exam preparation, there’s no reason why you should wait to pass your CIMA modules.  

Visit the official  CIMA Remote Testing Guidelines Page  for a full breakdown of the registration and testing process.