A selection of the most frequently asked questions are shown below, should your question not be answered please email
General Questions
What format does it take?
There are six separate case studies or dilemmas to work through. In each case study, how the scenario will develop depends on how you answered the previous question. In some cases, depending upon your response, the answer will end after a few questions, while in others it may take much longer. Each case study enables you to score between 0 and 4 marks.
What is the pass mark?
Because of the nature of the test, candidates are given a grade, but this represents the marks achieved, not a pass or fail. For award purposes the CISI may require a higher grade than your employer does for their purposes.
Grades and marks are:
- Grade A = 20 - 24 marks
- Grade B = 17 - 19 marks
- Grade C = 13 - 16 marks
- Grade D = 8 - 12 marks
- Grade E = 0 - 7 marks
How long does the test take?
The workshop and the test are likely to take between 45 and 60 minutes in total but do not both have to be undertaken at the same time.
Is my result available to my employer?
If your employer paid for your test, the result will be available to them.
Can I take the test as often as I like?
Because of the nature of the test, you are limited to two successful attempts in any period of 6 months.
Where can I sit the test?
You can sit the test anywhere that you have access to the internet.
Is there a sample test?
The workshop section contains two short introductory vignettes and a two fully worked examples, which include commentary on each potential response.
Additionally, all case studies are based upon the CISI publication
Integrity at Work in Financial Services 1, 2 and 3 as well as the Grey Matters cases from the Securities & Investment Review.
What feedback is provided?
Your result provides a grade and the total score. There are 6 case studies, each of which carries a maximum of 4 marks. You do not receive specific feedback on each scenario
Will I get a printed result certificate?
No. Because this programme is entirely online, no printed results are sent. The test does contain a Certificate showing your result, which you can print if you wish.
Is it multiple choice
IntegrityMatters is not a typical multiple choice test. Although you are required to choose one course of action from a choice of three, the choice that you make determines the question that you are offered next.
Does IntegrityMatters attract CPD hours?
Yes, the time is determined by your grade as shown below. 30 minutes is awarded for the workshop but only on completion of the test. It is not recorded separately and is included in the figures below.
Grade A - 2 hours
Grade B - 1.5 hours
Grade C - 1 hour
Grade D - 1 hour
Grade E - Nil
Questions Relating to Requirements for Level 3 Certificates
What is the process?
At the time of registering for your exam, you will be notified that you need to complete IntegrityMatters and that you need to complete the integrity test prior to taking your Certificate exam.
IntegrityMatters consists of both a workshop and test. It should take 30 - 50 minutes to complete and it can be accessed
here.
When should I enter for IntegrityMatters?
It would be sensible to enter for IntegrityMatters as soon as you know that you have to take a CISI level 3 Certificate exam as you must have passed IntegrityMatters with an A or B grade before you sit the level 3 exam.
Why is the CISI introducing this new requirement?
From 1 January 2013, as part of the FSA’s long running Retail Distribution Review, the regulator has increased the level of professionalism required for retail customer advisers. The minimum skills levels have increased (to Level 4) and there is a requirement to maintain competence by completing 35 hours of continuous learning. The FSA has also adivressed the behavioural component by, in effect, requiring individuals to join a professional body and actively subscribe to its code of conduct. Better behaviour is further reinforced by allocating 20% of the regulatory paper to ethics based questions.
However, this is in marked contrast to the wholesale sector, where examinations are not a regulatory requirement (although they are usually taken) and there is no ethical component in the lower level examinations, or a requirement to subscribe to any external code of conduct. Therefore, this initiative is being introduced to ensure that new entrants are made aware of the importance of trust and integrity from the moment they enter the financial service industry.
Can I take IntegrityMatters on the day of my exam?
No, you must have completed IntegrityMatters prior to taking your exam.
What happens if I have not been successful at IntegrityMatters before I sit my exam?
You will not be permitted to sit the exam until you have obtained a grade A or B result in IntegrityMatters. The CISI record system will track whether or not you have successfully completed IntegrityMatters and will not allow you to access your exam.
What arrangements can be made for candidates with special examination requirements?
Sympathetic consideration is given to reasonable requests but, because the test is not time limited and can be taken anywhere, many candidates will not need specific arrangements to be made.
What happens if I have not taken the IntegrityMatters test before I sit my exam?
If you have not passed IntegrityMatters with an A or B grade 24 hours before the scheduled time of the exam, your exam booking will be cancelled. A £50 rebooking fee will be applied to exams rebooked under these circumstances.
I have already booked my exam but I will not be sitting the exam until after 2 April 2013. Do I need to take IntegrityMatters?
No, a window of opportunity has been put in place for candidates who have already booked exams. For all exams booked before 1 April 2013 and subsequently taken before 1 June 2013, IntegrityMatters does not need to be completed.
The new requirements begin on 2 April 2013. Does this apply to enrolment or to exam sitting?
The April 2 date requires that all candidates enrolling for one of the nominated level 3 certificate examinations from that day forward must have passed IntegrityMatters before they sit their examination.
If candidates enter before April 2 for examinations after that date, will they still be required to take IntegrityMatters?
Candidates who enrol for a nominated level 3 certificate exam before April 2 will not be required to pass IntegrityMatters before sitting their examination, provided that they sit their examination before 1 June 2013. NB The requirement for exam candidates to pass IntegrityMatters before sitting their examination is part of our efforts to raise ethical awareness within the financial services industry. Large scale exam entries whose purpose appears to be the avoidance of IntegrityMatters may be subject to additional review.
If a candidate has taken the first unit of the level 3 certificate programme before April 2 will they still be required to pass IntegrityMatters?
Provided that the candidate completed the QRF at the time of their exam indicating that they were taking the unit as part of a level 3 certificate award which will require IM from 2 April, they will NOT be required to pass IM.
Can candidates sit their exam before sitting IntegrityMatters with their exam certificate being withheld until they pass IntegrityMatters?
No. Candidates may not sit their examination first. Candidates who have either not completed IntegrityMatters or have been unsuccessful will not be able to access their Certificate examination.
Does the CISI produce training manuals for this unit?
Because of the nature of this unit, no specific training manuals or workbooks are produced. However, the dilemmas in the test and examples are based on the dilemmas which appear in the CISI series of books Integrity at Work in financial services 1,2 & 3 and the “Grey Matters” articles which appear in the monthly Securities & Investment Review.
Electronic “turning page” copies of the books are available on the CISI website (integrity tabs) as are pdf versions. Hard copy books will be available for specific order, price £10 per copy.
Student members have access to the online version of the S & I Review and access and reading of it through the “My CISI” tab on the CISI website will result in Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credit being earned.
Additionally, three volumes of Integrity at Work in Financial Services, which contain similar ethical dilemmas also drawn from the Grey Matters series are available in the same manner.