Regulations and Policies
Examination Guides and Regulations
All candidates are bound by all IoD rules and regulations governing the conduct of the examination. Please ensure that you read the regulations prior to registration. Registering for an examination will be taken as confirmation that you have read and accepted these regulations.
IoD Certificate Exam Guide
IoD Diploma Exam Guide
Academic policies
The Institute of Directors (IoD) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of assessment. To meet this commitment the qualifications are based on the IoD Director Competency Framework and there is a set of academic policies covering the following matters:
- Academic Progression
- Feedback and appeals
- Exemptions
- Malpractice
- Special Consideration
- Reasonable adjustments
1. Academic Progression
The IoD's Academic progression policy outlines the regulations the IoD has in place to enable candidates to progress through its qualifications and that these are administered in a way that is valid, fair and consistent for all candidates.
2. Feedback and Appeals
The IoD recognises the importance of candidates receiving appropriate feedback following the marking of examinations, completion of assessments and publication of results. It also recognises that there may be occasions when a candidate has a genuine belief that an issue has arisen, or they have genuine grounds to appeal following the release of examination or assessment results.
The IoD will:
- Have processes in place to enable candidates to receive appropriate feedback following the publication of examination or assessment results
- To protect the integrity of the question bank, for Certificate-level examinations this will be limited to descriptions of assessment criteria where candidates have answered incorrectly.
- For Diploma-level examinations and Chartered-level assessments, feedback will be specific to the candidate’s answer highlighting, in general terms, how the candidate performed in the examination or assessment. Additional feedback can be requested.
- Provide an appeals process that enables candidates to present a clear statement of the grounds on which the appeal is being made and to provide supporting evidence.
- Conduct an investigation into the appeal, based on the evidence presented.
- Ensure that investigations are undertaken by someone independent of the process being looked into.
- Provide the candidate with the outcome of the appeal within the agreed timescales.
For more information on the IoD feedback and appeals process, please read the documents below and when you are ready, download, complete and email the form to examinations@iod.com
3. Exemptions
The IoD recognises that in some instances certain programmes and qualifications already completed by individuals are at an equivalent or higher level to those of the IoD Certificate qualifications. Participants who have successfully completed such programmes and gained the relevant qualification may apply for an exemption, offering a faster-track completion of IoD’s Certificate modules by avoiding duplication of learning.
- Exemptions will be available for the following Certificate training courses: Finance for Non-Financial Directors (FFD), Strategy for Directors (SFD) and Leadership for Directors (LFD).
- Exemptions will not be available for The Role of the Board and the Director (RDB) training course.
- Candidates must self-certify that a programme that they have previously completed covers a minimum of 70% of the learning outcomes of the relevant IoD course (both in terms of course material and examination). The IoD may choose to undertake due diligence of the self-certification where it feels this is appropriate.
- Where an exemption is not granted, the IoD will provide access to an appeals process.
- Whilst candidates may be allowed exemptions from the relevant Certificate training course (except RDB), they will always be required to pass the examination.
- Relevant fees must be paid before any exemption(s) will be granted.
- Candidates wishing to undertake the exam only will be provided with the Assessment Criteria for the examination. A more extensive package of preparation materials, e.g. the course manual, practice examination questions and access to learning resources, will only be available to candidates that participate in the training course.
- Exempted candidates will be allowed two attempts at the relevant Certificate examination. However, if they fail twice, they will subsequently be required to attend the IoD training course prior to re-sitting the examination.
For more information on the IoD exemptions policy and process on how to apply for an exemption, please read the documents below. When ready, please download and email the completed form to examinations@iod.com
4. Malpractice
In order to maintain the highest standards of integrity for its qualifications the IoD operates to a set of defined accreditation, examination and assessment processes. The IoD will not tolerate any breach of these standards or processes.
In order to protect this integrity, the IoD will:
- Have processes in place to manage, investigate and resolve any alleged or suspected cases of malpractice by candidates, staff members, invigilators, contractors and partners.
- Investigate alleged or suspected cases of malpractice.
- Ensure investigations are fair, objective and conducted in a timely fashion.
- Take account of all relevant facts and circumstances when deciding the outcome of an alleged/ suspected malpractice case.
- Notify a candidate during an examination or assessment that their actions may be in breach of IoD policies when malpractice is suspected.
- Ensure staff members, invigilators, contractors and partners promptly report any alleged/ suspected malpractice.
- Consider anonymous allegations of suspected malpractice and investigate where there is sufficient information to do so.
- Establish a Malpractice Panel to review all allegations of suspected malpractice and determine appropriate penalties where allegations are upheld.
- Ensure that any penalties imposed reflect the seriousness of the act and that all similar cases are treated in an equitable, fair and unbiased manner.
- Inform those investigated of the outcome of the investigation and any penalties where the case was proven.
- Provide the right to appeal against any decision(s) or penalty(ies) imposed by the Malpractice Panel.
For more information on the IoD malpractice process and policy, please read the documents below and when you are ready, download, complete and email the completed form to: examinations@iod.com
5. Special considerations
The Institute of Directors (IoD) is committed to treating candidates fairly. As part of that commitment the IoD understands that candidates may experience incidents outside of their control which may have affected their ability to perform to their normal expectations during an examination or assessment.
In this respect, the IoD will:
- Have processes in place to enable candidates to raise a requirement for special consideration.
- Consider requests from candidates for special consideration for circumstances that have happened immediately before or during an examination or assessment.
- Such requests must be made before or at the end of the examination or assessment and, in all cases, before the candidate leaves the examination or assessment venue.
- Where results are made available to candidates immediately on completion of an examination or assessment, the circumstances must have been reported before the results have been issued.
- Consider requests that arise from aspects of the examination or assessment process that are under the control of the IoD or its partners, as well as those which, while affecting the candidate’s ability to perform to the best of their ability, are nonetheless beyond the control of the IoD.
- Not recognise requests for special consideration based on circumstances which, in its opinion, are reasonably within the control of the candidate.
- Provide an appeals process where an individual does not believe the response correctly deals with the circumstances encountered.
- If a factor which may affect a candidate’s performance has been identified before the examination or assessment date, the reasonable adjustments policy and process will apply.
For more information on the IoD special considerations process and policy, please read the documents below and when you are ready, download, email your special considerations request to:examinations@iod.com
6. Reasonable adjustments
The Institute of Directors (IoD) recognises that it has a responsibility to accommodate candidates with disabilities and anyone with specific learning difficulties or medical conditions. The IoD’s commitment is to ensure that no candidate with a disability is ever treated unfairly and that they are able to participate fully in the examination or assessment process. As defined in the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), a disabled person is someone who has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.
The IoD will:
- Have processes in place to enable appropriate adjustments to be made to accommodate recognised disabilities, learning difficulties or medical conditions.
- Establish and apply consistent adjustments for specified disabilities, difficulties and conditions.
- Provide an appeals process where an individual does not believe the adjustment offered addresses their disability, learning difficulty or condition.
For more information on the IoD reasonable adjustments process and policy, please read the documents below and when you are ready, download, email the relevant form to: examinations@iod.com