Candidate FAQ

CAS Exams MAS-I, MAS-II, 5, 6-Canada, 6-International, 6-United States, and 8 will be offered in October/November 2024.

*Note: If a candidate observes a religious or national holiday during the exam window, CAS can extend their window by the number of holiday dates observed - up to a maximum of 4 days at the end of the exam window.

Registration for the October/November 2024 administration is expected to open in August. Additional details about October/November 2024 registration will be shared in the coming weeks.

The deadline for the October/November 2024 exam registration is October 2, 2024

Any exams purchased after the refund deadline (October 9, 2024) will be non-refundable.

Candidates with formally diagnosed disabilities who need special testing arrangements must visit the CAS Exam Accommodations page and complete the online form. Documentation of previous accommodations in an educational program or work setting may be considered. Accommodation requests must be submitted at the candidate's expense.

For the CAS Data and Insurance Series Courses, contact The Institutes.

For Exams 1&2, contact the sponsoring organization.

Candidates who are pregnant and/or nursing who need special testing arrangements must visit the CAS Exam Accommodations page and complete the online form. Candidates do not need to provide documentation for the following list of common pregnancy and/or nursing testing accommodations:

• Frequent/Extended Breaks to be used during the exam (exam clock continues to run)
• 50% Additional exam time
• Permission to have a beverage in a clear, spill-proof bottle
• A private space with an electrical outlet, that is not a restroom for lactating purposes. Candidate may access locker for necessary medical equipment to pump during breaks.

If any additional accommodations are requested, documentation from a healthcare provider stating the need for those specific accommodations is required.

Private space is provided on a first come, first served basis and is subject to availability. This could require a candidate to travel to a test center that has private space available.

Children are not permitted at the testing centers. Please email accommodations@casact.org to discuss options if you are exclusively breastfeeding.

If a candidate observes a religious or national holiday during the exam window, CAS can extend their window by the number of holiday dates observed - up to a maximum of 4 days at the end of the exam window.

Candidates requesting an exam window extension must visit the CAS Exam Accommodations page and complete the online form after registering for their exam. The CAS strongly recommends that candidates submit accommodation requests at least eight weeks prior to their exam for best appointment availability at Pearson Vue testing centers.

 The refund deadline is October 9, 2024.

October/November 2024 Refund Policy:

CAS has a strict refund policy. Refund requests must be sent via email to refund@casact.org no later than October 9, 2024. Please see the Syllabus of Basic Education for exceptions after the refund deadline.

To receive a refund, a candidate must email refund@casact.org requesting a refund for the exam, as well as cancel any Pearson VUE appointments that were made for the exam. Please note that the request must be received by October 9, 2024. Canceling the exam appointment does not entitle you to a refund if you do not send a request to refund@casact.org before the refund deadline.

If you scheduled your exam appointment with Pearson VUE and are requesting a refund, please include proof of appointment cancellation.

Yes, there are two types of fees listed below:

Administrative Fees

A $200 administrative fee per examination will be assessed on all refunds. Scenarios where we WOULD charge administrative fee:

• If the candidate cannot find an exam appointment, the CAS offers them one and they decline the appointment and ask for a refund
• All refund requests received before the deadline that do not fall into the exception category

Exceptions to Administrative Fees for Examinations:

Scenarios where we would NOT charge an administrative fee (exceptions):

• A candidate changes their registration from one exam to another at any time during the open registration period
• A candidate cannot find an exam appointment with Pearson VUE and the CAS cannot find an appointment within a reasonable distance and therefore the candidate requests a refund*
• A candidate receives cancellation from Pearson VUE and for whatever reason does not want to reschedule and requests a refund*
• A candidate has a documented medical or family emergency as described in the Exceptions After the Refund Deadline section of the Syllabus of Basic Education.*

*The candidate may receive a full refund in the instances outlined above, whether before or after the refund deadline. In all other situations, candidates that cancel their examination after the refund deadline will forfeit their full exam fee.

No-Show Fees

Candidates are free to reschedule or cancel an exam at a test center up to 48 hours before the scheduled testing time. Candidates who miss their testing time will be considered no-shows and not issued a refund. Candidates considered no-shows will be charged a $100 fee. Be advised that 48 hours is not 2 business days; it is 48 hours prior to the scheduled exam start time. Further instructions can be found below under What if I cannot make it to my exam appointment?

Candidates should be aware that due to Pearson VUE requirements, exam registrants who register and then decide to sit for a different exam will be required to cancel their original CAS registration and Pearson VUE exam appointment and then re-register and make a new exam appointment. Please note that there are no fees associated with switching exams after the initial registration.

As we adapt to the CBT environment candidates will begin to see items that take advantage of the new platform. This may take the form of larger, more realistic, datasets as well as leveraging some of the built-in capabilities of the spreadsheet environment.

Moving forward, questions that do not require calculations or spreadsheet functionality will utilize the new essay response format.

No, the guessing penalty for MAS-I and MAS-II has been removed as of October 2022. For more information, please read the article Guessing Penalty Eliminated Beginning Fall 2022.

No personal items may be taken into the testing room except a single approved calculator and items listed on the Pearson Vue Approved Comfort Aid List. This includes all bags, books, notes, phones, writing instruments, watches and wallets. Food and water are prohibited in the exam area unless an accommodation has been pre-approved.

Regular scratch paper, ink pens, or pencils are not allowed.

At Pearson Professional Centers, and Pearson Vue Authorized Testing Centers - Select, a non-erasable spiral notebook with 5 pages front and back of writing space will be given to candidates with a fine-point felt pen for scratch work. If you need an additional spiral notebook, you can raise your hand and a Pearson VUE representative will provide you with up to two additional notebooks. If you request a 4th notebook, the representative will take your first notebook so that you only have 3 notebooks total at a time.

At Pearson Vue Authorized Testing Centers, candidates are provided with 2 or 3 (depending upon availability) noteboards that have 1 page of writing space. If you need an additional noteboard, you can raise your hand and a representative will provide you with another noteboard and take your first noteboard, so that you only have 2-3 noteboards total at a time.

See the list of functions and on the Pearson VUE/CAS website under “Related Links.”

There may be times where knowing a spreadsheet formula will make the calculations quicker, but candidates will not be required to have knowledge of specific spreadsheet formulas to receive full credit.

If a particular spreadsheet function is recommended to produce a result, candidates will be given instructions for its use, or a definition of inputs and outputs.

If you cannot find an exam appointment, please contact the CAS. If the CAS cannot find an appointment within a reasonable distance (180 miles in the US) the candidate may request a full refund. Exam availability cases outside of the United States will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

In the United States, a reasonable distance is defined as 180 miles. Exam availability cases outside of the United States will be handled on a case-by-case basis. The CAS will work with the candidate and Pearson VUE to find them a spot at a testing center.

If you need assistance finding a spot, please contact casexams@casact.org

Exam slots are limited, so if you are unable to attend your exam appointment, please cancel your appointment at least 48 hours prior to the exam with Pearson VUE AND the CAS, or you will be charged a $100 administrative "no-show" fee. Please note that your exam fee will be forfeited if your appointment is canceled after the refund deadline.

To cancel your appointment 48 hours+ prior to exam and avoid “no-show” fee:
Contact Pearson VUE support, or cancel via your Pearson VUE account, AND email casexams@casact.org with cancellation request and proof of Pearson VUE cancellation.

To cancel your appointment within 48 hours of exam:
Contact Pearson VUE support AND email casexams@casact.org.

Please inform the exam administrator as soon as the issue occurs. A case will be filed with PearsonVUE. Candidates may also submit feedback or a grievance with the CAS after the exam, however the first course of action should be to inform the administrator of any issues that occur during the exam.

Please note that auto-saving does occur throughout the exam. All responses are saved immediately.

For candidates sitting in Quebec, exams MAS-I, MAS-II, 5, 6C, and PCPA are available in English and French for the October/November 2024 sitting. There is also a Chinese-language version of Exam 6-Taipei. All other examination questions and instructions will be administered exclusively in English.

Send your additional questions via email to casexams@casact.org. Any questions regarding testing accommodations and/or holiday extensions can be sent to accommodations@casact.org. For general information and helpful links, please visit the Pearson VUE/CAS website.

• Future Fellows Hot Topic: An Open Letter from a CAS Grader
• Pearson VUE/CAS Website
• Candidate Know Before You Go
• CAS Exam Accommodations Webpage
• CBT Tutorial Video
• Written Response Tutorial for CAS Exams 5-9