Getting the Most out of the Examiners’ Reports
Beginning with the May 2012 examinations, the Examination Committee started publishing “Examiners’ Reports” for Exams 5 through 9. Examiner's Reports ceased being published when computer based testing began in the Fall 2020 sitting. These reports include narratives for each question describing where points were achieved and where points were commonly missed by the candidates. The Examiners’ Report is an invaluable tool when preparing for an upcoming exam or consequently assessing missed opportunities on a prior exam. All candidates should read the reports from prior versions of the exam for which they are sitting. However, when incorporating the Examiners’ Report into your studying routine, it is important to keep in mind what the report is and, most importantly, what it is not. In summer of 2020 it was decided that the CAS would no long produce Examiners' Reports.
What the Examiners’ Report Is:
The report provides insight into what the graders for each question were looking for in responses that received full or nearly-full credit. This includes an explanation of common mistakes and oversights among candidates. Though candidates can lose points on any given question for a variety of reasons, common themes tend to emerge across the range of responses.
A common complaint among candidates is something like “We have no idea what you want from us!” This criticism is perhaps further magnified by the move toward testing at higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, which tends to create more open-ended questions. While the Examiners’ Report will likely not completely address the open-ended nature of some exam questions, it does provide a valuable insight into the differences between responses that are comprehensive and those that are lacking in some way.
What the Examiners' Report Is Not:
The report is not a guide to providing the minimally acceptable answer to each question. As stated above, the report describes what graders were looking for in perfect responses, not what they expected from the minimally qualified candidate (MQC). In fact, the report provides no insight into what the MQC score was for each question. For example, the report may include a sentence such as, “A very small number of candidates received full credit,” but the majority of candidates may have still scored above the MQC standard for that question. Likewise, just because a report says “Candidates scored well on this question,” doesn’t mean that the majority scored the maximum points.
Additionally, the report may not be helpful in the appeals process. In order for an appeal to be valid, it must demonstrate that a particular response, which was initially considered to be incorrect, should instead be given full or partial credit. Since the report is confined to the response(s) that were considered correct in the first place, it is unlikely to help in crafting an appeal, though it may provide guidance on whether a particular question is worth appealing. So in summary, you should think of the Examiners’ Report as a tool to help you master the material, rather than as an aid to changing the outcome of a prior sitting or as a means of gleaning information about the MQC standards set by the Examination Committee.
The primary mission of the Candidate Liaison Committee is to communicate the concerns of candidates to CAS leadership. If you have any questions or comments on the examination process, or on any other topic, please feel free to share your thoughts with us by filling out the Contact Us Form and select Candidates as the topic.
Past Examiners’ Reports for Exams 5 Through 9
Please note that the reports are after the exam in each PDF.
Exam MAS-I and Final Answer Key Posted: November 25, 2019.
Exam MAS-II and Final Answer Key Posted: November 28, 2019.
MAS-II Case Study Fall 2019
Exam 5 and Examiner's Report Posted: October 29, 2019.
Appeals must be received by January 20, 2020.
Exam 6-US and Examiner's Report Posted: October 30, 2019.
Appeals must be received by January 20, 2020.
Exam 6-Canada and Examiner's Report Posted: October 30, 2019
Appeals must be received by January 21, 2020..
Exam 8 and Examiner's Report Posted: October 31, 2019
Appeals must be received by January 20, 2020.
Please note that the reports are after the exam in each PDF.
Exam MAS-I and Final Answer Key
Posted: April 24, 2019.
Exam MAS-II, Final Answer Key, and Case Study (Revised 6/25/2019)
Posted: April 25, 2019. Defective Questions due by May 8.
Exam 5 and Examiner's Report
Posted: April 30, 2019.
Appeals Window opened Monday, July 1. Appeals are due no later than July 15, 2019.
Exam 6-US and Examiner's Report
Posted: July 29, 2019.
Appeals Window opened Monday, July 1. Appeals are due no later than July 15, 2019.
Exam 6-Canada and Examiner's Report
Posted: May 1, 2019. Updated: August 26, 2019.
Appeals Window opened Monday, July 1. Appeals are due no later than July 15, 2019.
Exam 7 and Examiner's Report
Posted: May 3, 2019.
Appeals Window opened Monday, July 1. Appeals are due no later than July 15, 2019.
Exam 9 and Examiner's Report
Posted: May 6, 2019.
Appeals Window opened Monday, July 1. Appeals are due no later than July 15, 2019.
Please note that the reports are after the exam in each PDF.
Exam MAS-I and Final Answer Key Posted: December 26, 2019
Exam MAS-II and Final Answer Key Posted: December 26, 2019
MAS-II Case Study Fall 2018
Exam 5 and Examiner's Report Posted: December 26, 2019
Appeals must be received by January 9, 2019.
Exam 6-US and Examiner's Report Posted: December 26, 2019
Appeals must be received by January 9, 2019.
Exam 6-Canada and Examiner's Report Updated: January 28, 2019
Appeals must be received by January 9, 2019.
Exam 8 and Examiner's Report Posted: December 26, 2019
Appeals must be received by January 9, 2019.
Please note that the reports are after the exam in each PDF.
Exam MAS-I and Final Answer Key Posted: May 9, 2018. Defective questions due May 22.
Exam 5 [XLSM] and Examiner's Report Posted: May 9, 2018. Defective questions due May 22.
Exam 5 Make-up Exam [XLSM] and Examiner's Report [PDF] Posted: June 5, 2018. Defective questions due June 19.
Exam 6-US and Examiner's Report Posted: May 3, 2018. Appeals Window opened Monday, July 9. Appeals must be received by July 23, 2018.
Exam 6-Canada and Examiner's Report Posted: May 3, 2018.Appeals Window opened Monday, July 9. Appeals must be received by July 23, 2018.
Exam 7 and Examiner's Report Posted: May 3, 2018. Appeals Window opened Monday, July 9. Appeals must be received by July 23, 2018.
Exam 9 Posted: May 7, 2018. Defective questions due May 22.
Exam S and final answer key Updated: December 8, 2017
Exam 5 and Examiner's Report Appeals Window opened Friday, December 29. Appeals must be received by January 12, 2018.
Exam 6-US and Examiner's Report Appeals Window opened Friday, December 29. Appeals must be received by January 12, 2018.
Exam 6-Canada and Examiner's Report Appeals Window opened Friday, December 29. Appeals must be received by January 12, 2018.
Exam 8 and Examiner's Report Updated: March 8, 2018. Appeals Window opened Friday, December 29. Appeals must be received by January 12, 2018.
Exam 5 and Examiner's Report Appeals Window opened Monday July 3 [Updated: July 20]. Appeals must be received by July 17, 2017.
Exam 6-US and Examiner's Report Appeals Window opened Monday July 3 [Updated: August 14]. Appeals must be received by July 17, 2017.
Exam 6-Canada and Examiner's Report Appeals Window opened Monday July 3 [Updated: August 1]. Appeals must be received by July 17, 2017.
Exam 7 and Examiner's Report Appeals Window opened Friday July 14. Appeals must be received by July 28, 2017.
Exam 9 and Examiner's Report Appeals Window opened Friday July 14. Appeals must be received by July 28, 2017.
Please note that the reports are after the exam in each PDF.
Exam 5 and Examiner's Report Appeals Window opened Tuesday December 20 (Ammended 1/3/2017). Appeals must be received by January 3, 2017.
Exam 6-US and Examiner's Report Appeals Window opened Tuesday December 20 (Ammended 2/21/2017). Appeals must be received by January 3, 2017.
Exam 6-Canada and Examiner's Report Appeals Window opened Tuesday December 20 (Ammended 1/3/2017). Appeals must be received by January 3, 2017.
Exam 8 and Examiner's Report Appeals Window opened Tuesday January 3rd. Appeals must be received by January 17, 2017.
Exam 5 and Examiner's Report - Updated: 16 July 2016
Exam 6-US and Examiner's Report
Exam 6-Canada and Examiner's Report
Exam 7 and Examiner's Report - Updated: 1 September 2016
Exam LC and Answer Key Posted: 4 January 2016
Exam ST and Answer Key Posted: 5 January 2016
Exam S and Answer Key Posted: 5 January 2016
Exam 5 and Examiner's Report Posted: 28 December 2015
Appeals Window opens Wednesday December 30. Appeals must be received by January 18, 2016.
Exam 6-US and Examiner's Report Posted: 28 December 2015
Appeals Window opens Wednesday December 30. Appeals must be received by January 18, 2016.
Exam 6-Canada and Examiner's Report Posted: 28 December 2015
Appeals Window opens Wednesday December 30. Appeals must be received by January 18, 2016.
Exam 8 and Examiner's Report Posted: 4 January 2016
Appeals Window opens Monday January 4. Appeals must be received by February 1, 2016.
Exam LC and Final Answers Posted: 7 May 2015
Exam ST and Final Answers Updated: 15 July 2015
Exam 5 and Examiner's Report Posted: 15 July 2015 (Appeals must be received by July 30)
Exam 6-Canada and Examiner's Report Posted: 20 July 2015 (Appeals must be received by August 4)
Exam 6-US and Examiner's Report Posted: 17 July 2015 (Appeals must be received by August 1)
Exam 7 and Examiner's Report Posted: 27 July 2015 (Appeals must be received by August 26)
Exam 9 and Examiner's Report Updated: 22 July 2015 (Appeals must be received by August 20)
Exam 5 and Examiner's Report Posted: 12 January 2015 (Appeals must be received within 14 days)
Exam 6-US and Examiner's Report Posted: 12 January 2015 (Appeals must be received within 14 days)
Exam 6-Canada and Examiner's Report Posted: 12 January 2015 (Appeals must be received within 14 days)
Exam 8 and Examiner's Report Posted: 12 January 2015 (Appeals must be received within 30 days)
Exam ST and Answer Key [Updated: 2 June 2014]
Exam 5 and Examiner's Report [Posted 31 July 2014]
Exam 6-US and Examiner's Report [Posted 31 July 2014]
Exam 6-Canada and Examiner's Report [Posted 5 August 2014]
Exam 7 and Examiner's Report [Posted 31 July 2014]
Exam 9 and Examiner's Report [Posted 31 July 2014]
Exam 3L and Answer Key [Posted 5 February 2014]
Exam 5 and Examiner's Report [Posted 31 January 2014]
Exam 6-Canada and Examiner's Report [Posted 12 February 2014]
Exam 6-US and Examiner's Report [Posted 31 January 2014]
Exam 8 and Examiner's Report [Posted 31 January 2014]
Exam 5 and Examiner's Report [Posted: 24 July 2013]
Exam 7 and Examiner's Report [Posted: 14 August 2013]
Exam 9 and Examiner's Report [Posted: 24 July 2013]
Exam 6-US and Examiners' Report [Posted 31 January 2013]
Exam 6-Canada and Examiners' Report [Posted 15 February 2013]
Exam 8 and Examiners' Report [Posted 31 January 2013]
