As I mentioned before, I took Level 1 of the CFA exam on 2 June 2012. What I did not mention was that I lost my exam ticket during lunch after the morning session. I think it blew away in the wind and into a drain. Ouch.
For those of you that don’t know, taking the CFA exam is a highly regulated procedure. They clear your calculators upon entry. You can only check in with a valid passport, not with a drivers license. You can only bring certain things onto the testing floor.
So, when I lost my exam ticket, I freaked out. The reason I’m writing this post is for any future CFA takers have some sort of protocol for what to do in my situation.
First of all, try as hard as possible to do whatever you can to find your exam ticket.
If that fails and you know its gone (like a dog ate it), get back to the testing center as soon as possible. Find out how you can get a handwritten ticket and who you need to talk to. I mention get back as soon as possible because those people are incredibly stressed out with the protocol they have to go through.
As soon as you found the person you need to talk to, fill out the information. The only thing you might need is your Candidate Number but if you’re like me, I had that memorized by that point already.
Before the afternoon session of the exam, I really wanted to grab a cup of coffee. To my benefit, after the whole mess with the exam ticket, my adrenaline was so high I didn’t really need it. I really don’t recommend this as a way to “wake up” after lunch as its stressful and no one needs that. Just go for the coffee.
The Muse on the Street 