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Proposed changes to Exam T&Cs – for EPD July 2026

Following recent exam investigation panels, a few minor alterations to the exam terms & conditions have been proposed, with immediate effect.

Impact will be that the office will need to contact all those who have booked to date for the October 2026 exams, given an explanation of why the T&Cs have changed and asked to reconfirm their acceptance of the T&Cs. As of 14 July, this is 52 people.

Proposed additions are shown in green, bold and underlined. Proposed removals are shown in red italics and strikethrough.

IRSE Professional Exam:  Terms and conditions for the IRSE Professional Examinations (Certificate in Railway Control Engineering Fundamentals & Advanced Diploma in Railway Control Engineering)  

Approved by Education & Professional Development Committee November 2024. Updated May 2026. 

1.        Fees paid are non-refundable unless the IRSE is at fault. 

2.        The exam date as publicised on the IRSE website is fixed and cannot be changed. 

3.        The candidate is responsible for informing exam@irse.org of any special requirements, including any additional time requirements, for them to sit exam modules by the publicised exam booking closing date. They must submit any additional detail, for example medical certificates even if they have informed the IRSE previously of their requirements.  

4.        Candidates for the Advanced Diploma modules (B, C and D) have the right to appeal against their results in accordance with the IRSE exam appeals procedure. Appeals will not be allowed for the Certificate in Railway Control Engineering Fundamentals under any circumstances.  

5.        Exam candidates choose at the time of booking fixed time periods during which they will be able to log into and start their module.  These are fixed and cannot be changed after booking closes.  

6.        Full results will be shared with IRSE Council for their monitoring of institution activities. Results of candidates who have passed one or more module(s) will be published in IRSE News unless the candidate has informed exam@irse.org by the exam booking closing date that they wish their results not to be published.  

7.        Answers to exam questions submitted by candidates may be used anonymously for training purposes.  

8.        Candidates will not receive copies of the exam answers that they submit under any circumstances and the candidate specifically agrees to waive any rights under Freedom of Information etc. in this respect.  

9.        Full scripts of correct answers will not be published or shared with candidates.  

10.   Candidates can book EITHER the Certificate in Railway Control Engineering Fundamentals OR if they have previously passed IRSE professional examination module(s), they can book up to three (3) modules from the Advanced Diploma modules (Modules B-D).  In addition, candidates applying to sit the Advanced Diploma module(s) must be members of the IRSE at any grade with their subscription fees and any other dues paid. 

11.   Candidates agree to sitting exam module(s) online in their own home / office using their own / company computer and agree to the following terms and conditions around these arrangements: 

11.1.                         The candidate agrees that the IRSE has no liability whatever for any issues the candidate may experience when taking the exam associated with: 

11.1.1.   The speed / reliability / stability of the candidate’s internet connection.  

11.1.2.   Any perceived hardware deficiencies in the computer the candidate uses to sit the exam, for example speed / reliability of the machine or size / clarity of the screen. 

11.1.3.   Any software compatibility issues between the software utilised for sitting the exam and any other software resident on the computer that the candidate uses to sit the exam. 

11.1.4.   Any other issues related to IT equipment utilised by the candidate in sitting the exam or submitting their answers, which the candidate perceives may have disadvantaged them.  

11.1.5.   Any issues associated with the environment in which the candidate chooses to take the exam, which the candidate perceives may have disadvantaged them, for example background noise / sources of distraction etc. 

11.1.6.   Any disadvantage the candidate may perceive associated with their non familiarity with the software utilised for sitting the exam 

11.1.7.   The clarity / legibility of any scanned images which the candidate submits as part of their exam answers (for Modules B, C and/or D). 

11.2.                         The software utilised for sitting the exam for Advanced Diploma module candidates (Modules B-D) includes Anti Plagiarism functionality, and the candidate consents to the use of this functionality to screen their answers to the exam. The Anti Plagiarism function includes a check of the candidate’s answers against a very wide range of published sources and against all answers provided by other candidates. Candidates whose answers bear a high degree of similarity with published sources and/or other candidate’s answers will be required to provide a written explanation for this. In the absence of a satisfactory explanation, they will be disqualified.     

11.3.                         The software utilised for sitting the exam for all candidates includes “Remote Proctoring” functionality for the purposes of fraud prevention. This will need to be downloaded and installed on the computer used by the candidate for the exam prior to exam day. The candidate is responsible for monitoring that the remote proctoring software is operating throughout the duration of the exam by means of the on-screen indications. 

                  The Remote Proctoring functionality will, amongst other things,:  

·        Monitor the candidate visually during the exam including their continued presence and, monitor the absence of other individuals. 

·        Monitor and the use of communication and listening devices such as headphones and microphones. Candidates must  allow the Remote Proctoring software to access their microphone and must not wear headphones. 

·        Log all other software used on the candidate’s computer during the exam (including access to websites, access to email and messaging services, access to files on the computer, etc.). Candidate must ensure that before sitting the exam they close ALL other browser tabs / documents / explorer windows etc and that these remain closed for the duration of the exam. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.  

·        Record the candidate’s IP address during the exam. Candidates whose IP address is the same as other candidates will be required to provide a written explanation as to why this is the case. In the absence of an appropriate explanation (for example connecting via a corporate network), all candidates sharing IP addresses will be disqualified.  

In the event that the candidate believes that the Remote Proctoring software may have identified an adverse action on the part of the candidate during the exam (for example leaving the room for a physical needs break), then the candidate must submit a written explanation within 24 hours of the end of the exam to exam@irse.org including their name, candidate number and the full details of the suspected adverse action and the explanation for it.  

The candidate is responsible for monitoring that the remote proctoring software is operating throughout the duration of the exam by means of the on-screen indications.  

The practice sessions have Remote Proctoring functionality to give candidates a full exam experience. The output of the remote proctoring is not monitored for these practice sessions. 

11.4.                         The candidate agrees not to copy or attempt to copy the examination questions from the software utilised for sitting the exam for any reason.  

The candidate further agrees not to discuss or communicate the content of the exam questions to any person within 24 hours of completing the examination (by any means including but not limited to telephone, social media, email, face to face discussion, chat rooms / discussion groups etc) nor to attempt to place any information relating to the content of the examination questions in the public domain.   

11.5.                         The candidate warrants that their answers to the examination questions will be entirely their own work, and that during the examination they will not communicate or attempt to communicate with any other person to gain any advantage in the examination. Members of the IRSE are bound by the IRSE Code of Professional Conduct, which requires (amongst other things) honesty and integrity. Whether they are a member of the IRSE or not, the candidate agrees to apply these professional standards. 

11.6.                         The candidate agrees that they will not seek to gain unfair advantage during the examination by opening or consulting with any text books, previously prepared notes, study materials, internet sites, AI apps/programmes or any other sources of information or reference. 

11.7.                         The exam process will include a methodology for checking the identity of the candidate to a recognised photo ID document (e.g. passport). The candidate consents to this and to the IRSE storing (in accordance with normal data protection rules) images associated with the implementation of this methodology.  

11.8.                         The candidate agrees that on receipt by IRSE of credible evidence of a breach by the candidate of conditions 11.4, 11.5 & 11.6 then the IRSE reserves the right to impose sanctions on the candidate as it deems appropriate, which may include but not be limited to one or more of the following:  

11.8.1.   Not issuing a result for the relevant candidate / module.  

11.8.2.   Barring the candidate from sitting future IRSE exams, either for a fixed period or permanently  

11.8.3.   Revocation of any IRSE Licenses the candidate may hold.  

11.8.4.   Expulsion of the candidate from IRSE membership indefinitely.   

The candidate agrees that the IRSE’s decision in this matter is final and is not subject to any appeal either to any other body or to any court of law. The candidate further agrees that in such circumstances the IRSE will not be liable to refund the fee paid by the candidate to take the relevant exam / module.   

11.9.                         The candidate specifically forgoes any right to appeal the results of the examination arising from any issues listed in condition 11.1.