ICO Examinations Withdrawal Policy

Candidates who wish to withdraw from any of the ICO Examinations must do so in writing (by email) to the ICO Examinations office, icoassessment@icoph.org. Candidates are asked to indicate in their email subject line “Withdrawal from the examination” and quote the following information in their withdrawal correspondence to allow ICO Examination team to identify them.

• Candidate’s full name as it appears on application form.
• Candidates date of birth.
• Candidate’s examination centre.

2.1.        Confirmation of withdrawal

Candidates are advised to resend the withdrawal notice email if the initial email has not been responded by the ICO Examinations team within one working day. Candidates will be asked in the response from the ICO Examination team to confirm that they wish to withdraw from the examination and only in response to this email, will the candidate be withdrawn from the examination. Details of withdrawal will be added to the candidate’s profile.

2.2         Withdrawal pre-closing date

Candidates who wish to withdraw before the Examination registration closing date will be offered to either defer the sitting of the examination for 12 months or have their fee repaid, minus a CHF 100 administration charge.

2.3         Withdrawal post-closing date

Candidates who wish to withdraw after the Examination registration closing date will be offered to defer the sitting of the examination for 12 months and will be asked to make a CHF 100 additional charge on reapplication, to cover administration. Refunds will not be made post-closing date, unless there are exceptional circumstances. Exceptional circumstances include but are not limited to:

• Major civil unrest.
• Death of a close relative
• Serious illness or surgery.
• Involvement in an accident.

Other circumstances may be considered. Documentary evidence must be submitted as soon as possible to the ICO Examinations Office and is required in all cases.

2.4         Withdrawal on Examination day

A candidate who attends an examination with the intention of completing it, will be considered by the ICO in a fit condition to do so. A candidate who is taken ill on the day of the examinations should report it to the coordinator immediately. By doing so they will be considered to have withdrawn from the examination. The coordinator will inform the Examinations Office in writing as soon as practicable. In these circumstances, a deferral of the examination for 12 months will be granted.

2.5         Withdrawal from Foundation Assessment

Candidates who have registered for the online Foundation Assessment, making a payment of CHF 50, will not be given the right to withdraw if the assessment has been activated.

A candidate who deferred any of the Standard examinations to the next sitting of the examination, will not be able to access the Foundation Assessment again without making payment.