Around the world, partners and customers look to EC-Council to deliver the highest quality exams and certifications. EC-Council has developed a number of policies to support the goals of EC-Council certification program, including:
- Non-Disclosure agreement (NDA).
- EC-Council Certification Agreement.
- Security and Integrity Policy.
NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT (NDA)
EC-Council certification program requires candidates to accept the terms of a NDA before taking an exam. The NDA legally requires candidates to keep information related to exam content confidential. Requiring the acceptance of the NDA helps protect the security of EC-Council certification exams and the integrity of the EC-Council certification program by legally discouraging piracy and/or unauthorized use of exam content.
All EC-Council exams, including the content and wording of exam questions, constitute confidential EC-Council information and/or EC-Council copyrights that are protected by intellectual property laws. All candidates must agree to the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), which obligates them to maintain the confidentiality of EC-Council exams before they can access an exam. If an individual is caught violating the NDA, the candidate will be subject to action.
The full content of EC-Council NDA can be viewed at https://cert.eccouncil.org/images/doc/NDA-Non-Disclosure-Agreement-v2.0.pdf
CERTIFICATION PROGRAM AGREEMENT
Before accessing or using an EC-Council certification program benefit, name, or logo, a candidate is required to accept the terms and conditions of EC-Council Candidate Certification Agreement that is applicable to all EC-Council examinations that a candidate is looking to attempt.
A candidate is also required to agree and adhere to EC-Council Candidate Certification Agreement that is applicable to all EC-Council certifications that a candidate have attained, and his/her participation in the EC-Council certification program, including access and use of any EC-Council certification program benefit, EC-Council certification credential, or any EC-Council certification logo that EC-Council makes available to candidate as part of the certification program.
The full content of EC-Council Certification Agreement could be found in https://cert.eccouncil.org/images/doc/EC-Council-Certification-Agreement-5.0.pdf
SECURITY AND INTEGRITY
EC-Council is devoted in helping candidates succeed in their exams and certification. By communicating policies and providing a clear understanding of what constitutes fraudulent behavior and cheating, EC-Council strives to help candidates avoid negative consequences.
Security Policies
EC-Council has specific policies in place that address the areas of security pertinent to EC-Council exams. These policies have been implemented to help maintain and protect the value of EC-Council certification, the investment that EC-Councils make to achieve certification, and the integrity of confidential EC-Council information and EC-Council intellectual property.
Candidate bans (read more)
If a candidate violates any testing rule, exam policy, or term within the exam agreement (NDA), or engages in any misconduct that diminishes the security and integrity of the EC-Council certification program in any way, the candidate may be permanently prohibited from taking any future EC-Council certification exams. In addition, the candidate may be decertified from the EC-Council certification program, and test scores and certifications may be revoked.
Examples of such misconduct, misuse, and fraud include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Falsifying score reports, by modifying and/or altering the original results/score reports for any exam record
- Cheating during the exam (such as looking at the monitors of other exam takers)
- Providing or accepting improper assistance
- Bringing non-authorized items into the testing center during an exam session (such as notes or unauthorized materials and electronic devices, such as cell phones)
- Using unauthorized material in attempting to satisfy certification requirements (this includes using “brain-dump” material and/or unauthorized publication of exam questions with or without answers)
- Falsifying identity or impersonating another individual to gain access to an exam
- Copying, publishing, disclosing, transmitting, selling, offering to sell, posting, downloading, distributing in any way, or otherwise transferring, modifying, making derivative works of, reverse engineering, decompiling, disassembling, or translating any exam in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, verbal or written, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose
- Disclosing EC-Council intellectual property (IP)
- Disseminating actual exam content
- Using the exam content in any manner that violates applicable law
- Violating the current exam retake policy
- Violating the EC-Council Non-Disclosure agreement (NDA) in any way
- Violating the EC-Council exam agreement in any way.
Candidate Appeal Process (read more)
- Candidates may appeal their ban by submitting an appeal form to [email protected]
- A candidate may appeal a ban for falsifying a score report by submitting the original report (no scans or electronic copies) to: [email protected]
- The EC-Council Certification Division will review all submitted appeal requests and conduct a thorough investigation of each specific case and will communicate directly with the candidate regarding the conclusion of the investigation and final appeal decision.
Exam Retake Policy (read more)
- General EC-Council Exam Retake Policy
- If a candidate does not achieve a passing score on an exam the first time, there is no waiting period before retaking the exam the second time.
- If a candidate does not achieve a passing score the second time, the candidate must wait at least a 14-day period before retaking the exam a third time.
- A 14-day waiting period will also be imposed for the fourth and fifth subsequent exam retakes. A candidate may not take a given exam any more than five times per year (12 months). This 12-month period would start the day of the fifth unsuccessful exam retake. The candidate would then be eligible to retake the exam 12 months from that date.
- If a candidate achieves a passing score on an exam, the candidate cannot take it again.
- EC-Council is implementing this new policy to uphold the validity of our credential and to ensure candidates are adequately prepared for subsequent certification attempts. As we strive to uphold our mission to validate the hands-on skills of today’s security professionals, we feel that after three attempts at a certification exam, additional training related to the exam’s certification objectives is needed
- EC-Council reserves the right to revoke the certification status of candidates who attempt the exam without abiding to EC-Council Retake Policy as stated above.
- Should you require the exam voucher validity to be extended, kindly contact [email protected] before the voucher expires. Only valid vouchers can be extended.
Testing center closures due to security reasons (read more)
- EC-Council may suspend testing at any location where we deem there is a security or integrity problem.
- EC-Council may suspend testing at sites that are related to test sites that pose security risks.
Candidate Retesting at request of EC-Council (read more)
- EC-Council reserves the right to ask any candidate to retest for any suspected fraudulent activity or anomalous testing patterns at any time and
- EC-Council has the right to ask for additional information pertaining to the experience and education background of the candidate on the grounds of verification and
- Retesting will take place at a facility that is selected by EC-Council at a time agreed upon by EC-Council and the candidate and
- The final status of the exam after the Candidate Retest Audit (CRA) test will be deemed as the final result. In case, if a student fails the Candidate Retest Audit (CRA) test and he/she wishes to retake the exam, they must purchase a retake voucher.
Revoking certifications (read more)
If a candidate violates any testing rule, exam policy, or term within the exam agreement (NDA), or engages in any misconduct that diminishes the security and integrity of the EC-Council certification program in any way, the candidate may be permanently prohibited from taking any future EC-Council certification exams. In addition, the candidate may be decertified from any current certification program, and test scores and certifications may be revoked, , but are not limited to, the following:
- Making public the questions, answers, or any of the content of an exam with any person, without prior written approval from EC-Council.
- Reproducing (by any means including reconstruction through memorization), advertising, selling and/or distributing actual exam content by any means including web postings, discussion forums, chat rooms, study guides, etc.
- Using any aids, notes, equipment, or other materials not authorized by Test Centre or EC-Council during the exam.
- Removing or attempting to remove exam materials including questions, responses, graphics or notes (in any format), dry erase boards, or scratch paper from the testing room.
- Providing falsified documentation as means of false identity or false address when registering or taking an exam including impersonating another candidate or soliciting someone to take an exam on your behalf.
- Using falsified or altered certificates, score reports or other documents or electronic media to misrepresent certification status.
- Altering or tampering with the testing facility equipment or attempt to use the equipment for any function other than taking a EC-Council certification exam.
- Giving, receiving or obtaining assistance of any kind for any EC-Council examination.
- Causing a disturbance or behaving unprofessionally at any testing facility.
- Talking or communicating with other exam-takers while in the testing room.
- Tampering or unauthorized use of testing facility equipment, including the testing computer.
- Breaching the terms of the EC-Council Exam Retake Policy and Candidate Agreements.
- Breaching EC-Council Code of Ethics
- Convicted of a felony.
Beta Exam (read more)
- Inclusion in beta testing is by invitation only.
- EC-Council reserves the right to exclude countries and/or testing centers from the beta testing program.
Right of Exclusion (read more)
- Based on security and integrity concerns, EC-Council reserves the right to exclude specific regions, countries, and testing centers from EC-Council certified program altogether.
