VEC-02 — Lesson 6 of 6

Session Leadership: Examinee Instructions, Non-Compliance & Cheating

What TLs must tell applicants before every exam, how to handle non-compliance, and the full cheating protocol from suspected to confirmed.

Lesson Objectives

State the required elements of pre-exam instructions under App. 4 Sec. 2.19
Apply the prohibited-devices list and the calculator-checking requirement
Apply the leaving-exam-area rule
Describe the Session Leader’s decision process for VE and applicant non-compliance
Execute the full cheating protocol from suspected through confirmed
Record cheating correctly in SessionManager

Part A — Examinee Instructions (App. 4 Sec. 2.19)

What applicants must be told before every exam

Instruction	Rule
Examinees must follow VE instructions at all times	FCC Sec. 97.511
Failure to comply terminates participation	App. 4 Sec. 2.19.2
Prohibited: cell phones, smartwatches, tablets, earbuds, smart glasses	App. 4 Sec. 2.19.3
Calculators permitted but must be checked by VE before exam — no stored formulas	App. 4 Sec. 2.19.4
Cell phones and tablets may NOT be used as calculators	App. 4 Sec. 2.19.4.1
Scratch paper: use back of answer sheet; additional available on request	App. 4 Sec. 2.19.5
Leaving the exam area for any reason = exam immediately graded as submitted	App. 4 Sec. 2.19.7
Observed cheating = exam not graded, applicant must leave the facility	App. 4 Sec. 2.19.8

Part B — Non-Compliance (App. 5 Sec. 3.1–3.2)

VE and applicant non-compliance

Situation	Session Leader action
VE not following rules	Make the required correction or explain why no correction is required. App. 5 Sec. 3.1.1.
Applicant not following VE instructions	Warn the applicant or terminate their participation. App. 5 Sec. 3.2.1.

Part C — Cheating Protocol (App. 5 Sec. 3.3–3.4)

Suspected vs. confirmed cheating

Stage	Required action
Suspected (Sec. 3.3)	Continue monitoring. Add VEs if possible. Do not confront until confirmed.
Confirmed — enough VEs (Sec. 3.4.1)	Continue session. Remove cheating examinee discreetly.
Confirmed — NOT enough VEs (Sec. 3.4.2)	Halt session. All examinees remain seated, close booklets.
Paperwork (Sec. 3.4.3)	Mark all answer sheets CHEATED. Enter all results in SessionManager as Failed.
Notify (Sec. 3.4.4)	Notify the RC and TL of all cheating incidents.

Knowledge Check

An applicant arrives wearing wireless earbuds and a smartwatch and wants to use their phone as a calculator. Before the exam begins, which of these must a VE address?

A. Only the phone — the P&P specifically restricts calculators and cell phones, not wearable devices like earbuds or smartwatches B. All three — earbuds, smartwatches, and cell phones used as calculators are all prohibited and must be addressed before the exam begins C. Only the earbuds — smartwatches are permitted as long as they’re switched into airplane mode first D. None of them — these restrictions only apply once the exam is actively underway, not beforehand

Knowledge Check

An applicant wants to use their standalone scientific calculator during the exam. What must a VE do before allowing this?

A. Allow it without restriction — standalone calculators are fully permitted with no conditions B. Verify the calculator model is on the approved-calculator list published in the VE Portal C. Confirm the applicant’s license class, since calculator use is only permitted for Element 4 D. Check the calculator before the exam begins to confirm no formulas have been programmed or stored in memory

Knowledge Check

During a paper exam an applicant states they need to use the restroom and walks out of the exam room. What happens to their exam?

A. The exam is paused — the applicant may return and continue where they left off B. The applicant is given a 10-minute grace period before their exam is graded as submitted C. The exam is paused if a VE accompanies the applicant D. The exam is immediately graded as submitted at the moment the applicant leaves the exam area for any reason

Knowledge Check

A VE tells you (the Session Leader) that another VE is reading text messages on their phone while monitoring applicants. What is your obligation?

A. Warn the VE verbally — the Session Leader has no authority to remove a VE mid-session B. Continue the session and address the issue after the session is complete to avoid disruption C. Address the issue immediately — either make the required correction or explain why no correction is needed D. Refer the complaint to the RC immediately — VE non-compliance issues go directly to the RC

Knowledge Check

A VE thinks they see an applicant glancing at a phone under the table but is not certain. What is the correct immediate action?

A. Immediately ask the applicant to step outside and confront them about the suspected cheating B. Announce a temporary halt to the session while the situation is investigated C. Continue monitoring the applicant and if possible add additional VEs to observe — do not confront or treat the applicant differently until cheating is confirmed D. Terminate the applicant’s exam immediately — suspected cheating is treated the same as confirmed cheating

Knowledge Check

Cheating is confirmed during a session with only three VEs. One VE steps out of the room with the cheating examinee to inform them they are banned from the session, leaving only two VEs to monitor the remaining examinees. What must the Session Leader do?

A. Continue the session as normal — two VEs is the minimum required to proceed under any circumstances, regardless of how the third VE became unavailable B. Ask a non-VE observer already present in the room to temporarily fill the VE role so the session can keep going without interruption C. Contact the RC immediately by phone to request real-time authorization to continue the session with only two VEs present D. Halt the session. Announce the halt, instruct all examinees to remain seated and close their booklets, and have the two remaining VEs monitor while the cheating examinee is addressed outside the room

Knowledge Check

After a cheating incident is resolved, how must the cheating examinee’s answer sheets be processed?

A. Destroy the answer sheets immediately — they cannot be submitted since the exam was invalid B. Mark all answer sheets with the word CHEATED and enter all exam results in SessionManager as Failed C. Leave the answer sheets unmarked and note the cheating incident in the Session Correspondence dialog box in the portal D. Grade the answer sheets normally and let the RC decide whether to accept or reject the results

Reference: Full P&P Document →

🏆

VEC-02 Complete!

You have completed Team Leader and Deputy Team Leader training.

↓ Download Certificate

Answer all questions above to unlock your certificate

← Back to Training Series

← Lesson 5

Answer all questions to unlock your certificate