Why cell phones aren’t allowed during broker licence exams

A former broker must wait one year before he can re-apply for his licence, after B.C.’s broker regulator found he had cheated on his CAIB 2 broker licensing exam in March 2021.

The CAIB 2 broker’s licence exam covers commercial lines, including property forms, underwriting, additional coverage, transportation, crime and business interruption.

Insurance Council of B.C. found the former broker, Bradley Kenneth Harold Van Altena, had taken a cell phone into the CAIB 2 (Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker) exam with him, which is against the rules.

Van Altena said he “couldn’t understand” the exam content, so he sought help from a colleague at his brokerage, a branch manager identified as “JB” in the council’s decision.

JB told council he had no idea Van Altena was writing his CAIB exam at the time he was receiving Van Altena’s text messages. He said Van Altena had frequently sent him test questions during the month leading up to the exam. He said he thought Van Altena was simply studying and sending through test questions, as per usual. Van Altena and JB worked at the same brokerage, but at different locations.

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The jig was up for Van Altena when the brokerage ended its employment contract with JB on Jan. 24, 2022.

“KB, a [vice president] of operations for the agency, attended an agency’s branch for the resignation of that branch manager, JB, whom the former licensee knew,” says the Insurance Council of B.C.’s decision, released last week. “During the employment departure, JB surrendered their corporate cellular phone and laptop.

“As KB went through JB’s cell phone, KB discovered screenshots of text messages relating to examination content dated Mar. 4, 2021.”

The brokerage conducted an internal investigation.

“In a meeting with the former licensee, KB questioned the former licensee about cell phone text messages with JB, which showed evidence of answers being provided during the former licensee’s CAIB 2 exam,” the council’s decision says. “The former licensee admitted ‘that it did in fact happen and he regretted doing it.’

“As a result, the agency terminated his employment on Jan. 26, 2022.”

The next day, the brokerage notified the Insurance Council of B.C. that Van Altena had cheated on his CAIB 2 exam.

During the council’s investigation, “the former licensee admitted to being aware he should not have had the cellular phone in the exam,” the decision says. “The former licensee stated he texted JB for examination information as he got ‘nervous on questions’ during the exam.”

Van Altena confirmed to council that JB wasn’t aware he was taking the exam at the time he was texting the questions to him.

Feature image courtesy of iStock.com/Drazen Zigic