Examinations and related services regulations

1.1. Τhe following regulations refer to the general framework underlying the examinations administration and the related services offered by the Hellenic American Union Center for Examinations and Certifications. They are revised, as the need arises, in accordance with international trends and best practices of examinations administration, so as to safeguard the integrity of examinations procedures and quality services.

1.2. The Hellenic American Union provides equal opportunities to everyone and prohibits any type of discrimination concerning race, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, national origin, or natural disability. More specifically, the Hellenic American Union Center for Examinations and Certifications provides equal opportunities to everyone and prohibits discrimination concerning race, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, national origin, or natural disability during its internal procedures, candidates’ registration for the examinations it administers, the actual administration of examinations, and while offering its services.

1.3. All those involved in the examinations (candidates, examiners, proctors, coordinators of examination centers, owners and staff of examination venues) are obliged to comply with the regulations of the examining body and the Hellenic American Union Center for Examinations and Certifications.

1.4. The regulations:

1.4.1. are available in electronic and printed form. In case of textual differences, the version uploaded on the website of the Hellenic American Union Center for Examinations and Certifications is regarded as the official one. 

1.4.2. are available in Greek and English. In case of differences in text rendition, the Greek version is regarded as the official one.

1.4.3. are supplemented by more specific regulations dictated by each examining body which are publicized and applied in each case.

1.5. Participation in the examination procedure constitutes full and unconditional acceptance of the examinations regulations and related decisions of the examining body and of the Hellenic American Union Center for Examinations and Certifications. In the case of underage candidates, their participation in the examinations presupposes their parents’ or legal guardians’ full and unconditional agreement.

2.1. For research and/or quality control purposes, the examining body and/or the Hellenic American Union on its own behalf reserve the right to photograph, videotape or audio record parts or whole of the speaking or written test procedure as well as assign specially trained and certified persons to be present during the administration of speaking or written tests. In the case of such persons being present during the administration of speaking tests, examinees will be informed accordingly before the start of the tests, and where required, their relevant consent shall be taken.

2.2. The examining body and the Hellenic American Union reserve the right to distribute questionnaires to candidates for research and/or quality control purposes. Examinees will be informed accordingly before the start of the test.

2.3. The examining body reserves the exclusive right of management of examination materials (confidential or non-confidential).

2.4. The Hellenic American Union reserves the right to change the date, time and/or examination venue in case of extenuating circumstances which hamper the smooth administration of the examinations and/or put at risk the examinees’ safety. Examinees will be informed accordingly as soon as possible and in the best possible way.

2.5. The Hellenic American Union reserves the right to cancel examinations at any of the centers listed on the participation application form or website if the center fails to attract the minimum number of candidates. In such cases, the Hellenic American Union will either refer registered candidates to the nearest alternative test center or transfer their examination fees to a future test date.

2.6. The examining body has the exclusive right and responsibility to determine the frequency of the candidates’ participation.

2.7. The examining body reserves the right not to issue results for candidates when it discovers irregularities during an examination administration. In such cases, examination fees are non-refundable.

3.1. The examination material and its use are protected by intellectual property laws. The recording or publication of any examination material without the previous written consent of the examining body and of the Hellenic American Union is strictly prohibited.

3.2. It is strictly prohibited to take into the examination room, speaking tests, and candidates’ waiting areas mobile phones, cameras, laptops, and/or any other electronic information storage and retrieval device. Candidates are strongly advised to leave such equipment behind and not bring it to examination centers; the Hellenic American Union bears no responsibility for loss or damage of such equipment in examination centers. Use of any of the above-mentioned devices in the examination room, speaking tests, and candidates’ waiting areas will be considered a potential threat to the examinations’ impartiality or confidentiality and a deliberate attempt to jeopardize the security or integrity of the examinations.

3.3. Use of notes, books, dictionaries or other aids, whether relevant to the examination procedure or not, is strictly prohibited in the examination room.

3.4. Copying examination answers from other examinees using any means is strictly prohibited. Examinees giving or receiving answers or using notes or other aids will be disqualified. Collaboration, discussion and exchanging notes or other objects among examinees or examinees and other persons are prohibited.

3.5. Videotaping and/or recording of any part of the examination procedure or material is strictly prohibited.

3.6. The Hellenic American Union reserves the right to use any legal means to ensure the security of the examinations and the strict observance of the regulations. Should it be required, it also reserves the right to request compensation and monetary indemnities for any property or moral damage caused due to non-compliance of regulations.The Hellenic American Union reserves the right to approach supervisory, judicial or any other competent authorities without the prior notification of the candidate when the public interest is threatened by the candidate’s deeds or oversights.

4.1. Candidates wishing to participate in examinations administered by the Hellenic American Union Center for Examinations and Certifications are required to fill in an examination application (participation) form manually or electronically.

4.2. It is the responsibility of individual candidates to choose the type of examination, level and examination date they are interested in. Candidates are also responsible for adhering to the various dates for their timely registration, enquiring about their results, collecting their certificates and any other similar documents. The Center for Examinations and Certifications will not be held responsible for candidates failing to meet deadlines, misplacing documents, etc. Furthermore, the Center for Examinations and Certifications will not be held responsible for matters related to the recognition of certificates.

4.3. In order to participate in examinations, no training or preparation for specific educational programs is required, nor is being the holder of a lower level certificate necessary.  The Center for Examinations and Certifications does not recommend any educational program, education provider, means or material aimed at preparation for examinations administered by the Hellenic American Union unless specifically stated in writing.

4.4. It is the responsibility of candidates to be informed about the format, duration, content, results, rescoring procedure and the level of examinations they wish to participate in.

4.5. Upon submission of the application (participation) form for examinations administered by the Hellenic American Union, candidates commit themselves to the accuracy of their personal data. Candidates are responsible for filling in their data on their application (participation) form as well as for the correction of any inaccuracies spotted during the examination.

4.6. Upon submission of the application (participation) form for examinations administered by the Hellenic American Union, candidates undertake to read and comply with all the regulations before participating in the actual examinations.

4.7. The examining bodies reserve the right to charge a fee for late application submissions.

4.8. Oral examinations are held either before or after the written examinations or on the same day as the written test. Exact dates and times of oral examinations are dependent on the needs of the various examination centers and are stated on the candidates’ examination schedule. The Hellenic American Union reserves the right to modify the schedule of written and oral examinations.

4.9. After the examination schedule has been announced to candidates, candidates’ requests for changes to the date, time, and / or examination venue cannot be satisfied.

4.10. The Center for Examinations and Certifications is not responsible if candidates have not received their examination schedule in due time. Candidates who have submitted their application (registration) form by any means and have not received their schedule by the date of the written examination, should contact the Hellenic American Union Center for Examinations and Certifications. Note that the time needed for delivery of schedules may vary between examining bodies.

4.11. Especially regarding examinations for which only the service of a proctor is required, the Center for Examinations and Certifications is not responsible for the communication of schedules and other related information.

4.12. Examination fees are non-transferable and non-refundable.

5.1. The Hellenic American Union Center for Examinations and Certifications provides, upon approval, nonstandard testing accommodations for test takers who meet the requirements of the examining body. To submit a request for nonstandard accommodations, candidates are required to submit the relevant documents to the Hellenic American Union Center for Examinations and Certifications.

5.2. Documentation must have been recently issued by a certified professional who is qualified to evaluate the examinee's disability.

5.3. All documentation in a language other than English must be translated into English. The translation should be certified by an authorized professional or authority such as a lawyer or the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs Translation Service. Either the original certified translation or a certified copy of the original certified translation may be submitted.

5.4. All documentation should be submitted to the Hellenic American Union Center for Examinations and Certifications. Documentation concerning administrative modifications (extended time, reader, scribe) should be submitted at least four weeks in advance of the test date. Documentation concerning other modifications (Braille, large font), should be submitted at least twelve weeks in advance of the test date.

5.5. Candidates requesting nonstandard accommodations to participate in examinations need to be aware that their request may be turned down or modified, and that their examinations results may be invalidated if documentation:

5.5.1. is submitted on the day of the examination or after the examination.

5.5.2. has not been issued by a licensed or certified professional.

5.5.3. does not clearly describe the examinee’s disability and does not thoroughly outline its exact nature.

5.5.4. is outdated and does not refer to the current condition of the examinee.

5.5.5. indicates that the examinee’s current condition does not require any nonstandard test accommodations.

5.6. In any case, the examining body reserves the right to approve of, modify, or deny any request for nonstandard test accommodations.

6.1. On the day of examination, examinees are required to have a valid document verifying their identity. Specifically:

6.1.1. Greek citizens: a valid Greek ID or passport or driving license or a temporary ID bearing a stamped photograph issued by the official authorities.

6.1.2. EU member citizens: valid EU Member State ID or passport

6.1.3. All other citizens: a valid passport or any other official document issued by the Greek authorities

6.2. Candidates who report to the test center without one of the above documents will be prohibited from entering the examination room.

6.3. The staff in charge of the examinations reserve the right to determine the type of document that will be accepted in order to allow entrance to the candidate to the examination room. In addition, they reserve the right to ask for more than one official document when there are doubts regarding the candidate’s identity.

6.4. During the examination administration, candidates may have their documents and names checked once more for the sake of procedural security or may be photographed, if it is deemed necessary for the purpose of confirming their identity in case of lack of the relevant identification records. In case of doubts, the staff in charge of the examinations reserve the right to seek help from the competent authorities.

6.5. Any deception or attempt to deceive the staff responsible for the examinations as to their real identity on the part of the candidates may be sufficient to deprive them, partially or totally, of their right to participate in future examinations. Note that, in passing, impersonation and forgery of public documents constitute criminal offences regardless of these regulations.

7.1. Examinees are required to report to the test center at least 30 minutes prior to the beginning of the examination. Depending on the flow of the examination procedure, start and end times may vary on the examination day in certain examination centers and in certain locations.

7.2. Examinees are not allowed to choose their seat. Seating will be assigned by the examiners. The Hellenic American Union Center for Examinations and Certifications staff in charge of the examination room reserve the right to change the examinees’ seating arrangement during the examination.

7.3. If, for any reason, the examinees’ examination materials prove to be defective, have   oversights or gaps, are poorly printed or are defective in any way, examinees should immediately ask for another copy from the staff in charge of the examination room.

7.4. Examinees are required to remain in the examination room throughout the examination (unless otherwise stated by the examining body’s regulations). Examinees may not leave the examination room without the examiner’s permission. Examinees who have the examiner’s permission to leave the examination room will be escorted by one of the proctors, who will remain with them for the duration of their absence and will escort them back into the room. The test materials of these examinees will be submitted to the examiner and will be returned to them once they are back in the examination room. The simultaneous absence of two or more candidates from the examination room is not permitted.

7.5. Smoking and the consumption of food and drinks, other than water, are strictly prohibited in the examination room. Exception will be made to candidates who have been granted specific nonstandard test accommodations by the examining bodies.

7.6. Candidates participating in TOEIC^® Listening and Reading examinations are obliged to become familiar with the content of the relevant Examinee Handbook before participating in the examinations.

8.1. Candidates are expected to display proper behavior during their examinations and may in no way  disturb or threaten the rest of the candidates, examiners, proctors and staff in charge of the examination center.

8.2. Any improper behavior such as threatening, swearing, insulting, and any form of rude behavior towards staff of the examination center and peers at any time during the examination procedure (before or during it) can lead to the exclusion of the candidates from the examinations. Examples of improper behavior are the use of foul language, insults or racist language either before, during or after the examinations as well as in the content of the answers provided. Any decision to be made may be taken by the examiner during the examination or thereafter by the examining body and/or the Hellenic American Union.

8.3. Participation of examinees (during oral or written examinations) who do not comply with the examinations regulations and do not observe the recommendations of the staff in charge of the examination center (examiners, proctors and coordinators) will be cancelled and no grades will be awarded. Fees will not be transferred nor refunded.

8.4. Any effort on the part of the examinees to claim or gain an advantageous position or receive preferential treatment over other examinees before, during or after the examination is strictly prohibited.

8.5. The examining body reserves the right to decide whether to allow any recesses during examinations.

8.6. The examining body reserves the right to not allow examinees to leave the examination room before the end of the examination.

8.7. At the end of the examination, examinees must submit their completed answer sheets to the proctors, along with all test materials.

8.8. In case of problems during the examinations administration, examinees or their representatives are responsible for informing the staff of the examination center or of the Centre for Examinations and Certifications on the examination day.

8.9. Examining bodies reserve the right not to issue results for candidates when they suspect and/or discover irregularities during an examination administration. In such cases, examination fees non-refundable.

9.1. The grading of examinations administered by the Hellenic American Union is carried out by the examining bodies it represents and follows the most recent assessment principles. Examining bodies are exclusively responsible for the grading of the examinations, the assessment criteria, the examiners’ training, etc.

9.2. Dates for announcement of examination results are fixed by the examining bodies. The Hellenic American Union will not be held responsible for any delays affecting part or whole of the examination results. The Hellenic American Union reserves the right not to publish or announce candidates’ examination results or not ship relevant certificates to candidates without having received, for any reason, examination fees for their participation in examinations it administers.

9.3. Candidates and their representatives may request a rescoring of the sections specified by the examining bodies by submitting a rescoring request form accompanied by the respective rescoring fee. The rescoring requests are subsequently forwarded by the Center for Examinations and Certifications to the examining body. Upon completion of the procedure, candidates will receive a letter informing them of the new result, which is final.

9.4. Deadlines for submitting any rescoring requests are set by the examining bodies. Candidates are responsible for submitting any necessary documentation in due time so that their rescoring request can be dealt with. No request can be dealt with after the set dates.

9.5. Any result issued after the rescoring procedure is final and irrevocable.

9.6. In the event that the candidate’s score changes after the rescoring procedure (i.e. the candidate’s score improves in one or more sections or the candidate obtains a certificate), the rescoring fee is returned to the candidate and a new score report (statement of result) as well as a certificate is issued for the candidate.

10.1. Certificates are issued by the examining bodies to successful candidates only. Candidates are not allowed to tamper with, modify, or fold the certificates in any way nor tamper with the distinctive signs on them (logos, signatures, dates, other information printed on them, etc).

10.2. Certificates should be used in accordance with the terms of the examining body and the local legislation. If the above are not observed, the examining body or the Hellenic American Union reserves the right to withhold the certificates at any time. The examining body or the Hellenic American Union reserves the right to inform the administrative, judicial or other authorities, or resort to public statements if necessary in case of their illegal possession and/or use.

10.3. Certificates are sent to the candidates or to their representatives in accordance with the procedure stated each time as soon as they are issued by the examining body. The Hellenic American Union will not be held responsible if certificates are dispatched late when this delay is due to the examining body. Furthermore, the Hellenic American Union is not held responsible in the event that certificates are delivered late or if the certificates have been damaged.

10.4. Certificates can be issued only once and lost or damaged certificates cannot be re-issued. In replacement of the relevant document, the Hellenic American Union can issue a document for any legitimate use.

10.5. Any request for re-issuing a certificate due to wrong data on it needs to be communicated within six months after results have been issued. After this period of time, examining bodies reserve the right not to respond to this request, or to charge a fee for this service.

10.6. Examining bodies reserve the right to modify the certificates they issue for security reasons and without any prior warning. Candidates having participated in the same examination but at different examination periods are likely to be presented with certificates of a different layout.

The Hellenic American Union collects and processes in general personal data in order to, inter alia, securely administer language certificate examinations and communicate the results of these examinations. The candidates may be informed about the processing of their personal data by the Hellenic American Union by referring to the Notification to Participants in Language Competence Examinations Regarding the Processing of their Personal Data.

12.1. Upon completion of the examinations, the materials used are returned to the examining bodies who are responsible for their further processing and administration.

12.2. Any related (non-examination) material not dispatched to the examining bodies remains in the Center for Examinations and Certifications for three (3) months after the examination administration date before it is destroyed.

12.3. The remaining documents sent for any other reason to the Center for Examinations and Certifications remain there for three (3) months after the examination administration date.

12.4. The Hellenic American Union uses a special system for the safe transportation and destruction of its documents. The destroyed documents cannot be retrieved.

13.1. The Hellenic American Union takes every precaution to continuously provide its examinations and other services in accordance with the announced schedules and amendments. However, if for any reason its services need to be terminated, delayed, modified, postponed or cancelled, the Hellenic American Union is only responsible for refunding any fees paid or for administering a new examination period if that is feasible. The Hellenic American Union is not responsible or indebted for any damage or loss, material and non-material, suffered due to the above.

13.2. The information and materials on the Hellenic American Union website can be accessed at the visitor’s own risk. Although the creators and administrators in charge of the website continually do their best to present accurate information when it is uploaded, the Hellenic American Union cannot guarantee the completeness and accuracy of the presented information at the disposal of the visitor. The Hellenic American Union is not directly or indirectly responsible for any liabilities caused to the visitor while using its site, information, links and / or information contained therein.

13.3. The Hellenic American Union will not be held responsible for any damage caused by the use of its links to other websites, as well as for the information and / or instructions included in the webpages of the links. The Hellenic American Union will not be held responsible for the content, legality, comprehensiveness, operation of the various pages it has links to, nor is it responsible for the security policy applied and for the way in way which these websites manage their visitors.

14.1. Candidates, parents, legal guardians, teachers and anyone interested in enquiring about examination regulations can contact the Center for Examinations and Certifications, 15 Didotou Street, 10680, Athens,  Tel. +30 2103680000, Fax: +30 2103634200, Email: exams@hau.gr.