(1) During the examination, the candidates will follow the instructions of the examination supervisor. The candidates will be permitted to ask reasonable questions of the Department’s or testing vendor’s examination supervisor and proctors relating to the instructions.
    (2) The valid admission slip for the specified examination and a government-issued, signature bearing, photo I.D. such as driver’s license, must be presented in order to gain admission to the examination. The first and last name on an examinee’s I.D. and examination admission slip must match. Student I.D.s are not acceptable identification.
    (3) If the candidate arrives at the designated testing location after the designated starting time for an examination administered by the Department, the candidate will be permitted to take the examination only after the candidate has signed a statement clearly indicating the candidate’s late arrival time, and agreeing that the candidate will have only the remaining designated time in the examination to complete the examination. Any candidate who refuses to sign such a statement will be disqualified from the examination and may apply to the Department for scheduling for the next available examination. If, when the late candidate arrives, any other candidate has already finished the examination and left the examination room, the late candidate will not be permitted to sit for the examination and must apply to the Department for scheduling for the next available examination. For examinations administered by a vendor and national examinations, late candidates shall comply with the vendor’s or the national examination organization’s policies and procedures.
    (4) Administration requirements set forth by any national board and council will be complied with in the administration of the specific examination.
    (5) All examination items, answer sheets, other examination papers, computer files, and materials are the sole property of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services or the national provider. No candidate shall take any of the examination questions, answer sheets, other examination papers, computer files, and materials from the examination room or retain, reproduce, or compromise the materials in whole or in part by any means or method whatsoever.
    (6) For vendor administered examinations, candidates are permitted to test out of state, subject to fees charged by the vendor to the candidates for this service.
    (7) The examination supervisor, proctors, and testing vendor are the Department’s designated agents in maintaining a secure and proper examination administration.
    (8) The Department and its designated agents may use any technology to protect the integrity and security of any license examination.
    (9) Any individual found by the Department or the Board to have engaged in conduct which subverts or attempts to subvert the examination process shall have his or her scores on the examination withheld and/or declared invalid, be disqualified from the practice of the profession, and/or be subject to the imposition of penalties authorized under Florida Statutes Chapter 472, including but not limited to, criminal penalties under Section 472.0132 or 472.031, F.S., as well as the administrative penalties set forth at Florida Statutes § 472.0351(2)
    (10) Conduct which subverts or attempts to subvert the examination process includes, but is not limited to:
    (a) Conduct which violates the security of the examination materials, such as removing from the examination room any of the examination materials; reproducing or reconstructing any portion of the licensing examination; aiding by any means in the reproduction or reconstruction of any portion of the licensing examination; selling, distributing, buying, receiving or having unauthorized possession of any portion of a future or current licensing examination.
    (b) Conduct which violates the standard of test administration, such as communicating with any other examinee during the administration of the examination; copying answers from another examinee or permitting one’s answers to be copied by another examinee during the administration of the examination; having in one’s possession during the administration of the licensing examination any book, notes, written or printed materials or data of any kind, other than the examination materials distributed or specifically listed as approved materials for the examination room in the information provided to the examinee in advance of the examination date by the Department and/or the national supplier of the examination.
    (c) Conduct which violates the credentialing process, such as falsifying or misrepresenting educational credentials or other information required for admission to the examination; impersonating an examinee or having an impersonator take the licensing examination on one’s own behalf.
    (11) Any violation of the conduct rules or other irregularities will be documented in writing by the Department’s agent(s) and the documentation of the violation or irregularity will be presented to the Board for consideration and action. The Department’s agent(s) shall exercise extreme care in their documentation to ensure that the violation or irregularities are precisely recorded as they were witnessed.
    (12) The Department or its designated agents shall take steps reasonably necessary to prevent or investigate any conduct which subverts or attempts to subvert the examination process.
Rulemaking Authority 472.0131 FS. Law Implemented Florida Statutes § 472.0131. History-New 10-17-12.