United States
Hong KongIs there negative marking in HKSI Paper 1?
We have not verified whether HKSI penalises wrong answers on Paper 1, and we will not state a marking rule we cannot source. Confirm it in the HKSI examination handbook before your sitting, because the answer changes whether guessing on an unknown question is free or costly.
This one matters more than most administrative questions, because it changes your behaviour in the last ten minutes of the exam. And we do not have a verified answer.
So: check the handbook, and read the rest of this page for how to handle it either way.
- Penalty for wrong answers
- Not verified by us. Confirm with HKSI
- Where the rule is published
- The HKSI examination handbook and exam instructions
- Questions
- 60 multiple choice, four options each
- Pass mark
- 70% - 42 of 60
- Time
- 90 minutes
- What to do if no penalty applies
- Never leave a question blank
- What to do if a penalty applies
- Guess only when you can eliminate at least one option
Why we are not answering it directly
Because you would change how you sit the paper on the strength of it. A candidate who believes there is no penalty will fill in every blank in the final minute. A candidate who believes there is one will leave items empty. Both are reasonable strategies and only one of them is right at any given sitting.
Getting that wrong could cost you several marks against a 70% threshold. We are not putting a guess in front of that.
How to find out, properly
The examination handbook is free and published by HKSI. Read the marking and examination conduct sections when you enrol. The on-screen instructions at the start of the exam will also state the rules for that paper, and they are the version that binds on the day.
If it is still unclear, email HKSI. It is a one-line question and the answer is authoritative, which is more than any study site can offer you.
A strategy that works under either rule
| Situation | If no penalty | If a penalty applies |
|---|---|---|
| You know the answer | Answer it | Answer it |
| You can eliminate two options | Answer it | Answer it. The odds are in your favour either way |
| You can eliminate one option | Answer it | Usually still answer it |
| You have no idea at all | Answer it. A blank scores nothing | This is the only case where the rule changes your move |
| You are running out of time | Fill everything in | Prioritise items where you can eliminate something |
Look at how narrow the disagreement is. In five of those six situations, the rule makes no difference to what you should do, which is a useful thing to know if the answer is unclear on the day.
The better use of your worry
Elimination. Paper 1 distractors are built from adjacent real rules rather than nonsense, so being able to rule one or two options out is a trained skill rather than luck, and it converts an unanswerable question into a favourable bet under any marking scheme.
Our opinion: candidates spend far too much energy on marking-scheme questions and almost none on distractor recognition, which is where the recoverable marks actually are. If you know that Topic 4 questions routinely offer you the client securities rule when the answer is the client money rule, you will pick up marks whether or not wrong answers are penalised.
The concession is that this page would be more useful with a number on it, and we would rather be useful. We just will not be usefully wrong. Distractor patterns in Paper 1 and the elimination technique are the two pages that will actually move your score.
Common questions
Should I guess on HKSI Paper 1?
If no penalty applies, always, because a blank scores nothing. If a penalty applies, guess when you can eliminate at least one option. The strategy only diverges on questions where you can eliminate nothing at all, which should be rare if you have prepared.
Where does HKSI publish its marking rules?
In the examination handbook and in the instructions shown at the start of the paper. Both are authoritative and the on-screen version is the one that binds on the day. Read the handbook when you enrol rather than the night before.
Are all questions worth the same?
We have not verified whether HKSI weights any items differently, so we will not claim they are all equal. What is published is the 70% pass mark against 60 questions. Treat every item as worth the same effort and do not spend three minutes on one you find interesting.