Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy governs the collection, processing, retention and disclosure of personal information by IQ School of Finance (the “Institute”) in connection with the MQ Testing Portal (the “Portal”). By accessing or using the Portal, you acknowledge that you have read and understood the practices described herein.

1. Data Controller

IQ School of Finance acts as the data controller in respect of all personal information processed through the Portal and determines the purposes and means of such processing. Enquiries concerning this Policy may be directed to the Institute through the contact details published on its official channels.

2. Categories of Information Collected

The Institute collects and processes the following categories of information:

• Identification and contact data — full name, electronic mail address, telephone number, roll number and batch designation, as furnished to the Institute at the time of enrolment.
• Academic data — subject enrolments, answer scripts submitted for assessment, examiner feedback reports generated in respect of such submissions, and records of study plans and lecture progress recorded by the user.
• Authentication and device data — a securely hashed representation of the account password, session identifiers, and a device identifier together with a descriptive label generated at the time of first sign-in, retained for the purpose of enforcing single-device access.
• Operational data — timestamps of sign-in activity and submission events, and technical logs generated in the ordinary course of operating the Portal.

The Portal does not collect payment card information, national identity numbers, or any special category data.

3. Purposes and Lawful Basis of Processing

Personal information is processed exclusively for the following purposes, each of which arises from the contractual relationship between the user and the Institute or from the Institute's legitimate interest in administering its academic programmes:

• the provision of examination preparation materials and past papers;
• the receipt, storage and assessment of answer scripts submitted by users;
• the preparation and transmission of examiner feedback reports;
• the authentication of users and the prevention of unauthorised account sharing;
• the maintenance of academic records and the administration of user accounts; and
• the security, integrity and continued availability of the Portal.

Personal information is not processed for marketing purposes, nor is it sold, rented or otherwise made available to any party for commercial gain.

4. Disclosure and Third-Party Processing

Access to personal information within the Institute is restricted to those members of academic and administrative staff who require such access in the discharge of their duties. Answer scripts and the corresponding feedback reports are made available to the teaching assistant assigned to the relevant subject and to the principal instructor.

The Institute engages a limited number of third-party service providers for the purposes of data hosting, file storage, electronic mail delivery and the preparation of examiner feedback. Such providers process information solely upon the documented instructions of the Institute, are bound by contractual confidentiality obligations, and are not permitted to use the information for their own purposes.

Personal information will not otherwise be disclosed to any third party save where disclosure is required by law, by order of a competent court, or by a lawful request of a regulatory or governmental authority.

5. Retention

Personal information is retained for such period as is necessary to give effect to the purposes set out in Clause 3 and to satisfy the Institute's academic record-keeping requirements. Answer scripts and associated feedback reports may be removed from active storage upon the expiry of the relevant academic cycle. Account records may be retained thereafter in order to maintain a continuous record of enrolment and assessment history.

6. Security Measures

The Institute maintains technical and organisational measures appropriate to the nature of the information processed. These include the storage of passwords in irreversibly hashed form, the transmission of all data over encrypted connections, role-based restriction of administrative access, the binding of each account to a single registered device, and the rate-limiting of authentication attempts. Notwithstanding these measures, no method of electronic transmission or storage can be guaranteed to be entirely secure, and users are required to safeguard their own credentials accordingly.

7. Rights of Users

Users may request access to the personal information held in respect of them, request the rectification of information that is inaccurate or incomplete, and request the deletion of their account. Requests of this nature should be addressed to the Institute and will be considered in accordance with applicable law and the Institute's academic record-keeping obligations. The Institute may decline a request for deletion to the extent that retention is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

8. Users Below the Age of Majority

The Portal is intended for use by candidates enrolled in professional accountancy examinations. Where a user has not attained the age of majority, enrolment is undertaken by the Institute upon the application of a parent or lawful guardian, and such enrolment constitutes consent to the processing described in this Policy.

9. Amendment

The Institute reserves the right to amend this Policy from time to time. The version published on the Portal shall constitute the Policy in force, and the date of last revision is stated at the head of this document. Continued use of the Portal following any such amendment shall constitute acceptance of the Policy as amended.