Honor Code
Before You Take the Exam: The Honor System
Many of the world’s finest academic institutions uphold an honor system where students take full responsibility for their honesty during examinations. Under this system, exams are typically unsupervised: the instructor distributes the examination papers, addresses any initial questions, and then leaves the room, returning only at the end of the allotted time to collect the answer sheets.
At L6S, the advisory committee endorses a similar approach, grounded in the five pillars outlined below. The committee believes that the only unfair conduct during the exam would be to receive assistance from others, or to tamper with the time, score, questions, or any variables that could influence actual performance.
Taking the Global Standard Test (GST) signifies your implicit acceptance of the Honor Code principles. Each participant is expected to adhere to these principles as if they have pledged: "I pledge my honor that I have not violated the GST Honor Code during this examination," and to uphold these values throughout the exam without the need for a physical signature.
Although the Global Standards Tests were conceived for students of Lean and Six Sigma regardless of their age or professional background, the committee found that most of the people who work with or study these methodologies are typically adults who take pride in their skills and accomplishments. Thus, for people whose goal is true self-improvement and building demonstrable skills, which are going to be repeatedly put to the test on the field before other people, personal responsibility is in a vast majority of cases a matter of personal value.
The tests have been primarily designed to make meaningful use of Lean and Six Sigma concepts, e.g. to reason and not to barely remember definitions or nomenclature. Therefore, the committee feels that even if a candidate had all the books in front of her or him during the exam, to make an intelligent and effective use of them in a time-constrained setting would only be possible if the candidate were indeed well prepared.
In addition to the reasoning required to answer a majority of questions, the exam is paced so that there is no time to go and “study” the topics required to answer most questions during the exam itself.
The questions in the exams keep changing and answers are never fixed. In statistical terms, it would be highly improbable to encounter two identical tests. This was done in order to make question memorization meaningless.
If a prospective employer, a boss, or a mentor should ever question the validity of the Global Standard Test, all they would have to do is take the Talent Appraisal Test together with the GST Certified Individual anywhere they wish to, anytime. The Talent Appraisal Test was created to establish objective evidence of superior preparation in Lean and Six Sigma by utilizing statistical sampling and statistical inference. Although the intent of the TA test is not to certify anyone’s knowledge all-around, a passing score in a Lean or Six Sigma TA strongly suggests that a person would also be successful at the corresponding GST.
The GST Honor Code
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Integrity in Assistance: Violations of the honor system include any form of unauthorized assistance. This encompasses receiving or giving assistance regardless of one's own exam status. Other violations involve any attempt to gain an unfair advantage, such as tampering with graded exams or presenting someone else’s work as one’s own.
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Fairness in Exam Preparation: Violations also include the procurement, or attempted procurement, of exam questions before the test or any unauthorized knowledge about the exam contents.
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Honesty with the Committee: Perjury, defined as lying or purposely misleading the Advisory Committee, constitutes a serious breach of the Honor Code.
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Honor Pledge: At the conclusion of the GST, each participant implicitly affirms their adherence to the Honor Code principles, reflecting the pledge: "I pledge my honor that I have not violated the GST Honor Code during this examination." The absence of a physical signature does not diminish the binding nature of this pledge.
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Reporting Suspected Violations: Candidates are expected to maintain the integrity of the GST by reporting any suspected Honor Code violations they observe or become aware of to the Honor Committee.
Handling Violations:
- Upon receiving a report of a suspected violation, the Advisory Committee will promptly investigate.
- If a candidate is found not guilty, all records of the investigation will be destroyed.
- If a candidate is found guilty, they may be required to retake the test under supervised conditions. Refusal to comply may lead to revocation of the candidate’s certification.
After You Take the Exam: The Code of Professional Ethics
By holding a credential from L6S Group, you commit to the following principles:
- Uphold the highest standards of professional behavior.
- Accurately represent your qualifications, experience, and education to L6S Group and to others in your professional engagements.
- Respect and protect the intellectual property rights of L6S Group materials, including but not limited to course content, publications, event presentations, and examination resources. Similarly, you must respect the copyright of other organizations and individuals within your professional practice.
- Comply with all L6S Group examination guidelines, procedures, and the regulations of any third-party organizations that administer L6S Group exams.
- Refrain from using your membership, company, or profession for exploitation or unethical gain.
- Promote and participate in the exchange of knowledge and techniques for the collective benefit of the profession.
- Treat all individuals with respect and dignity in your professional role, demonstrating awareness of cultural, individual, and role differences, including those related to age, gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, and socio-economic status.
- Avoid and condemn any behavior in your professional capacity that could be considered harassing or demeaning to others based on, but not limited to, age, gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, or socio-economic status.
- Adhere to this Code of Professional Ethics in all aspects of your work. Ignorance or misunderstanding of an ethical standard will not excuse unethical conduct.
- Seek guidance from L6S Group’s Customer Service if you are unsure whether a specific action or situation might breach this Code of Ethics.
- Avoid any conduct that could bring you into public disrepute, or cause damage to your personal image or the goodwill associated with your credential.
Failure to adhere to this Code of Professional Ethics may result in disciplinary actions, including the potential revocation of your certification.