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The Rigors · Impartiality

A conflict is managed before it can shape the record.

Assessors and decision owners disclose personal, commercial, supervisory, educational, client, competitive, and other relationships that could affect—or reasonably appear to affect—an assessment decision.

ForExperienced independent professionals

FocusAssessment, readiness, engagement operations, and support

Prohibited decision factors

Country, nationality, accent, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, Academy enrollment, payment, scholarship status, marketing consent, and willingness to accept a particular commercial rate are not quality criteria.

Recusal path

  1. Disclose the relationship before evidence review.

  2. Record scope, timing, and potential influence.

  3. Decide recusal, bounded participation, or no material conflict.

  4. Assign an independent reviewer when required.

  5. Preserve the decision and applicant review path.

Applicants may raise a conflict or process concern without changing the evidence standard or inviting retaliation.

Review the appeals process

Review evaluation independence