Education

Exam bodies: destroying candidate data

1 August 2026 · 9 min read · DeSnipperaar

An exam body processes the data of everyone who sits an exam. Think of registrations and candidate data, an ID copy for identification on the exam day, completed exam work, results and sometimes fraud or appeal files. Part falls under a longer retention period from the exam regulation, part you keep as briefly as possible. This guide shows, by part, what you keep, when it may go and how to destroy it confidentially.

The quick answer. Results and diploma data often have a longer retention period under the exam regulation, the invoicing falls under the tax seven years. Completed exam work, ID copies and appeal files you keep no longer than necessary for settlement and the objection period. What may go disappears confidentially and with a certificate.

Two frameworks, exam regulation and GDPR

At an exam body two things run together. The exam regulation or a client's requirements dictate that you keep results and diploma data for a set time, so an achieved result can still be verified later. Alongside this the GDPR applies, which requires not keeping personal data longer than necessary. The exam regulation sets the floor for what you must keep, the GDPR the ceiling for what you may not keep too long.

So treat the candidate data per type. A result that must stay verifiable for years has a different status than an ID copy from the exam day or a draft registration. If you make that distinction, you keep exactly what you must and clear out the rest on time.

Retention periods by part

The period differs per type of data. The overview below gives the main line. Count the tax period from the end of the financial year and the other periods from the exam day or the settlement of an appeal.

Part	Starting point	Period
Results and diploma data	Exam regulation	own, often longer period
Invoicing and administration	Tax retention obligation	7 years
Exam-day ID copy	As limited as possible	only what is needed
Completed exam work	Until after the objection period	purpose-bound
Fraud and appeal files	Until the dispute is settled	as briefly as possible after
Registrations and drafts	Purpose-bound, no retention duty	clear out at once

Use this as a guideline, not a substitute for your exam regulation. When in doubt, consult the examining institution or your privacy adviser. A handy overview of the broader periods is in the GDPR retention periods cheatsheet.

Exam-day ID copy, be restrained

On the exam day you establish a candidate's identity, but that does not mean you must keep a full copy of the identity document. It is often enough to record that identity was checked, with the document type and number, without keeping the photo and national ID number indefinitely. An ID copy is sensitive, so whatever you did have on paper or on screen you clear out confidentially as soon as possible. How to handle an ID copy when you do process one is set out in safely destroying passport and ID copies.

That way you avoid managing a mountain of identity data you did not actually need. Limit the record to the identification itself and do not let the rest lie around among the exam folders.

Completed exam work, results and appeal files

Completed exam work you keep until after the objection and appeal period, so a re-assessment or a complaint can still be handled. Once that period has passed and no objection is in play, the purpose lapses and you clear the work out. The result itself and the diploma data you keep longer, because an achieved result must remain verifiable later. The approach closely resembles that of schools, which work with exam work, tests and grade lists.

Fraud and appeal files are sensitive, because they record a suspicion or a dispute. Keep those files recognisably separate, keep them until the dispute is settled and then clear them out confidentially. Keeping them to come in handy one day is not a valid ground.

How to handle it in 6 steps

1. Split the data into results, administration, exam work, ID copies and files.
2. Limit the identification to what you really need and keep no loose ID copies.
3. Keep results and diploma data for the period in your exam regulation.
4. Clear out exam work once the objection period has passed.
5. Collect what may go in sealed containers, not in the paper bin.
6. Have it destroyed confidentially with a certificate and record it in your register.

Destroy confidentially with a certificate

Candidate data is destroyed confidentially, because it contains identity, performance and sometimes fraud data. The paper and any data carriers travel sealed and stay that way until destruction, so the chain is closed. An old exam laptop, a USB stick with scans or a backup with results belongs with it too.

Afterwards you receive a certificate of destruction with the date, quantity and level. That certificate is your proof that you arranged the destruction in a way that is demonstrable for the GDPR. Record the destruction in your record of processing. We collect within 20 km of Amsterdam with no call-out charge, work nationwide through pooled collection rounds and charge a fixed price per box or roll container. Drop-off on site is not possible; it works by appointment through collection.

Common mistakes

• Keeping ID copies indefinitely. Record only the identification, not the full copy.
• Keeping exam work forever. After the objection period the purpose lapses.
• Treating fraud and appeal files as ordinary paper. Those need extra care.
• Throwing away unshredded. Results or an ID copy on the street are a reportable data breach.
• Keeping no proof. Without a certificate you cannot demonstrate the destruction.

Frequently asked questions

How long does an exam body keep candidate data and results?

Results and diploma data often have a longer retention period under the exam regulation, because a diploma must remain verifiable later. The invoicing falls under the seven-year tax retention obligation. Registrations and other candidate data you keep no longer than necessary for settlement.

May I keep an ID copy from the exam day?

Be restrained here. It is often enough to record that identity was checked, without keeping a full copy. An ID copy contains a national ID number and photo and is sensitive, so you clear it out as soon as possible.

How long do I keep exam work and appeal files?

Exam work you keep until after the objection and appeal period, so a re-assessment stays possible. Fraud and appeal files you keep until the dispute is settled and then clear out confidentially.

How do I destroy candidate data in line with the GDPR?

Confidentially and with a certificate of destruction. Paper and data carriers travel sealed and the destruction is recorded in the record of processing.

Conclusion

An exam body works with identity, performance and sometimes fraud data of every candidate, between an exam regulation and the GDPR. Keep results and diploma data for the period in your regulation, keep the administration seven years and be restrained with an ID copy. Completed exam work you clear out after the objection period and files after a dispute is settled. What may go you have destroyed confidentially with a certificate as proof. That way you meet both frameworks and protect your candidates' data.

Read also: universities: destroying student data, training providers: destroying participant data, tutoring services: destroying student data and the GDPR retention periods cheatsheet.

---

Have candidate data collected? Request a quote via desnipperaar.nl. Within a few minutes you have a fixed price, including a certificate as proof.