Earning Certifications: Is Online Proctoring Any Better?

[#1]

If you have read any of my articles or watched any of my videos on preparing for certifications, you may remember that I have a laundry list of tips you need to watch out for when taking exams online. Last summer I moved closer to family. However, there isn’t a Testing Centre close to me anymore. The previous Testing Centre I went to was about 40 minutes away. Unfortunately, the closest Testing Centre to my new house is the same Centre, only now it’s about 3 hours away.

This left me with two options, either I waste an entire day any time I need to take a new certification exam or I attempt to take the exam online. The last time I took an online exam was during the pandemic when going to a Testing Centre wasn’t an option. So the real question on my my mind, has taking an exam online gotten better?

My assumptions & Caveats

I want to get one thing out of the way before I answer that question. This is based on my personal experiences having taken two exams. One within the past week, the other within the past month. I live in Canada with access to high speed internet and a dedicated room and computer setup I can use exclusively for exams. As a result, my experiences may be different from yours.

With that aside, my answer is YES! I wanted to share a few things that I remember being more difficult during the pandemic which aren’t as challenging now.

Cancellation Protection (for a fee)

Yes I know, many of you will call this a sham to get you to cough up more money. However, a to give you more of an opportunity to reschedule last minute might be worth the additional cost.

Upload Identification during scheduling

One additional change that has been made during scheduling your exam is that you can now preemptively upload you identification so that you have one less step to do on the day of your exam.

PSI Secure Browser Upgrades

There have been significant upgrades to the platform PSI uses to administer the exams. Previous versions required random system processes to be terminated, many of which didn’t seem relevant. The newer version (in my opinion) is much easier to get installed and to operate during the exam.

Advanced Practice Exam Session

In addition to the upgrades to the exam platform, you now also have the ability to install ahead of time and run through a sample exam about the platform to ensure everything is working correctly. This drastically reduces the amount of time required to get everything setup on the exam day, and reduces the level of stress and anxiety of hoping everything will work correctly.

More consistent Proctoring

In the past, I found that the intensity of questioning and strictness of adhering to the policies was variable depending on who you got as your proctor for any given exam. From the two most recent ones that I have done, it now appears that the proctors are working from a standardized script. This makes things much more consistent and removes the shock value of being asked for different things every time you take an exam.

Conclusions

With everything that has changed, I’m much more willing to use the online proctoring method than I was previously. This makes things much easier for me and I hope some of this information will help you when considering your certification exam options.

If you are planning to take a certification exam in the near future, I wish you all the best and I hope you pass!

[Hans Polder _Devoteam_]

Hey Jimmy,
Nice and concise article as ever :-)

I have similar experiences. Even going back to ~May/June 2024, I already found the online proctored exams to be well organized and the communication throughout the process was on point. I can recommend it to anyone!

[Dirk Ronsmans]

Great recap @Jimmy Seddon ,

The only thing that always bothers me is the ability to have a room without anything on the walls and things like that. Even a glass wall/door could be considered an issue.

Just for peace of mind that's why I always try and do a on-site exam as it also provides you easier access to a proctor who can actually provide physical assistance.

But good to know it's getting better! I remember the days when they switched to PSI and I had to do the (beta) ACP-120, .. random disconnects/crashes/proctors pausing the exam randomly, questions that had their answer vanish,..  like an exam isn't stressful enough already :-D 

[Robert Wen_Cprime_]

Great article, @Jimmy Seddon !

I get paranoid about taking an exam at home.  I move from my office to the kitchen or set up a table and chair in an area I know is free from wall art.  Plus, since I'm not the only one home, I worry about sounds coming from pets or my wife, who also works from home.

So, I've taken to do my testing on-site.

[Tomislav Tobijas _Koios_]

I actually had a worse experience in the testing center than online. I don't remember any time in my life when I had this detailed security check compared to the one in the testing center (and this includes entering the US embassy building!). Also, the second time in the testing center, the system crashed but, fortunately, they managed to reboot everything and I could continue where I left. Note that this was in 2022.

As for online proctoring, I think I've taken 7 exams this way, and overall, I had a positive experience. I think the system froze just once (not sure if it was my connection or smt else) but they didn't make any fuss about it.
Some areas could be improved (e.g. terminating all necessary applications) but I would always prefer taking an exam online than having to go to the test center. 👀

[Hans Polder _Devoteam_]

I have to admit, I have the luxury of not having kids or pets around, and having a room that can be turned into 'exam mode' relatively easily. I can imagine that it's more difficult if one of these things is not present!

[Jimmy Seddon]

Thanks for the positive feedback everyone!

@Dirk Ronsmans I think they may have relaxed some of the rules about what is in the room.  While I don't have anything hanging on the walls.  I'm surrounded by the kids toys:

@Robert Wen_Cprime_ I don't have any pets (anymore) but I always make sure to book the exams while the kids are at school/daycare for that exact concern.

@Tomislav Tobijas _Koios_ I'm sorry to hear about your testing center experiences, I have never had those types of issues in Canada.

[Shawn Doyle - ReleaseTEAM]

@Jimmy Seddon I agree. 

I prefer the online proctored exams.  My office is not without wall art, and lots of junk, I haven't been asked to cover or remove something on the wall or on adjacent desks/tables. The thing I've been asked to do the most is verify the other computers are off.

However, in the early days, I had an employee take an exam from my office and they had to cover the "Police Box" sign above my Tardis doors.  I guess it depends on who you get as a proctor.

The only issue I have had is the exams disconnecting while in progress, it's easy enough to reconnect, and it puts you right back to the same spot you left at. You do need to go through the verification and vetting of the environment again, which can take you out of the exam-taking mood.

I'll lean toward taking the exams from my office, mainly due to convenience, but I don't judge the ones that like to go to the physical testing centers.

[Susan Waldrip]

Love this, @Jimmy Seddon ! I've only taken one online proctored exam (not for Atlassian) and they were quite stringent in their requirements -- nothing on the tables, floor, desk, walls, had to manually use my camera to show them the entire room including the underside of the desk (no hiding answers there!). But it didn't bother me because I then had the confidence they knew everything was legit and I didn't hear from the proctor again until the exam was done. I really appreciate the online option for exams.

[Mary Agueros]

Thank you for the information. 

[Joanna Thurmann]

Thanks for posting this @Jimmy Seddon Great info for our test-takers.