Remote Proctoring is a great idea that has been executed terribly.

December 31, 2020 00:57

I was scheduled to take the Practice Management Exam at 4:30pm today (12/30/2020). I first logged into Prometric's remote proctoring program at 4:25pm for a 4:30pm exam time. Before logging in I did an internet speed test (screenshot attached) and it told me that I had almost a gigabyte of upload and download speed (I was at my office with an ethernet connection). I also had called a friend to test the webcam and speakers and everything worked. This was also confirmed by Prometric's system test during the login process. After about 10 minutes, an online proctor appeared on the screen above the chat dialogue but I could not hear her. We used the text box and she said to log out and log back in, which I did. After that though, no proctor ever showed back up. After waiting for quite awhile, the software crashed and I got an automated message to wait 90 seconds and log back in, which I did. This same process happened two more times. After logging back in, no proctor ever shows up and the software eventually crashes. The error message says there's a connectivity issue but as I said, I did a speed test but I have almost a gigabyte of upload and download speeds so I don't believe it is anything on my end. Finally, a little after 6:00pm, I gave up. I know that other people are trying to use the remote proctoring option and have experienced Prometric software crashes as well. I'd hoped to avoid testing centers because the one near me is barely hygienic in the best of times, let alone during a pandemic.

Comments

11 comments

Official comment

NCARB January 04, 2021 14:54

David and Stefani,

Please reach out to NCARB Customer Service and they can provide assistance.

Comment actions Permalink
Stefani Huey December 31, 2020 01:11

I launched my exam an hour ago, 15 min before my exam time as recommended. I still have not had a proctor assigned. I am well past my exam time! Online Prometric support says there is currently a 5-7 day response time!

3

Comment actions Permalink
David Salamon December 31, 2020 01:21

Hi Stefani, let me know if you are able to take the test. If this thread gets locked by NCARB, you can reach me davidsalamon@gmail.com. thanks

2

Comment actions Permalink
Michael Riscica December 31, 2020 16:33

David,

Please contact your local AIA and State Board regarding this stuff. They seem to think everything is going just great with ARE 5.0, because they only hear NCARB's side of the story.

3

Comment actions Permalink
Cassandra Cook January 05, 2021 17:23

http://youngarchitect.com/NCARBsurvey

1

Comment actions Permalink
Annie Chen February 01, 2021 20:52

I tried to do the test-run today but my external webcam wouldn't read my ID, it gets blurry when I hold the ID up to it, has anyone been able to find a webcam that can read an ID with a built-in mic?

0

Comment actions Permalink
Sarah George February 01, 2021 21:06

I successfully used this one for my online exam and I used the gift card easily on the bestbuy website https://www.bestbuy.com/site/mee-audio-1080p-webcam-with-autofocus/6435194.p?skuId=6435194

0

Comment actions Permalink
Julia De Vito February 01, 2021 22:23

Another tip for reading the ID better, place the ID on the desk and try to see if the camera zooms in on the text better. I found that even with my autofocus camera, it works best this other way.

0

Comment actions Permalink
Annie Chen February 23, 2021 22:16

Does anyone know if earplugs are allowed for remote proctored exams?

0

Comment actions Permalink
Sarah George February 24, 2021 05:01

Not allowed. They check your ears and even behind your ears. Even earrings are not recommended.

0

Comment actions Permalink
Sarah George February 24, 2021 05:03

I took my second online proctored test. This time even with my good Ethernet connection, the exam shutdown during my last case study. SO STRESSFUL. I was able to log back in and get rechecked in about 30 min. Stressful but passed, thanked goodness.

0

Comment actions Permalink

Please sign in to leave a comment.

Comments

Didn't find what you were looking for?