PPD Pass - Online Proctoring

Tried the online proctoring option for my latest ARE. There were some distracting technical issues starting at check-in and throughout:

First off, my external webcam was not auto-focusing on my I.D. correctly during the security check-in. I eventually got it to work with my passport (larger format I.D. helped), but it was frustrating. While I did purchase a camera with auto-focusing capability, it was definitely on the cheaper side and it would be worth paying a little more to not have this issue. 

I found the whiteboard basically unusable. Maybe this isn't everyone's experience, but my advice would be to not rely on it. Even from the beginning, with a blank canvas, there was serious lag time with drawing lines or shapes. I was able to use the text function minimally, but at question 93 (hours into the exam), I made the mistake of opening the whiteboard while I had a floor plan open. The whole interface froze and I had to restart the ProProctor program and do the security check-in process over again. I thought I lost everything, but luckily the program saved where I was and I didn't lose any time.

The right-click to rotate tool was also not functioning properly. It worked the first time I rotated an object, but if I needed to rotate that same object again, it wouldn't do anything. I often had to rotate and enter degrees multiple times to get it to work. 

These technical issues did not ultimately impact my performance- maybe I lost a minute or two total just trying to get things to work properly. Just a heads up to future online testers: you should expect these things to happen, and don't stress out if they do. It's all manageable and you'll get through it! 

In terms of studying, I focused on Architectural Graphic Standards, Architect's Studio Companion, Ballast ARE sample test (no reading chapters, I found just going over the questions and explanations super helpful), Brightwood (not sure how helpful this really was), FEMA Designing For Earthquakes Chapters 4 & 5 (very good overview), and definitely study the NCARB manuals to get used to the types of questions that will be on the exam. 

Good luck!