FIRST Online Proctored Exam That DIDN'T Crash! Here's What I Did Different

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Bryan Moore

March 30, 2021 18:24

3 out of 4 of my online proctored exams have crashed, all during the case study. Today was the first exam appointment that didn't crash. 

What I changed:

1. Didn't take a break: This would be my prime suspect in determining the cause of my past crashes. In all past exams I would return from a break, begin the case studies, and experience crashes. This time I flew through PjM and didn't stop for a break. 
2. Didn't use the white board: I avoided using the digital white board during this exam. It is an annoyance to try to use it as seamlessly as a pen and paper, and it's scarily laggy. 
3. Restart your router before your exam: When I crashed in the past, Prometric would instruct me to restart my router and rejoin the exam. I did this preemptively this time. 
4. Connect to ethernet, "disconnect" from background Wi-Fi: Despite being connected through ethernet in the past, I still experienced crashes that Prometric diagnosed as internet interruptions. This time I noticed that even though my ethernet was my primary source of network connection, my Wi-Fi network was still "Connected". Just in case my computer decided to toggle between ethernet and Wi-Fi, which could cause a blip in connection, I "Disconnected" and "Forget" my Wi-Fi network to not give it the option to do so.
5. Changed Network Adapter Settings: I found this tip online. Under your device manager, find your ethernet driver, go to properties, power management and un-check "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power", then restart your computer. 

I feel like a guinea pig in the dark. However NCARB did say there were improvements to the ARE's performance being rolled out in late-March...

• March 22 NCARB sent the email "ARE Update: PSI Migration Timeline" which included a sentence about improving the software performance of the AREs as administered by Prometric: "We’re actively completing quality assurance reviews of Prometric updates that should improve the overall performance of the ARE and will be deployed later this month."

Whether it was my system/strategy adjustments or NCARB/Prometric's performance improvements that made this my first exam to not crash... I suspect we will never know. Just wanted to share to help the next test taker.

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  Bryan Moore April 20, 2021 18:15

  Took another crash-free remote proctored exam today using my steps 3, 4, and 5 from above. This time I took some risky liberties by taking 1 break and actually using the digital white board. 

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  Gang Chen April 21, 2021 00:07

  Good advices. Thanks for sharing!

  Gang Chen, Author, Architect, LEED AP BD+C (GreenExamEducation.com)

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  Joel Frost April 28, 2021 19:14 (Edited April 28, 2021 19:15)

  This is ridiculous. I’m trying to take my proctored test today and am having major issues. Getting into the test and system check was fine, but after I’d done 8 case study problems ( which is where I start), my screen went grey with about 3:53 left. After I restarted and went thru the same procedures 20 minutes later and get back into the exam and I have 3:36 left! I continue along frantically with my case study questions for 10 more minutes and then it goes grey again. I can’t believe I’m paying money for this waste. 

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  Gabrielle Serriere July 23, 2021 00:13

  Great post Bryan! Hope this helps me next week. The more posts I read, the more ridiculous the online and in test center exams sound this year. Considering folks posting here a few days ago the crashes are still prevalent, something tells me Prometric has not deployed the proper measures quite yet. Joyous that I need to "keep my fingers crossed" in addition to the above troubleshooting. :)

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