ProProctor Disconnect - Resolving an ISP Security Issue
Yesterday evening I took my first ARE Exam (PPD) at home via ProProctor. The overall experience was terrible from a technical point of view and I could go on and on about the anguish it caused and the compromised and unfair testing experience that resulted, but these message boards make clear that experiences like mine are not uncommon so I will try to cut to the chase.
I was disconnected twice, and the first Prometric technician assisting with relaunching the exam was able to identify my ISP's security feature as the problem. Apparently the ProProctor site / software was interpreted as a threat to my network and Comcast / Xfinity blocked it. My internet connection (via ethernet) worked well throughout the process, but the rpcandidate.prometric.com site was consistently 'unable to load' following exam disconnects.
I reached out to Comcast / Xfinity during my exam, but they did not provide any assistance other than suggesting I restart my modem / computer and clear Chrome's cookies and data. After the second disconnect and working with two more (utterly unhelpful) Prometric technicians, I desperately tried to search for a solution on my own and may have found one. Via the Xfinity app, I disabled Advanced Security (Account > More Resources > xFi Advanced Security) and was able to reload the exam.
I took PDD this morning and, shockingly, encountered no problems.
The first technician I worked with mentioned they had encountered this issue once before, but I'd imagine it could be a relatively widespread issue for Comcast / Xfinity customers and I wanted to share my experience here.
Good luck everyone,
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I have Comcast / Xfinity and have had technical issues for 3 out of the 4 exams I've taken from home. Prometric hasn't identified internet security issues as my source of problems, but they said it was an internet blip on my end. I will try this out for my next exam. Thank you for sharing.
Edit: I don't see this option in the Xfinity app I have. I am guessing this is because I have my own router, not the leased Xfinity one. Can you share what equipment you're using for internet?
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Thank you so much for this possible solution. I have xfinity and I believe it kicked me off. I spent 2 hrs trying to get back on and texting to a helpless prometric tech before having the idea of using my phone as a hotspot (not recommended but I was desperate). It worked. But I need to sort out this xfinity is sure before my next one.
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