Testing after July 31, 2021
Hi NCARB,
We have heard about the transition to online proctoring a lot lately. I think the conversations have been great-honest reflections of experiences. Lots of advice on passes, fails, techniques, study material and tips. Just what this community was created for! Kudos to all that have participated and shared.
I'm curious about a lesser talked about topic. NCARB announced last summer they were switching away from Prometric and to SPI for in-person testing. I have not heard a single thing about it since. Is it still happening? Will we be able to test in-person and remotely? What are their web-cam requirements (will I have to buy a second webcam to meet their needs)? I'm guessing I'm not the only one with questions. I have PA later this month and then two more exams to go. I want to schedule them during the conclusion of my next study group.
There was considerable announcements, notifications, and publications regarding the online proctoring. It seems as though the transition between testing centers should have just as much notice to the future of the profession. NCARB has published that over 70% of test takers are still doing so in person.
Thank you for NCARB's answer. We are all looking forward to it!
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Hi Julie,
NCARB is still moving forward with the migration from Prometric to PSI, and yes, PSI will also allow candidates to take the exam online and in-person. NCARB will be releasing more information about the migration to PSI as we move into the spring.
Currently, the Prometric scheduler is open through the end of July, so if you want to test in the next several months, you can schedule those appointments now. In early April, we expect the Prometric scheduler to open testing appointments in August and September. If you plan to take your final two exams between now and September, you can focus on testing in Prometric.
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Yes, thank you for the update. Will there be any official announcement on this before "spring" (which is incredibly vague), or will testers have to find this specific thread to get that answer? Myself, and many people I've spoken to, have been wondering what is going on. Many of us assumed "Summer 2021" for the switch-over meant June/July, but when we could test with Prometric through July that just confused us more since we had head nothing from NCARB about this since last fall. I had been hoping we'd get 6 months' notice for this change over since that gives people at least a chance to finish their exams without having to deal with a new test location/proctor/system.
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Hey Caitlin,
Yes, there will be an official announcement from NCARB when the transition timeline is finalized, which we are working on now. Regarding the notice time, we will be informing candidates of the official transition date far in advance so all candidates can plan according.
As mentioned above, if you plan to test between now and September, expect it to be Prometric.
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Thank you for the update. One other question though, if certain circumstances cause a test taker to have to postpone an already scheduled exam with Prometric beyond the final transition period to PSI, will that reservation be moved to PSI or will it be forfeited with no refund? I'm not expecting this to happen for my upcoming scheduled exam but in the past I have personally experienced some serious unforeseen medical hardships that had caused me to keep postponing my scheduled exams for over a year since I was not permitted to cancel them.
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Hey Janette,
NCARB is still working through the details of the transition, so we can't provide specifics on how this situation would work at this point. However, we do understand that unforeseen events do happen, and typically we will work with candidates one-on-one to resolve any scheduling issues.
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