Prometric Centers at Full Capacity-Accommodations for Private Room?
Since they have reopened, some centers are at Reduced Capacity and some are at Full Capacity.
I have been in these rooms many times and I know the desks are close. My center is operating at full capacity. We are sitting there for five hours. Has anyone been able to request a private room due to covid19? Personally I believe my testing center is in violation of state regulations at this point but I'm so anxious to get my last exam done that I'm accepting lot of risk. However, a family member is in high risk category so I'm trying to get a private room. Not surprisingly, the phone number prometric gives to contact customer service on their website, is a non-working number.
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I highly doubt it.
I went to take my last exam in July and much to my surprise it was operating at full capacity. I went into the warm testing room, nervous from the risk I was putting myself in, and needless to say I was a hot mess and couldn't concentrate so I essentially threw away $235.
My advice is to not jeopardize your health or the health of your family for this.
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I'm torn. Normally I wouldn't take the risk but they are about to implement the white board software and take away paper. Personally I can't see how I could pass using their crappy software so I'm desperate to get this last one done before they do that. My wife is going to make me go live somewhere else for a week after the exam. The whole thing sucks.
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Guys. The whiteboard is a caveat to virtual testing. People want to be safe and test at home or in their private safety. So they are not allowed to use scratch paper, that they could scan and distribute to the world, thus exposing the exam. So there is a whiteboard. Which you do not keep, and erases once the exam is complete.
The test has to be equal to all in all circumstances and therefore testing at Prometric centers, you can not have scratch paper that virtual testers can not have.
Once upon a time, NCARB started testing people on computers, and the world was in uprising because how can you limit an architects creativity to a computer.
Id hate to be testing with a whiteboard, but that is because I took all the tests with scratch paper. I get it. It sucks. But as soon as people who have never had the scratch paper take over, this will no longer even be talked about.
As far as COVID, my testing center had no concern that I was sitting exactly next to 2 other people testing in a small enclosed room with little to no air circulation. So it is a risk. And I agree, that part of my first FAIL was the fear of testing in a COVID environment.
Mark, Archizam
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The at-home experience is going to be different than the Prometric center anyway. There doesn't seem to be ANY problem in having a difference in the testing experience. Someone doesn't like having a difference experience at-home? Fine. Don't do it. Go to a testing center. Has paper been a security issue at teat centers in the past decade? No. Then why change it?
Really, it's not so much that there needs to be an alternative to paper. Rather, the alternative has to WORK! And not be an impediment to success. If NCARB wanted to do the right thing, they could discuss this with Prometric and come to some agreement about using good Watcom. tablets that could closely emulate paper, on a separate monitor. But as that would take NCARB and Prometric investing money, there's no way either if them are going to do that! So if course the candidate is stuck. Watch how this plays out next week. It is not going to be pretty.
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God Bless you Joe. So I infer that you took the exam? I hope you passed!?
I have put you and your family in my prayers tonight.
Mark, Archizam
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My issue is that it's not just the inability to use your hand to write but it's also about the already long lag times, small screen size (1/3 will be covered by the whiteboard), slow computer speed, etc. that will be exacerbated by the heavier interface. Not to mention that the actual tool itself is a joke.
Joseph is exactly right, the alternative HAS TO WORK. Right now it doesn't.
This was the straw that broke the camel's back for me.
Joseph, I really hope you passed and that the sacrifice will be worth it for you and your family.
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Mark and Cassandra
Thank you both for your kind thoughts ad prayers. I am fine, my family is fine, and I passed PDD, my last exam. I am done with the ARE. Even though we are broke, I consider the $800 as worth it.As I write this, I am listening to a podcast about the stories of homeless people in California. As frustrating as all of this is, and as important as it seems, we are all still lucky that this is our major problem this week, instead of how to feed our kids and whether we will have to sleep in a broken car or find someplace inside.
As difficult as school was, and life is, we will all get through this, get registered and continue with successful white collar careers.
In all the insanity of 2020, the one thing I know for sure is that we just have to be as kind and helpful. to each other as we can. And be grateful for what we have
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