Can you use 15" Microsoft Surface book laptop for PCM exam
Taking PCM in February. My laptop screen in 15". Is that ok size for PCM? I know they recommend 19" or bigger.
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liv4ever76 I took all of my exams via online remote testing with my 16" MacBook and it worked completely fine. The ARE 5.0 Guidelines recommends a larger monitor size, but gives the disclaimer that "smaller monitors or lower resolutions reduce image clarity and may require additional scrolling." I didn't notice any issues with this personally. I think you'll be fine with 15" screen but definitely check with NCARB Customer Support to be sure :)
Best of luck on your PcM exam! You're going to do great!
Kiara | Black Spectacles | Community
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liv4ever76, one thing to be aware of (that I personally ran into when testing) is you can't use a laptop with a touchscreen unless you've set up an external monitor, camera, keyboard, mouse, etc, and keep the laptop closed otherwise the whole time. You can use a USB splitter to add peripherals, but docking stations and any hubs that add a video or network port (HDMI, DisplayPort, Ethernet, etc.) are prohibited. If it's a hybrid laptop/tablet, tablet mode has to be disabled.
The laptop I had at the time had a touchscreen, and I didn't have enough ports for all the peripherals, so I ended up pulling an old desktop out of the closet to use. Not ideal, but it worked out okay for me in the end. At that time, USB splitters were not permitted, but that changed with one of the more recent rule updates.
Definitely plan to schedule and run the full system check before your exam date - it'll give you time to adjust your setup if need be without having to pull a desktop out of the closet like I did.
Cheers!
Ralph, the Amber Book Team -
My understanding is that you have to be able to either disable the touchscreen capability of the monitor entirely, or set up a separate monitor, keyboard, camera, and mouse and work with the laptop closed - I don't think the monitor can be touchscreen-capable while you're testing. You have to have a separate camera regardless.
All the technical requirements are given or linked on pg. 27-28 of the current Guidelines. There's a link to a systems check on pg 27, but I don't think it checks that your peripherals meet the requirements - it's just making sure your machine will run the exam software best I can tell. The PSI Test Run will review everything, including peripherals.
Best,Ralph, the Amber Book Team
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