Experiences with PSI online exams?
I have taken three previous ARE exams with Prometric in person and had generally good experiences. A quick search had led to the conclusion that people seem to agree on PSI being an atrocious step backward and the testing center experiences are quite horrible. This is giving me quite a bit of anxiety now that I'm approaching the "hard territories" aka PPD/PDD for the remaining exams lining up.
For people who have been taking exams online, how would you compare the online testing experiences between Prometric and PSI? Not to say that the online testing with Prometric was not buggy to begin with, but is PSI at least not much worse in that regard? Would you choose online testing over testing centers nowadays, if both options are available to you?
It would be very helpful to hear your thoughts on this. Thanks!
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Hi Minquan,
I took 4 tests with prometric and even though they switched locations a lot I thought the experience was good. It was always well organized, well staffed, and well executed.
I took my first test with PSI today and all I can say is Yikes! I though it was so poorly done, mismanaged, and unorganized. I am very much following this post to see if anyone has good experiences with online proctoring. I may be taking my last test that way.
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I took my first exam with Prometric and the whole thing went really well. I took my most recent exam with PSI and it was a huge disappointment- especially since NCARB has really been promoting the switch. Not sure how NCARB could fix this issue, unless they were to switch back to Prometric...
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I just finished an online test with PSI after taking 2 online tests with Prometric. I was extremely frustrated with PSI. It was downgrade in every way from Prometric. The chat person who was supposed to be walking me through the process just would quit responding for 10 minutes at a time. I didnt know if I was disconnected so I just sat there sweating wondering if I was now going to have to restart my computer and lose my time slot. Just another negative obstacle to add to the list on these awful tests.
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I recent did the PDD exam on line with PSI. Had better experience with Prometric on PPD a few month ago.
The checking in process was quite different, PSI asking for a few videos to show the spaces (15s to show the wall spaces...which is quite tough), while Prometric have a real person (show face with audio).
Then all the communicate was in the small chat area.
The PSI software does not take the full screen, need some addition setting beforehand to auto hide the windows bar at the bottom so it look the same like the on site exam.
And cabled internet connection is a must. Did a test run with WiFi, it showed me 0mb bandwidth forth me to run a long cable.
Overall it's ok experience, highly recommend to do a test run at least one day before the real exam, to make sure the camera, system, internet works.
Good Luck all!
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I had a terrible experience yesterday with PSI online exam. There was no live person to scan my room or guide me. I had to do this scanning for in just 15 seconds and then again with the chat box. Then, it crashed within the second hour! No one called me to follow up. I was left in the dark with my frustration.
I emailed NCARB and asking for my exam seat to be credited back.
NCARB as being the professional establishment, should take professional measures. PSI is not a professional choice. Each exam seat costs 230 dollars. I am expecting a system that I can trust. Yesterday, my time of 4 hours is lost. How it will be compensated?
This should not ever be a problem and now I am worried what if I have a terrible experience in person also?
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Yesterday evening I attempted to take the Project Development and Documentation Exam online, at home, with the proctoring company PSI. My experience with their secure browser was beyond infuriating. During the 2.5 hours that I was able to take the test, I experienced 5 disconnections from their side. This means I had to rescan my environment and verify 5 times, nearly every 22min like clockwork. I started my check in process at 4:15 and when I took my break at 8pm, the test timer was at 1h 40min (from 4h) remaining. Nearly 2 hours of that 4 hour window was dealing with technical issues from their side. It was maddeningly disruptive.
The most infuriating part of the whole examination experience was that when I returned from my break, I had a message that my exam was terminated because of a violation! I was not given any reasoning, nor was I able to get in touch with the proctor to get an explanation. I was told by tech support (Ticket numbers 5037526, 5037610, and 5037748) "Sorry, there is nothing we can do, you need to talk to NCARB." I do not know how or why there was a violation. I feel scammed, frustrated, confused, and completely disenchanted with this testing Proctor. To be frank, something like this should have never happened, they are a flimsy company if these kinds of things can occur. When I took my other tests with the ProProctor secure browser, I never experienced anything like this. -
Hello Jeremy, I passed all my 6 divisions online and yes, I also experienced some technical difficulties, a few occasional disconnects, etc.
Questions:
Have you had an ethernet cord connected during your exam?
Have you scheduled the test run a few days prior and upgraded your computer system after running PSI system compatibility check?
Have you shared the break screen with your proctor and waited for the confirmation via chat box prior to leaving your desk and going on break? Some of the proctors asked for the camera to be rotated 180 degrees so the break screen is visible at all times. But the most important part prior to taking any breaks is to obtain the permission from your proctor, hit the break button, share the break screen with them and wait for the confirmation via chat box.
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