Exam Rom? This is starting to sound like a hospital and you’re heading to surgery! Did somebody call the doctor? Nope, but it kind feels more like you are going to visit someone in prison than taking a test. Okay, okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit (It was more like the airport), but none the less, the folks at the testing location are serious about maintaining your honesty and the integrity of the exams (not just the Project Management Professional Exam).
So what does that entail? There was a wand, two pencils and 5 sheets of yellow paper. My experience goes a bit like this….
I enter an office location and there is a waiting area off to the side and reception at the front desk. I saw lockers on the right. It made me think of my high school gym lockers. The lockers are small, cramped, and just barely enough room to hold my coat, wallet, cell phone, and car keys. I walk up to the receptionist and give her my name and ID and she checked me off a list, gave me a key for my things to put in a locker. I found a seat and waited for about 15 minutes before being called.
During the wait there were about 5 other people in the waiting area with me. They were pretty chatty I figured it was from nervousness or either being extremely comfortable, but I couldn’t tell. There was an older gentlemen in the room that had to be about 65 years old, he apparently there for a medical practice certification. An older woman was there for nursing, a younger lady maybe in her mid 20’s for her CPA certification. The others didn’t talk much about what they were there for. The testing centers cover a large span of exams and not just for the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam.
So when they called my name I went in to another room which was in between the exam room and the waiting room. This is where I had to “check in” or out if I needed a break. The receptionist came into the room with this black shaped thing and I knew immediately what it was. It was a Wand (sort like a metal detector). I wasn’t sure if they were searching for a gun or a hidden copy of the PMBOK guide. I thought it was a bit over the top, but whatever. Once I cleared the “wanding”, I had to give and receive more information about the exam I was taking.
Whatever they gave me I had to take in the room and bring out (except for the scrap paper when taking breaks). This included a laminated octagonal shaped card and ID. The 5 yellow pieces of scrap paper had to stay in the room unless I was exchanging them for fresh blank pieces of paper. Once I was finished with the semi-interview process (a bit of sarcasm) I was walked into the room and was sat a cubicle. The test administrator explained the basics of how to proceed and provided me with what looked to be giant yellow head phones. They were noise canceling headphones that nearly everyone in the room had on. (They did a great job and I felt like I could almost literally hear my own thoughts.)
I finally realized why people get so nervous. Heck, I became nervous once I was in the room. I was afraid to look left or right. There were cameras everywhere. I dared not look at them afraid someone might become suspicious of me (really? Yeah, nervousness can produce irrational thoughts). I tried to focus on the computer and execute my plan of attack. I was so glad I had thought through what I would do before getting into the exam. Having a plan was crucial to the first 20 minutes I was in the room. It helped me to remember why I was there and what I had to do to be successful. Believe it or not one of the hardest things about taking the test for me was the silence. I really had to focus and not become distracted by my own thoughts. I concentrated on the question at hand. It’s so easy to start thinking about the last question, or what if I don’t answer this question correctly, will I finish on time, and etc.
One of the things I remember seeing was a woman walking around the room surveying everyone’s activities. I guess the cameras weren’t enough. Here’s the biggest thing that I learned from my testing experience. It’s not as bad as it seemed at the time now that I look back. Not knowing what to expect at the test center is was one of the biggest contributors to my initial nervousness when I took the project management professional (PMP) exam. I hope me sharing my experience with you helps to set your expectations for what may happen when you go to take the exam.