Anyone else stop taking exams due to proctor location?

Anyone else stop taking exams due to proctor location? Register Help Remember Me? What's New Today's Posts Forum Actions Mark Forums Read Advanced Search Forum General General Certification Anyone else stop taking exams due to proctor location? + Reply to Thread Results 1 to 13 of 13 Thread: Anyone else stop taking exams due to proctor location? Thread Tools Show Printable Version Subscribe to this Thread… PC509 Passion For IT Join Date Mar 2008 Location Boardman, OR Posts 318
Certifications MCTS, MCITP, MCP, A+, Server+, Security+, Project+, CCENT, CCNA 12-10-2013 04:27 PM #1 Anyone else stop taking exams due to proctor location?

I've taken a lot of Microsoft exams in the past, and the closest exam proctor was 2.5 hours away. They don't do it anymore, so now I have to drive 4 hours to get to the exam location. I've given up on Microsoft exams (Prometric only) due to this. Has anyone else just given up because of that single reason? Kind of sad, but I can't take off a full day from work for a single exam.

So, I've been focusing on Pearson Vue proctored exams. Cisco, CompTIA, etc.. They may not be as valuable in my current position, but I'm learning a lot and will eventually be using them (the skills are good, even though we do very little Cisco - we're Extreme stuff here).

I'd love to take more Microsoft exams, but the exam location is crap. Microsoft killed me with the Prometric only decision.

Dustin, PC509, Ur_Mom.... Man of many names!
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Login/register to remove this advertisement. CoolAsAFan +EV Join Date Dec 2011 Location Indiana Posts 148
Certifications A+, Security+, Linux+, LPIC-1, Novell CLA/DCTS, CIW Database Design, CIW JavaScript, CIW Web Design, CIW Web Foundations 12-10-2013 04:45 PM #2

Can you not schedule Prometric exams on the weekend so you don't have to take off work? Granted still, 4 hours there and back would be a bit rough, but if a particular cert advances your career or gets you more money it would still absolutely be worth it IMO. Just my 2 cents...

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Quote   PC509 Passion For IT Join Date Mar 2008 Location Boardman, OR Posts 318
Certifications MCTS, MCITP, MCP, A+, Server+, Security+, Project+, CCENT, CCNA 12-10-2013 04:54 PM #3

Weekends aren't an option at these sites. I wish they were. I was thinking of studying my butt off and taking multiple exams at a time... I'd really like to take the exams, but the site locations make it very difficult. It sucks because that's the only thing that's limiting me. I work in IT, I work with Microsoft servers and I have the hands on, I have the study materials, I have the experience. I just need to take a day or two off to take the exams.

I'm just curious how wide spread the issue is with the site locations limiting people. I'm curious as to if Microsoft/Prometric would seek out more test centers, or if Microsoft would attempt to go with Pearson Vue again.


Originally Posted by CoolAsAFan Can you not schedule Prometric exams on the weekend so you don't have to take off work? Granted still, 4 hours there and back would be a bit rough, but if a particular cert advances your career or gets you more money it would still absolutely be worth it IMO. Just my 2 cents...

Dustin, PC509, Ur_Mom.... Man of many names!
A+ | Net+ | Server+ | Security+ | Project+ | MCTS: 70-620 | MCTS: 70-680 | MCITP: 70-623 | MCP: 70-290 | CIW 1D0-520 | CCENT | CCNA | Working on Microsoft Server 2008 and SBS 2011 MCTS | 50% done WGU in IT: Security

Quote   bermovick Senior Member Join Date Apr 2010 Location Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri Posts 670
Certifications CCENT, CCNA, CCNP, CCNA Security, JNCIA:Junos, Security+ 12-10-2013 05:39 PM #4

I had a similar(ish) situation with Pearson though. Where I live, the closest Pearson was an hour away, but they only scheduled exams on Fridays, so were typically booked up months in advance (despite me never seeing another exam taker there the few times I managed to get in).

If I wanted to schedule earlier (and I'm the type to do a "next day" when I feel ready), I'd have to drive 2.5 hours for either of the next-closest two.

It's not quite 4 hours, but it still takes pretty much an entire day. I still did it, since it was important enough to do -- and it wasn't like I had to do it THAT often even.

Quote   MrAgent Systems Engineer Join Date Oct 2010 Location Northern Virginia Posts 743
Certifications Sec+, MCP, MCSA 2003, MCTS, MCITP:VA, VCP5, MCSA 2012, MCSE Private Cloud, MCSE Server Infrastructure, C|EHv7, RHCSA 12-10-2013 05:46 PM #5

I've never had to drive more than 30 min to an exam center. I am lucky in the sense that I have 5+ centers I can choose to take an exam at, but of those, only 1 is open on the weekends.

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Quote   4_lom Level 2 Helpdesk Join Date Nov 2011 Location At my desk. Posts 386
Certifications A+, Net+, Security+, CCENT, CCNA, MTA, MCTS: Config Windows 7, MCITP: EDST, AAS in Computer Networking, Axcient Certified Expert, 70-687, MCITP: EDA 12-10-2013 06:03 PM #6

...and I thought having to drive 1 hour was bad

Quote   --chris-- Senior Member Join Date Jul 2013 Posts 331
Certifications A+ 12-10-2013 06:20 PM #7

I am 30-45 minutes from two centers, one is in the ghetto but has a ton of open slots. The other is in a good part of town, with fewer open slots. I feel lucky to have 3 centers within an hour of me, yet I live in the sticks.

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Quote   PC509 Passion For IT Join Date Mar 2008 Location Boardman, OR Posts 318
Certifications MCTS, MCITP, MCP, A+, Server+, Security+, Project+, CCENT, CCNA 12-10-2013 07:55 PM #8

I do live in a rural area, but there are several colleges around and a few Pearson centers. Prometric has scaled back (there used to be one about an hour away, but it closed a few years back). Now, I have to drive to Spokane or Seattle area to take an exam.

Dustin, PC509, Ur_Mom.... Man of many names!
A+ | Net+ | Server+ | Security+ | Project+ | MCTS: 70-620 | MCTS: 70-680 | MCITP: 70-623 | MCP: 70-290 | CIW 1D0-520 | CCENT | CCNA | Working on Microsoft Server 2008 and SBS 2011 MCTS | 50% done WGU in IT: Security

Quote   techwizard Junior IT Security Guy Join Date Nov 2013 Location NoCal Posts 39
Certifications CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+ 12-10-2013 09:14 PM #9

I am in a similar situation as the OP. Pearsonvue is available at the local college, but Prometric is only available in a city about 4 to 5 hours away. For a time, the local college exam facility had shut down, so I was forced to travel another 3 hours away to get to nearest Pearsonvue facility. Then finally the college facility came back online, so I was able to take my Sec+ exam there. I am currently working on my Microsoft exams because I want to take advantage of the second shot offer from MS, which is avail till March I think. Unfortunately I will have to drive 4 to 5 hours to get to a Prometric site. I guess on the positive side, I do have friends in that area I can stay with overnight, so I could travel there a day or so early and study up to the night of the test or whatever. I will have to schedule the exams on a weekend however, because I am planning to get a job soon, and luckily the Prometric centers in my area do offer Saturday testing.

Quote   colemic Senior Member Join Date Apr 2010 Location Tejas, Baby! Posts 720
Certifications CISSP, CISA, GIAC 2700, MCSE:Security, CEH, CHFI, CCENT, Sec+, Net+, ITIL v3 Foundations 12-10-2013 11:48 PM #10

I had to drive 3.5 hours to take the ccent, but can schedule cissp-issmp locally. Go figure.

Quote   joehalford01 Senior Member Join Date Jun 2011 Location CA Central Valley Posts 316
Certifications A+, Network+, CIW SDA, MCTS:70-640 70-642 70-643, Security+ 12-10-2013 11:56 PM #11

Yikes, I was complaining about my 1.5 hour drive. One of the reasons I'm less interested in Microsoft exams as well. The closet pearson vue is about 45 min.

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Quote   Essendon Don't think, be! Join Date Sep 2007 Location Melbourne Posts 3,429
Certifications VCAP5-DCD/DCA, VCP 5, VTSP 5, MCSA:2008, MCITP: EA, MCTSx5, ITILv3, MCSA: Messaging, MS in Telecom Engineering 12-11-2013 12:21 AM #12

Jeez I'm very lucky with regards to the exam centre locations then. I have an exam centre less than 30 seconds from my office, and two others about 2 city blocks away. 4 hour drives would put me off too!

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Quote   alan2308 Senior Member Join Date Apr 2010 Location Ann Arbor, MI Posts 1,599
Certifications CCNA, CCNA Sec, MCITP:SA 12-11-2013 02:10 AM #13

I saw the thread title and thought how bad can the testing center be? Didn't even think about the distance possibility.

Yea, I'd probably take some time off of exams if that was the case.

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