Update 5/10/2019: We've had a fair share of candidates get their exams suspended for reading questions out loud to themselves. This is a big exam security issue as we don't know whether someone else might be just out of sight capturing those questions. So don't read the questions to yourself - don't even mouth them silently - or your exam will be suspended. If you do get suspended, contact me at jwilkins@aiim.org.
As I mentioned in a previous post, CIP candidates now have the option of taking the CIP exam using an online proctored (OLP) model. I won't rehash the details of that here; instead, I want to provide some guidance for the actual exam experience.
Preparing your computer for the exam
Once you register for the OLP exam, you have the option to set up your biometric profile and install the Kryterion Sentinel software. The biometric profile consists of taking a picture of you, and a keystroke biometric exercise.
We strongly recommend that you do this at least one day in advance - and so does the registration email you receive from Kryterion. This way, if you have any technical issues such as your webcam or microphone not being compatible, or your computer being too locked down to install the Sentinel software, you can identify and resolve them prior to the scheduled exam.
Kryterion has a guide for preparing for your exam, which you can find at https://www.kryteriononline.com/sites/default/files/docs/PreparingForYourExam.pdf. You can also check your technical readiness at http://test.kryteriononline.com/webcam-checker/.
The day of the exam
The exam is a scheduled exam, just like the one you'd take at a test center. If you are late or miss your scheduled start time, you may have to pay a rescheduling fee of $50, or even pay for a new exam fee in certain cases.
If you haven't already installed Sentinel and done your biometric profile, you should do this well in advance of your scheduled test time so you don't run into any issues at the scheduled time and need to reschedule (and pay the rescheduling fee).
At the time of your scheduled appointment, log into http://www.webassessor.com/aiim/index.html and you should see a screen that looks like this:
If you don't see the yellow Launch button, or you just see a question mark, it may be because it's too early. The launch window is open from 10 minutes before your appointment to 20 minutes after for a total of a 30-minute window for you to start the exam.
During the exam
Again, this is a proctored exam. A Kryterion proctor is watching through your webcam, and listening through your microphone, while you take the exam. The proctors are trained to look for behaviors which could tend to compromise the exam. Some of these result in warnings and potentially the suspension of your exam, while others result in immediate termination. Most of these are self-explanatory.
Warning behaviors include:
- Camera out of position or out of focus. This can also occur if you lean in too close to the camera.
- Audio problem
- Talking, non-test related. If someone yells a question at you about, say, dinner, or the Wilkins case, you'll get a warning. If it keeps happening your exam will be suspended.
- Poor lighting
- Invalid keystroke. Specifically, this is keystrokes like
, , , and the like. - Video signal problem
- Multiple people in view. If your child wanders into view, or a coworker, you'll get a warning (and of course they will have to leave the area).
- Inappropriate environment
- Reading exam aloud. Don't do it. Don't even mouth the questions to yourself.
- Leaning out of view. True story: when I took the OLP exam to see for myself, I stared out into space for a few seconds. I got a warning. Don't do it.
All of these can lead to a suspension of the exam. Most will give you a warning first. If your exam is suspended, contact me or AIIM (jwilkins@aiim.org, certification@aiim.org) and we can get you un-suspended depending on the circumstances. Typically only available between 8 am and 8 pm Eastern time.
Termination behaviors include:
- Leaving the area
- Unauthorized test aid usage
- Talking about the exam
- Test item theft
Termination behaviors will result in the immediate termination of your exam. These are behaviors that tend to compromise the security of the exam and cause damage to the CIP program as a whole. At our discretion, we may:
- Let you retake the test, subject to a rescheduling fee
- Let you retake the test, but make you pay the full fee to offset the time we spend investigating the behavior
- Prohibit you from retaking the test for some time - including permanently.
Most of this boils down to:
- Schedule the exam when it's convenient and keep the appointment.
- At the appointed test time, make sure you've used the bathroom, you have a 2-hour window with no interruptions, and you're not in view or audio of anyone else.
- Once you start the test, don't talk/mouth, keep your eyes on the screen, don't try to write anything down, and focus on the questions. If you're prepared, you'll do well.
Please feel free to contact me at jwilkins@aiim.org if you have any questions about the online proctored exam process. Good luck!
