Prometric Problems
 

Hi I have just taken my first exam with Prometric after Pearson Vue was
dropped.
It was 70-294 which crashed twice and the computer needed to be restarted
thankfully I still passed. Apparently this is a regular occurrence on the
Prometric test program and the test centre is not taking any more bookings
until the problem has been resolved. Has anybody else testing on Prometric
had the same problem?

Re: Prometric Problems
 

Barrie Ashmore wrote:
> Hi I have just taken my first exam with Prometric after Pearson Vue was
> dropped.
> It was 70-294 which crashed twice and the computer needed to be restarted
> thankfully I still passed. Apparently this is a regular occurrence on the
> Prometric test program and the test centre is not taking any more bookings
> until the problem has been resolved. Has anybody else testing on Prometric
> had the same problem?
>

Isn't the rebooting and crashing appropriate for a Microsoft exam?

Zing!

MG

Re: Prometric Problems
 

I've recently taken quite a few exams through Prometric (both Microsoft
and CompTIA exams). And I've never had a system crash on me. At one
location they had fairly old hardware and it ran really slow
occasionally (such that I had to wait 2-3 minutes for some questions to
load), but I just stopped using that location and found another one
nearby with much newer equipment. Haven't had any problems since.

Chris

Barrie Ashmore wrote:
> Hi I have just taken my first exam with Prometric after Pearson Vue was
> dropped.
> It was 70-294 which crashed twice and the computer needed to be restarted
> thankfully I still passed. Apparently this is a regular occurrence on the
> Prometric test program and the test centre is not taking any more bookings
> until the problem has been resolved. Has anybody else testing on Prometric
> had the same problem?
>

Re: Prometric Problems
 

"Barrie Ashmore" <BarrieAshmore@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:47D03A98-1978-4447-B930-D8FF299FE251@microsoft.com...
> Hi I have just taken my first exam with Prometric after Pearson Vue was
> dropped.
> It was 70-294 which crashed twice and the computer needed to be restarted
> thankfully I still passed. Apparently this is a regular occurrence on the
> Prometric test program and the test centre is not taking any more bookings
> until the problem has been resolved. Has anybody else testing on
> Prometric
> had the same problem?


Yep. Big time, and I thought it was just me!

I've tested with Prometric twice since the Vue / Prometric switchover. On
both occasions, when the exams were loading after initial sign-on, the exam
froze and had to be re-started, so I didn't get to see the intro screen that
says (this is such and such exam, and you need to achieve such and such a
score to pass). On the first exam I had 4 question freezes and 1 exam crash.
On the second exam I had that many question freezes that I gave up counting
and the exam crashed twice. Both exams were taken at different testing
centres, and different exams were taken at each testing centre.

Whilst at the second exam, I counted three other examinees, and they
appeared to be having as many problems as I was. The invigilator(s) were up
and down like yoyo's, and at one point everyone in the testing room was
queuing for the invigilators assistance. Rather than getting angry, I just
laughed to myself and waited my turn.

What's concerning is the fact that people were voicing their concerns about
Prometric before the swapover, and so far, fack all seems to have been done.
All you get is, send us an email at 'hardofhearing@couldntcareless.com' and
we'll look into it. Fat chance. When I take an exam, I want to concentrate
on the material and content that I am being examined on, not worrying about
whether or not the exam software will make it to the end. By comparison, my
experience of testing with Vue was a lot more positive. No exam crashes, no
question freezes, not a glitch.

Apologies for the long post, but I feel that others who have not yet tested
with Prometric have a right to know what they may be letting themselves in
for.

Regards

Rob...

Re: Prometric Problems
 

Rob L wrote:
> "Barrie Ashmore" <BarrieAshmore@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:47D03A98-1978-4447-B930-D8FF299FE251@microsoft.com...
>> Hi I have just taken my first exam with Prometric after Pearson Vue was
>> dropped.
>> It was 70-294 which crashed twice and the computer needed to be restarted
>> thankfully I still passed. Apparently this is a regular occurrence on the
>> Prometric test program and the test centre is not taking any more bookings
>> until the problem has been resolved. Has anybody else testing on
>> Prometric
>> had the same problem?
>
>
> Yep. Big time, and I thought it was just me!
>
> I've tested with Prometric twice since the Vue / Prometric switchover. On
> both occasions, when the exams were loading after initial sign-on, the exam
> froze and had to be re-started, so I didn't get to see the intro screen that
> says (this is such and such exam, and you need to achieve such and such a
> score to pass). On the first exam I had 4 question freezes and 1 exam crash.
> On the second exam I had that many question freezes that I gave up counting
> and the exam crashed twice. Both exams were taken at different testing
> centres, and different exams were taken at each testing centre.
>
> Whilst at the second exam, I counted three other examinees, and they
> appeared to be having as many problems as I was. The invigilator(s) were up
> and down like yoyo's, and at one point everyone in the testing room was
> queuing for the invigilators assistance. Rather than getting angry, I just
> laughed to myself and waited my turn.
>
> What's concerning is the fact that people were voicing their concerns about
> Prometric before the swapover, and so far, fack all seems to have been done.
> All you get is, send us an email at 'hardofhearing@couldntcareless.com' and
> we'll look into it. Fat chance. When I take an exam, I want to concentrate
> on the material and content that I am being examined on, not worrying about
> whether or not the exam software will make it to the end. By comparison, my
> experience of testing with Vue was a lot more positive. No exam crashes, no
> question freezes, not a glitch.
>
> Apologies for the long post, but I feel that others who have not yet tested
> with Prometric have a right to know what they may be letting themselves in
> for.
>
> Regards
>
> Rob...
>
>


Long but good. I only took one test at a Prometric site while working
on my MCSE, and I think it was the 3rd machine that was finally the
charm. The problems ranged from crashing before I even got the first
question up on screen to my exam not even being recognized by the program.

A few weeks prior, one of my fellow consultants had taken the CCNA exam,
and the experience was so bad they had to reschedule him. Apparently,
they couldn't get the machine to work well enough to even finish so they
rescheduled him a week later to take it.

VUE was my provider of choice on all other MS exams, and I never had a
problem. That being said, I sat for a Citrix exam (CCA Presentation
Server 4) and it ran just fine using Prometric. I would have chosen
VUE, but they couldn't meet my scheduling needs.

MG

Re: Prometric Problems
 

"Mostly Gizzards" wrote:

> Rob L wrote:
> > "Barrie Ashmore" <BarrieAshmore@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> > news:47D03A98-1978-4447-B930-D8FF299FE251@microsoft.com...
> >> Hi I have just taken my first exam with Prometric after Pearson Vue was
> >> dropped.
> >> It was 70-294 which crashed twice and the computer needed to be restarted
> >> thankfully I still passed. Apparently this is a regular occurrence on the
> >> Prometric test program and the test centre is not taking any more bookings
> >> until the problem has been resolved. Has anybody else testing on
> >> Prometric
> >> had the same problem?
> >
> >
> > Yep. Big time, and I thought it was just me!
> >
> > I've tested with Prometric twice since the Vue / Prometric switchover. On
> > both occasions, when the exams were loading after initial sign-on, the exam
> > froze and had to be re-started, so I didn't get to see the intro screen that
> > says (this is such and such exam, and you need to achieve such and such a
> > score to pass). On the first exam I had 4 question freezes and 1 exam crash.
> > On the second exam I had that many question freezes that I gave up counting
> > and the exam crashed twice. Both exams were taken at different testing
> > centres, and different exams were taken at each testing centre.
> >
> > Whilst at the second exam, I counted three other examinees, and they
> > appeared to be having as many problems as I was. The invigilator(s) were up
> > and down like yoyo's, and at one point everyone in the testing room was
> > queuing for the invigilators assistance. Rather than getting angry, I just
> > laughed to myself and waited my turn.
> >
> > What's concerning is the fact that people were voicing their concerns about
> > Prometric before the swapover, and so far, fack all seems to have been done.
> > All you get is, send us an email at 'hardofhearing@couldntcareless.com' and
> > we'll look into it. Fat chance. When I take an exam, I want to concentrate
> > on the material and content that I am being examined on, not worrying about
> > whether or not the exam software will make it to the end. By comparison, my
> > experience of testing with Vue was a lot more positive. No exam crashes, no
> > question freezes, not a glitch.
> >
> > Apologies for the long post, but I feel that others who have not yet tested
> > with Prometric have a right to know what they may be letting themselves in
> > for.
> >
> > Regards
> >
> > Rob...
> >
> >
>
>
> Long but good. I only took one test at a Prometric site while working
> on my MCSE, and I think it was the 3rd machine that was finally the
> charm. The problems ranged from crashing before I even got the first
> question up on screen to my exam not even being recognized by the program.
>
> A few weeks prior, one of my fellow consultants had taken the CCNA exam,
> and the experience was so bad they had to reschedule him. Apparently,
> they couldn't get the machine to work well enough to even finish so they
> rescheduled him a week later to take it.
>
> VUE was my provider of choice on all other MS exams, and I never had a
> problem. That being said, I sat for a Citrix exam (CCA Presentation
> Server 4) and it ran just fine using Prometric. I would have chosen
> VUE, but they couldn't meet my scheduling needs.
>
> MG
>

I have got another 2 exams to do before I gain my MCSE but wanted to voice
my concerns. Surely this should have been ironed out before Microsoft decided
to dump Pearson Vue.

Re: Prometric Problems
 

"Rob L" <nospam@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:a9adnf1p2dJsEvfanZ2dnUVZ8rOdnZ2d@pipex.net...
>

> "Barrie Ashmore" <BarrieAshmore@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
> message news:47D03A98-1978-4447-B930-D8FF299FE251@microsoft.com...
>> Hi I have just taken my first exam with Prometric after Pearson Vue was
>> dropped.
>> It was 70-294 which crashed twice and the computer needed to be restarted
>> thankfully I still passed. Apparently this is a regular occurrence on
>> the
>> Prometric test program and the test centre is not taking any more
>> bookings
>> until the problem has been resolved. Has anybody else testing on
>> Prometric
>> had the same problem?
>
>
> Yep. Big time, and I thought it was just me!
>
> I've tested with Prometric twice since the Vue / Prometric switchover. On
> both occasions, when the exams were loading after initial sign-on, the
> exam froze and had to be re-started, so I didn't get to see the intro
> screen that says (this is such and such exam, and you need to achieve such
> and such a score to pass). On the first exam I had 4 question freezes and
> 1 exam crash. On the second exam I had that many question freezes that I
> gave up counting and the exam crashed twice. Both exams were taken at
> different testing centres, and different exams were taken at each testing
> centre.
>
> Whilst at the second exam, I counted three other examinees, and they
> appeared to be having as many problems as I was. The invigilator(s) were
> up and down like yoyo's, and at one point everyone in the testing room was
> queuing for the invigilators assistance. Rather than getting angry, I just
> laughed to myself and waited my turn.

I encountered this only once in the four exams I've sat since 12/1 -- the
70.293 on 12/8/07. The three Win2008 beta exams flew through. My testing
center didn't see it as a Prometric problem (or at least they had the
integrity not to try to pass the buck, even though I suspected it was a
Prometric problem -- which ya'll have just confirmed). The proctor on duty
Saturday said they'd had a tech working every one of their (eight) testing
seats extensively and all was repaired.

I'm of the opinion this is the natural outgrowth of Microsoft's decision to
dump all of those PearsonVue customers in Prometric's lap, with very little
notice, and Prometic just doesn't have the infrastructure to handle the
(new) testing load. Hopefully that will rapidly change given the windfall
increase in revenues Prometric is seeing as a result of the banishment of
PearsonVue.

The launching of the Win2008 beta exams around that timeframe (Dec 1?)
probably didn't help matters either.


--
Lawrence Garvin, M.S., MCBMSP, MCTS, MCP
Senior Data Architect, APQC, Houston, Texas
MVP - Software Distribution (2005-2007)

MS WSUS Website: http://www.microsoft.com/wsus
My Websites: http://www.onsitechsolutions.com;
http://wsusinfo.onsitechsolutions.com
My MVP Profile: http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/pro...awrence.Garvin

Re: Prometric Problems
 

Yes, I am in the process of writing both Pro and Microsoft a letter
regarding this. EVERY time I go to the testing center I have to wait an hour
to use the computer and another hour to print score.

"Barrie Ashmore" <BarrieAshmore@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:47D03A98-1978-4447-B930-D8FF299FE251@microsoft.com...
> Hi I have just taken my first exam with Prometric after Pearson Vue was
> dropped.
> It was 70-294 which crashed twice and the computer needed to be restarted
> thankfully I still passed. Apparently this is a regular occurrence on the
> Prometric test program and the test centre is not taking any more bookings
> until the problem has been resolved. Has anybody else testing on
> Prometric
> had the same problem?
>

RE: Prometric Problems
 

Barrie,

Here in flanders ( for now Belgium ) i took my first exam in a prometric
centre. Before i had a vue examen centre. In the vue examen centre i never
had problems. No appointment problem, good screen, nice girl for
adminstration :).

Then i took my first prometric exam, i made more than 5 calls, some mails to
make just my appointment. On the examcentre the only exam computer was placed
in the " serververroom", very hot en noisy. Then the exam it self. The
screen's refresh rate ( on a crt screen ) was about 60 hz or less. I looked
at that screen for about 3 hours. My eyes where red, i was cooked, and a
little bit deaf afther the exam. Sometimes it took a long time to load the
next examquestion ( 30 sec or more ).



"Barrie Ashmore" wrote:

> Hi I have just taken my first exam with Prometric after Pearson Vue was
> dropped.
> It was 70-294 which crashed twice and the computer needed to be restarted
> thankfully I still passed. Apparently this is a regular occurrence on the
> Prometric test program and the test centre is not taking any more bookings
> until the problem has been resolved. Has anybody else testing on Prometric
> had the same problem?
>

Re: Prometric Problems
 

=?Utf-8?B?QmFycmllIEFzaG1vcmU=?=
<BarrieAshmore@discussions.microsoft.com> prattled ceaselessly in
news:10CA64C6-29A4-435A-878A-C82EA1BE0FC9@microsoft.com:

>
> I have got another 2 exams to do before I gain my MCSE but wanted to
> voice my concerns. Surely this should have been ironed out before
> Microsoft decided to dump Pearson Vue.
>

<snicker>

--
Catwalker
MCNGP #43
www.mcngp.com
"Definitely not wearing any underwear."