Worst Exam Experience Ever

I was taking the SCS-C01 – AWS Certified Security exam today using Pearson Vue’s Online Proctoring . Beforehand, I used their tool to check my machine was to their liking and everything was looking hunky-dory.

Following the process outlined in the program I’d downloaded from their website I did the following: cleared the room of any materials that may have unfarily assisted me in my exam, submitted pictures of myself, my passport and my surroundings; and finally proceeded to the program’s final screen which told me that I was nearly there and that final checks were taking place.

Presumably, my passport was being scrutinised against my live image and the backgrounds were being checked for such things as stray Post-it notes summarising the difference between AWS Cloudtrail and Cloudwatch.

The onscreen estimate suggested all this behind the scenes processing would probably take fifteen minutes. ‘Hey, I have three hour exam ahead of me but I can spare fifteen minutes’, I thought.

Waiting was a touch dull as I was under exam conditions so could not leave my chair but just stare at a video of myself that was being recorded for the invigilation process.

After twenty minutes I started to swear under my breath. After thirty minutes I started to address any unknown person at the other end of the video link suggesting ways in which the process I was undergoing could be improved. Perhaps, an update telling how far we’d be slipping from that aspirational fifteen minutes, perhaps a little video to watch, maybe even a retro game to play.

After 65 minutes with no feedback, no refresh, nada, I gave up. Hey, I’ve only paid £300 for this, taken a couple months to study, cleared the house so I can take the exam (if anyone came into the room whilst the exam was taking place it would be voided), it’s no biggie.

Maybe I was being unfair and it was all down to technical issues so I did try reaching out to their support / customer service people but there were long queues in the chat (at least it told you that, though!) and in being transferred to the online proctoring team things seemed to awry. I decided I’d wasted enough time with Pearson Vue for one day.

Other reviews seem to suggest that something is rotten in the state of Pearson Vue:

https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.pearsonvue.co.uk

I hope there’s another company which offers AWS exams but I get the feeling there may not be as this level of ineptitude could only survive in a monopoly.

UPDATE

I re-attempted the test at a Pearson Vue test centre in Cardiff and I was treated professionally and politely. The place was between a massage parlour and go-kart place so I guess you’d want to be careful you got the right address… or possibly not.

I also put in a Subject Access Request using GDPR to get the video of myself waiting for the test to start… an element of curiousity to test the process (it works) and also see if I really did lose it during my wait. I’ve got to say, my fury was quiet and dignified.