Study.com and ProctorU Questions

[Merlin]

Saylor uses Proctor U, as does TESU for their TECEPs. Study.com uses RP Now, which does not have a live proctor monitoring you. It records you for them to review later.

I am disappointed to hear this as I plan on taking some courses with Study.com soon. I thought the one benefit of a live proctor is if an issue (technical or otherwise) pops up then you can reason with the proctor in the context of that situation. Now I have to wait on pins-and-needles for who knows how long after my exam just to get a "soft score"? At least with a live proctor if they do not have any objections during the time it takes you to finish the exam then it would be safe to assume that your "soft score" is valid.

Now, with no proctor there in real time you have no idea if there are any objections since the video will be viewed by who knows who at a later time. Did a family member of yours accidentally cough or make noise in the other room? You get real time feed back from a live proctor if they have an objection, now,who knows?

I have taken several courses with study.com, and I don’t see an issue with RP Now. Just make sure your work table and the space around it, is clear of all papers, books, electronic devices etc. The room should be well lit, so your face is clearly visible the entire duration. Consider having a table lamp to light up your face, if necessary. Make sure you photograph your ID clearly. If it is not clear, they write back asking for a scanned copy to be sent over email. It happened only once for me. My passport number was not very clear on the image; so they asked me to send them a clearer image. And do not turn your gaze away from the screen, unless you are taking a math test and need to do calculations on a sheet of paper. This is so they don’t suspect you are engaging in some act of fraud. Apart from these, I see no reason to feel anxious about their responses. Yes, they take some time to post your final grades. But at the end of each test, you see how many questions you got right. So, you can calculate what your final grade would be. No anxiety about failing the test.

That is good advice, I have never heard that about gazing away from the screen. I will try to avoid doing that. Thank you for telling me.

Yeah, not all proctors will have a problem with this, but some do. This also applies when you need to use your scratch paper (whiteboard for WGU) or a calculator, make sure it is in front of you rather than to the side, I was warned about that once. As far as I know, this isn't actually a requirement, but its a good recommendation to reduce the chance that they might flag you.

The same goes for not talking to yourself while taking the test... this is something I have to be careful about as I tend to think out loud (like when I'm having a problem understanding a question, for example). I was also warned about that once early on, so I try to keep my self-dialogue internal or in whispers now.

Certainly don't do them both at the same time!