[NVeg]

My friend took a section yesterday and after the exam he told me how frustrated he was because he tested right near a door, so every few minutes he had to hear a door open right next to him and close right next to him. Also he wasn’t able to get his seat moved during one of the breaks. He wanted to move because someone kept coughing.

I really feel for him because I myself am very prone to being distracted so I can’t imagine how frustrated i’d be but is it even worth complaining about to NASBA? I’d think the most he’d be able to complain about is testing right next to the door and people walking in and out. I sit at that same prometric center and always thought that would be terrible to test in that spot. Would the people even take his complaint into consideration when grading his exam? I’m just not sure what to say to him.

[CPAcandidate3]

Would they factor it into the grading? No way. They might let him discard his exam and retake it in the quarter.

[Anonymous]

Does the testing center have noise cancelling headphones? The ones I've been to always have them.

[Anonymous]

That reminds me of the terrible conditions I had on my second test, which I did fail. The Prometric center was apparently next to some sort of children performing arts center. During my exam, mind you 8am exam, I had an constant off and on music blasting through the walls and then parents clapping. It was serioulsy horrible. I wrote up the complaint at the end of the exam review, haven't heard anything back on it and they still perform tests there… lol. Long story short if you're in the Phoenix valley, don't use the Goodyear test center.

[Radez]

My center has always provided a headset to block noise. I took FAR this morning, and my main complaint was that the person sitting on the other side of me was really pounding the keys on their keyboard. My desk was shaking and my monitor was ever so slightly bobbing. I only noticed it while trying to work on a hard question though, so that could just be me projecting my frustration at something else.

I did freak out a little during the sims though. I clicked on one of the additional resources and the software became unresponsive for a significant amount of time, over 10 seconds at least, maybe even 20. More than enough time to imagine the entire session being invalidated. Fortunately it didn't crash. Just jacked my adrenaline through the roof.

[GAPilot715]

I certainly don't see them changing any grades. I don't think NASBA or Prometric would take much action on something like this. Maybe just document it and if several people complain about conditions, they may take some action. The reality is that it is nearly impossible to create a static, 100% distraction free testing environment. I personally don't see this going anywhere.

[HoosierCPA]

Your situation doesn't sound severe enough to warrant any kind of action. People are going to sit by the door, its impossible to avoid. Fortunately I have never had to be one of those people–it would have drove me crazy. I had 1 exam where the testing center gave me a choice between right by the door or this little area secluded off by itself in the back corner of the room, the catch was they had a messed up bulb and it was flickering. I chose the flickering bulb over being by the door.

FAR - 78
REG - 72,74,71...please just go away REG nobody likes you!
BEC - 82
AUD - Aug 16

[smoothiezguy]

I've had the full gamut of testing environments/situations and I'd say the very worst for me is having either a super nervous test taker sitting a few inches from me, or somebody that constantly sniffs real hard. I usually cannot wear the provided mufflers because they squeeze my head and give me an excruciating headache which kills my testing ability, so I have just had to suck it up and try to be so focused that I don't notice the noises around me. Unfortunately, with the sniffing dude, I just couldn't ignore it. But I highly doubt NASBA would have done anything about it if I hadn't passed and complained…

CMA - 430
BEC - 83
FAR - ?
AUD -
REG -

[TX LECPA]

Same happened to me Radez. I had a huge guy across from me and kept moving the cube when he would put his arms on the desk and when he was typing. It was so distracting. I did fail that test and from then on out i request spots that faced a wall only.

FAR - 64,71,64,71,75!!!!
REG - 64,63,65,68, July
BEC - 69,74, July
AUD - 53, June 8th

[jas7889]

Prometric allows you to bring in the soft earplugs. I bring my own and then use the headphones also and I barely hear anything. I doubt that Prometric is concerned about testing conditions unless it is something that is a major disturbance for everyone.

[win2bet]

I have complained about an employee not allowing me to use my earbuds – they were technically noise canceller earplugs (granted same location allowed it past 2 times). The employee then said the other employees were stupid and are wrong.

I did complain about loud conditions (talking in the room), and the employees bad attitude. I still to this day believe it helped me edge out a 75 in FAR, since I know for fact got over 50% SIMS wrong and many MCQ. My theory is that they looked at the exam and said wow if he can do this good under these conditions, and really should have gotten a 74, he deserves that extra point.

REG 68,87
BEC 85
FAR 75
AUD 64,64, 86!

[TommyTheCat]

jas is right, they allow headphones and i always roll in with mine. i dont hear a damn thing and its GREAT.

[golfball7773]

So here is my experience

Spoiler alert: I did pass with my highest score ever

My email:

To Whom It May Concern,

I would like to inform you of the events that occurred during my test on Monday, July 18, 2016 in Sioux City, IA. BEC was scheduled for 8:30 AM in the morning. I started my test and put my earplugs in to block out any typing noise from other users. This test center is located at a community college, so there are many different rooms, including restrooms, utility closets and other classrooms, right next to the Prometric testing center. As I began my exam, I could hear very loud drilling and construction work in the room next to me. Every 30 seconds, I would hear more banging, which would ruin my concentration and cause me to re-read the question/answer choices. This surmounted in copious amounts of time loss. This type of situation would cause most people to have extreme trouble concentrating. For a person with ADHD, like myself, it is nearly impossible. I would also like to note that the temperature was extremely warm, despite multiple box fans in use, and I was covered in sweat when I walked out of the testing room.

You will see that I did finish early as I wanted to make sure that I had plenty of time for the writing section of BEC. I could only try to read and re-read the multiple choice questions so many time before having to move on to the next question due to time. No break was taken because I was afraid I would run out of time due to all the distractions.

I am writing today to see what course of action we can take to remedy this situation. These were truly unfortunate testing conditions that no candidate should have to experience.

Pertinent Info:

Test Center: 5506 – Sioux City, IA

Testing Date: 7/18/16 8:30 AM CDT

NTS #: 6109751

Rollie
CPA Candidate

NASBA response:

Mr. Rollie,

Thank you for your email. NASBA and Prometric are investigating your concerns. We do not require any additional information from you at this time and our investigation will not delay the scoring of your examination.

Note: E-Mail is a non-secure method of communication. Please do not send personal/confidential information (Social Security number, credit card number, bank account information, etc.) via email as there is a risk involved with sending such information via non-secure communication method. Please contact us via phone or mail at the address indicated below.

Sincerely,
Penny
Manager, Candidate Care Department
———-
National Association of State Boards of
Accountancy (NASBA)
150 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 700
Nashville, TN 37219

TL;DR – got no where with NASBA and ended up passing with an 86

Edit: remove last name from reply email

FAR: 63, 55, 62
REG: 65, 77*
AUD: Fail, 64, 71
BEC: 72, 74, 81

*expired

[shawn in VA]

during BEC back in MARCH this lady next to me was coughing literally every minute. It was SO annoying. I asked to be moved and the prometric employee was “we are full to capacity” I failed by 1 point and wonder if she had something to do with it. I mean really if your sick stay home.

[Scared-cpa]

I don't know if it helps score wise or not, but if a distraction like that happens to me (drilling/construction next door), I always mention it in the comments box after the exam where you take the survey. I feel like posting about your problem them is the best course of action because you are usually typing it while you're still experiencing the issue, instead of waiting and telling them about it later.

[Author]

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