[aseke]

Hi,

I took exam at a prometric test site today. During 15 min scheduled break in my previous exam, I asked the staff if I can go to my car to get water and they said no problem. So I went to my car to get a bottle of water during scheduled break today. But when I come back, the lady asked me where I get the water and I told her, she said she will report it and I was not allowed to leave the building. I still took the second part of the exam but worried if this will be problem.

Has anyone experienced a similar problem and what was the result?

Thanks for your answers in advance.

[CPAHOPE]

I never experienced it but i dont see the issue of leaving the building since they do a thorough physical check on you when you come back into the testing center.

[iwantthiscpa]

i could have sworn i read somewhere that you're not supposed to leave the building during any break for CPA exam. some standardized tests allow it, but for CPA i thought you couldn't. they don't even let you linger at your locker (with the locker open) or be on your phone so why would they allow you to leave the center, when you could potentially have notes or be on your phone in your car?

i think that is the fault of the prometric testing center though, because you asked to leave and they said yes. usually they give you a color coded key to ur locker and that color determines whether you can leave the building, can open your locker, etc. so they should have known that you are taking a type of exam that does not allow you to leave.

because you asked the staff and they said yes, i would be surprised if they nulled your test or something. if they investigate, hopefully they can pull up a video of you asking them first. if you had just left without asking, i'm sure you'd have issues with them not accepting your exam. i hope this works out! let us know what happens?

[Nate]

I did have a similar situation, I took BEC in a city where I previously lived and then switched cities and took the remaining three exams in the new city. When I took BEC in my old city they allowed me to look at my phone during the timed break, so when I took AUD in the new city I thought I could do the same (it was on me for not looking at the policy prior to the exam) so I got my phone out during my timed break to send an update text to my wife the prometric staff immediately stopped me and told me he was reporting that I looked at my phone during my one timed break. I explained to him I was unaware and that in the Prometric center in the city I previously lived in they allowed me to do it. He said he still had to report it. I ended up passing AUD and never heard anything more about it. Hopefully it's the same for you but can't guarantee it. I never did look at notes or anything on my phone, just was texting my wife. But weird that one center allowed me to do it when it was strictly prohibited.

[Recked]

Highly recommend that each candidate completely reads the candidate bulletin.
Lots of useful information in there.

https://nasba.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Candidate-Bulletin-2021_January04.pdf

My local prometric has a water cooler in the waiting area, and you were only allowed to leave to use the restroom. I once made the mistake of walking in the hall just outside the room, nervous pacing type.
I was promptly told to come back to the waiting room area and not go in the hall except to use the restroom.
Live and learn. I doubt anything will come of it.

[aseke]

Thanks for the candidate bulletin. I read the releavent sections and did not see anything which says that leaving the building is prohibited. I can see that the main concern is communication of testing material of the exam. That is why accessing to a phone or other communication device is forbidden. I also understand if you leave the building you may have access to a communication device. But in this testing center restrooms were outside of the testing center (but within the building). When you leave the testing center there is nothing which controls where you go and restrooms were next to the entrance of the building and car parking is just outside the entrance door. So if I did not come back with a bottle of water to the testing center there is no way the staff would know I left the building. Also there were many places inside the building (but outside the testing center) where one can leave communication devices.

If this was that serious they should have communicated the policy much clearly and check if anyone leaving the testing center going outside of the building or using a communication device within the building. They should also impose the policy uniformly in all test centers. I have read many posts where candidates mention that they left the building for a walk during the scheduled break. I myself explicitly asked about this in my previous exam and staff explicitly allowed me to go to my car to get water.

Rules should be clear and uniform, there should not be any confusion. This is unacceptable even if they won't void my exam. I could not concentrate in second part of my exam because of this event.

[Recked]

I think the concern about you looking at books and notes, is of equal importance, as the potential for you to share exam information.
–
I used to brain dump as much exam notes as I could as soon as I got back to my car for a couple reasons.
Mostly so I could remember what I struggled with in case of a re-test (although you will likely not see the same questions again of course), and also so I could play out the exam over and over and over in my head as I tried to sleep every night, second guessing myself the entire time until score release.

[aseke]

I mentioned the main concern is communication of testing material because if you read the agreement on page 48 of the candiate bulleting you shared all the points are related to sharing the exam material. There is nothing about reading notes or books during breaks etc.

[RobOh]

I think you are over analyzing this. You will be fine. They are only reporting it as a cya, in case something did come up such as someone else reporting that you were in the parking lot giving answers to another candidate that was about to go in to take the exam. There are a ton of scenarios but bottom line is that by what you described you innocently made a mistake and nothing else will come out of it. My advice is to stop focusing on this and focus on your studies to pass and get it done. Good luck.

[aseke]

Thanks for your advice. This was my last exam and I hope to pass it unless there is a problem from this event. Maybe that is why I focused too much on this. I was hoping to be done with CPA exams after this exam but now I still think about it. Anyway hopefully it won't be problem as you wrote.

[Author]

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