Written exams: Natalie Dawes, Academy Support Adviser at BTS talks remote sittings, test centres and, she says, ‘let’s not forget about the last of the paper-based units!’
Let’s start with big news. Remote exam sittings are back for CII written papers, having not been an option since ‘that January R06 sitting’. In recent weeks, candidates have been able to opt to sit their written papers at home (or wherever they fancy as long as it’s exam appropriate!) which for many, will have been a real comfort, not to mention a convenience – two absolute pros of sitting remotely.
Remote sittings
It’s important to think about what suits us best when it comes to taking our exams, more so as we do have the choice. So, what are the pros and cons of each?
Let’s start by thinking about remote sittings, in particular the pros.
- Sitting a remote exam means being able to sit in our own environments whether that be at home or perhaps in the office. A familiar environment, as well as equipment we are used to, can help ease the mind, allowing us to focus on the task in hand – the exam.
- Less travel. Written exam sittings tend to be in the afternoon, sitting remotely could therefore free up our morning. Whether we choose to use that time in the morning for last minute revision (albeit if you don’t know it by then….), work or other activity, you haven’t got to travel anywhere so that time is yours. I like cleaning before an exam – each to their own through! The same can be said for after the exam too, unless of course you decide to stay in your office and not come out until you’re good and ready!
- Cost saving. Not having to travel to a test centre means less costs on fuel, public transport and in some cases, overnight stays. For candidates self-funding, this can be a real plus.
It all sounds quite rosy, doesn’t it? Or perhaps the question we should be asking is why on earth wouldn’t we sit the exam remotely? Well, for many, it’s the last thing they want to do and here is why:
- It’s the elephant in the room isn’t it. What if something goes wrong with the tech? With written exams, there’s no live proctor and obviously, nobody in the room that can help you if the tech falls over. You’ll be on the phone to support, which if the issue is more widespread, you might be waiting to speak with someone for a while.
- Pre exam checks. You’ll need to prove your identity by taking photos with your webcam of you and your ID. You’ll also need to conduct a full room scan and mirror check to show your keyboard and edges of your screen. All of this can feel like a bit of a hurdle, which if you’re having any difficulties, doesn’t always send you into your exam in the right frame of mind.
Test centre sittings
Now that we’ve looked at remote sittings, let’s now think about test centre sittings in the same way. Once upon a time, this was the only way to sit a CII exam. Of course, Covid meant that we had to adapt if we wanted to continue our studies. There was definitely a period of transition, with some candidates getting on better than others with that transition.
What’s to love about a test centre sitting, let’s look at the pros:
- There’s a lot to be said about the psychological process that we go through when taking an exam. Attending a centre, can prepare us mentally, put us in the right frame of mind, it’s an association thing and can be very powerful. In contrast, sitting an exam at home, in your family environment could have the opposite effect.
- Actual real-life people on hand to help you should there be any technical difficulties and I’m not talking about the other candidates – more the exam centre staff. There is a level of comfort in sitting exams alongside other candidates though, all being in the same boat etc. but the bigger piece here is technical help when needed, something you don’t always get a with a remote sitting.
- Set-up. In a test centre, everything is done for you (apart from sitting the actual exam – you’ll need to do that bit!). From your ID check to the setup of your computer, you needn’t worry. The only thing you have to do, is pop your CII PIN into the system and enter a code, all of which you are given. Easy.
As with remote sittings though, there are downsides to choosing to sit your exam in a centre. Such as:
- Pointing out the obvious here – it’s not your screen, keyboard, chair, mouse etc etc. I’ve got some advice on this sort of stuff later on in this article but still, when you’re using equipment that you’re not used to, it can cause problems.
- As we’ve noted, your lovely fellow candidates will be there with you – wonderful! Or at least it is until you find you’re sat next to a heavy handed typer, someone with a dreadful cold who’s constantly coughing or sneezing and let’s not forget the ones that finish their exam way earlier than you and don’t exactly leave quietly.
Weighing it all up
Thinking about all of this, it really isn’t clear cut which is better, remote or test centre? It’s highly dependent on candidate preference albeit we should also think about circumstances where that choice, is somewhat absent.
Remote sittings might be back but that doesn’t mean there’s an unlimited amount of these sittings. Take the July R06 exam, some candidates missed out on a remote sitting, having to opt for a test centre. Where leaving booking until a few days before the deadline, they didn’t get their first choice of centre, meaning they would also need to factor in travel.
My advice here, is to get your exams booked in early – to ensure that you have as much choice available as is possible. It’s also good practice to book early, it means you’re committing to the exam and gives you a goal to work towards.
Advice
I’ve sat a mixture of remote and test centre exams over the years and I like to think I’ve learnt a few things along the way. As we’ve discovered, there are definitely benefits to each and on that basis, I don’t have a specific preference other than what suits me at the time. My last couple of exams have been MCQ papers and these I’ve chosen to do at home, purely because it was convenient with timings.
They were a reminder though, that there is somewhat of a process to go through before being allowed access to the exam. My first piece of advice is about sitting a written paper vs a MCQ paper remotely, because the process is different, something I was caught out by with my R06 sitting in January 2022.
With written papers, there is NOT a live proctor, therefore, nobody to take you through the room scan, ID checks, mirror checks etc. You must conduct all of this and make sure you do so thoroughly by watching your screen recordings back and if you’re not happy with them, repeat the process again.
At my recent remote sittings, I’ve gotten a little better at preparing for the room scan. I cleared the room as much as possible – including covering over a bookcase with a large light-coloured blanket, making it much easier to show an exam appropriate environment.
I also sit remote exams on my personal computer, to ensure that there won’t be any issues with work firewalls or similar. This seems to be a common problem so make sure that you have access to passwords to be able to install the exam software to your machine, especially if sitting your first remote exam.
Ensure your laptop is hooked up to its charger too, once you’ve completed your room scan and have your mirror and ID handy to avoid having to go off to get them. You are allowed two pieces of plain paper in your written exam and you’ll need to show both sides of these when conducting your room scan.
My last test centre sitting was in February 2023 and I remember thinking how easy it all was, just rocked up, showed my ID and that was pretty much it.
I’m quite good at staying focused so although I was aware of the other candidates tapping away on their keyboards, I didn’t find it too distracting. We were given little ear buds, which I did use and I would encourage you to do the same to shut out some of the noise.
Make sure you check all your equipment before anyone begins their exams, I do this standing up so that the invigilator can see that I am doing this and that I am not ready to begin – they won’t give the go ahead to the room, unless everyone is ready.
You can’t control what goes on around you, so you’ll just need to do your best to focus, perhaps practise this at home by sitting in a room with your family or in a coffee shop, getting used to noises and movement around you. The exam room will never be as extreme as a busy coffee shop but it’s good training!
My final piece of advice is not so much to help you but others – try not to leave your exam early. We always encourage candidates to use all their allotted time in a written exam anyway, to maximise their marks. There really is nothing worse though, than other candidates moving around etc when you are still typing, so do try to stay until the end, if not for you, for others.
Curveball
Now we’ve talked about the pros and cons of each type of sitting and hopefully I’ve given you some words of wisdom…it’s time for a question. What about AF4?
Ah….the last of the hand written papers from the CII. And because it’s handwritten, remote sittings are not allowed. You can blame the sheer amount of formulae within this unit and the basic word processor used for written exams – the two just don’t align.
So, I’m afraid there’s little choice in taking this exam any other way, than in a test centre. Same advice therefore applies in how to get the best from this type of sitting as a standard written exam, with an addition. If you’re working toward AF4, from here on in, write everything by hand! You’re going to need to train yourself in the art of handwriting, how long you’re able to do it for (it’s a three hour exam!) and ensure it is legible. Good luck!
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