Torturing candidates, powered by Prometric
Prometric is the leading company for testing and certification services. There are many test centers in the world for Prometric. The exam registration is very simple. The process consists of logging in as a candidate and choose appropriate exam/city/test center/date. The problem comes after this.
A month ago, I registered for 1z0-047 , Oracle SQL exam for a step towards OCA (Oracle Certified Associate). I choosed the nearest test center in Istanbul. For those who may not know, Istanbul city area is longer 100km..So it is very important to choose the nearest test center. (It was still 20km away from my work location anyway)
Me and a friend of mine were registered for the same exam at same date/time. When we get to the test center (Basarisoft), we were told there there is only “one” computer and we must wait for each other. Since there was no other option, we accepted.
“Testing Center” was more like a prison cell. Imagine a room with a small desk, uncomfortable chair, tiny window on top. Two people can barely stand in the room. This was the testing center indeed. Prometric’s testing server was under the desk with cover open! So called “window” was towards a wall. Nobody asked for an id card, cell phones or laptop. They left us alone and never come back.
I filled out a form in Prometric’s site but nothing happens.
Next time for 1z0-042 (OCA), I decided to change my test center. There was another center, Komdatasoft, which I used 5 years ago. It was very professional but far from me. I noticed that the company moved according to Prometric’s list of testing center and I choosed it.
When I got to the location, people at the reception desk told me that there is no such company there. I checked by myself to make sure and called Prometric for help.
The guy on the helpdesk was quite surprised when I explained the situation and I’m afraid he did not believe me in the beginning. He told me that he will call the testing center to verify.
A few minutes later, helpdesk said that no one was actually answering the phone. They compensated this by granting a free exam ticket. I managed to have my exam at last.
What I do not understand about all these, what kind of testing company have absolutely no idea about its testing centers. Prometric does not even know if their test center is alive. When I check the site list, I can still see this ghost testing center.
As a candidate, I expect to see a certain level of standard in testing centers.
This is totally unacceptable and irrespectful. Thanks Prometric! I could not imagine worse..
