Overall, my OPT (Online Proctored Test experience was smooth, easy, and convenient.
I DID have one issue (#3 below) which I’m sharing so that maybe it will help others who hadn’t tested yet.
1) I liked the software for the test itself. I liked how I could highlight parts of the question or answers easily (this was not an option back many years ago when I took my PMP)
2) I liked how after I completed my last question, a screen came up letting me know that I had forgotten to fill in answers for 2 of the questions, which I hadn’t realized. So I was able to do those 2 questions within the remaining time, and I wouldn’t have done them if the test hadn’t told me I had left them blank.
3) ISSUE - The Camera App for your Photo
The one issue I had was that before the actual test starts, you are prompted to take a close-up photo of yourself that will be captured by the Pearson VUE software for identification purposes They give you 2 choices: use your smart-phone or use the camera on your Laptop.
They encourage you to use the smart-phone camera if you have one. I would have preferred to use the camera on my laptop because I didn’t want to switch from the laptop over to another device, and then go back into the laptop. But since the text said that they preferred the smart-phone, I tried to use the smart-phone as directed.
a) The ISSUE was that the app didn’t work! I have a pretty new iPhone 10, purchased less than a year ago. But for some reason, apparently a software bug in the Pearson VUE app or some kind of incompatibility issue, when I got to the final screen in the series where I would press the button to take the photo, I pressed it and nothing happened, and I just had an all-black screen, not the way it was supposed to look with a box where my picture would be going. I tried several times but it didn’t work, and no error message either.
b) I then had to switch over to my laptop, go through the exact same screens, and then the camera worked perfectly and easily.
c) After I passed my test, I reported the issue to PMI about the camera issue with my smart-phone. I told PMI in my note that I’d be glad to provide them with any info they might need about my iPhone if it helps them debug the problem for future test-takers.
d) Since the iPhone 10 is new and widely-used, purchased from an Apple Store just a little bit before the Covid crisis, I’m surprised there would be a major bug that hadn’t been caught in the testing prior to the roll-out of the OPT for the ACP test.
e) I would have preferred to use the camera on my laptop anyway, so I don’t know why they made a point of saying the preferred option was that the test-taker use their smart-phone, which turned out to be a waste of time, and just what you don’t need when you’re itching to start your online test.
