Hi all!
I just scheduled my CCS exam and was looking at the Pearson website. They have a gallery of what a testing center looks like, and it seems that the little cubicles for the testing computers are pretty small. For the people who have taken the exam, were you able to comfortably maneuver your code books around? When I took the CPC, it was at open tables so you could spread your books out.
I am far from taking this test but am curious what people answer!
My cubicle was very roomy and comfortable. Although it was quiet, they provided me with noise blocking headphones. The only downside for me was having to raise your hand and be escorted down the hall to the restroom.
Hi Anjali!
My cubicle for the CCS was fairly roomy. I couldn't spread all my books out, but it was easy enough to maneuver them around. It is very quiet in the test room as they don't allow anything other than your books, but I did find that using the noise-cancelling headphones was beneficial for concentrating.
~Instructor Emily
What is the Pearson website?
Some test centers are roomier than others and some are more accommodating than others. I have taken one exam in a cubicle so small my elbows bumped and angered the people on either side and I had to keep my code books stacked in my lap. That center was so dark that I had to hold the code books up to the computer screen glare to see the page. All the while, there was a second room which had larger cubicles, was well lit, and had only a few people sitting in it. They refused to let me sit in that room.
I took another exam in a roomier cubicle in a well lit room. The test center proctors put me in a far corner of the room so that the noise of my pages turning would not bother anyone else. They also gave me a small side table for my books.
Two of my exams were in a third test center intermediate between the two above. The personnel and their attitude differed each time.
AHIMA does give guidelines and instructions to the test centers, but does not appear to ensure that the instructions are understood or followed. You are pretty much at the mercy of whomever happens to inspect your books and decide where you are going to sit. That is why I always make my recommendations assuming a worst case scenario.
Mamma mia. I guess "hope for the best but prepare for the worst" is going to be the name of the game!