Today, I took the AWS Architect Associate exam. I’m already a holder of an AWS Developer Associate certification so I expected no issues. I couldn’t be more wrong!

I will tell you what to expect, what the policies are, what surprised me, and why you should avoid online proctoring exams if you have alternatives.

Be sure to run a system test. You should do it in the same room, with the same devices and WiFi that you will use during an exam. I have a couple of WiFi networks that can be switched dynamically so I checked all of the options beforehand. Think about what could go wrong because something most likely will.

Read the online exam policy, that’s the best one thing you can do. And don’t be scared of it at all. I won’t elaborate on it. I will describe what wasn’t there later in this article so you will be well-prepared!

Disconnect all external devices from your PC/Mac/laptop. Remove them from the desk. That includes an external monitor if you’re using a MacBook or Windows-powered laptop. Any Linux-powered devices are strictly prohibited. I ended up disconnecting and removing my monitor 10 minutes before an exam! My fault.

You have to be in a closed, well-lit, and calm environment. They need to see closed doors as a part of the “room verification” process. No one can enter, no one can talk, remember!

The recommendation is to start 30 minutes (!) before the exam's scheduled time. But it isn’t written why. It’s because the entire verification process takes eons. In my case, it took 1h. Sitting and waiting was the major part of it. Although I saw it could be worse than that. One must be ready to spend 140 minutes of the exam alone. Additionally, there will be a couple of minutes on pre- and post-exam activities. Finally, you would have to spend from (promised) 15 minutes to 1 hour (or more as few people shared) on the verification process. That adds up to almost 4h spent in one position in front of your computer. Remember, while the verification process and exam is happening you cannot stand up, you cannot go to the bathroom, you cannot drink nor eat, you cannot talk and you cannot look into the window. Talk to your partner and/or roommates and plan for it. You have to make your room a Temple Of Silence for the time being.

As I mentioned, they will verify your identity. That’s understandable and would also happen on-site. The verification process can be done via your smartphone, for example. Also, a proctor might try to resolve technical issues with an exam by calling your phone. But, according to policy, you’re not allowed to have a phone within your reach. Nor any smart devices. If someone calls you — the exam could be canceled. I recommend having your phone on silent mode, at least 1,5h meters away but with a visible screen — so you know when the agent is calling (strange, unknown, and international number) and you won’t end up with a canceled exam because you picked up a call from your boss/partner/parent/friend.

The policy also states that you need a government-issued ID card in order to identify yourself before an exam. During the verification process, I was able to choose from a driver's license or passport only. ID card is not an option and that was a big surprise to me. I had to find one of the approved documents very quickly. Don’t do it to yourself and prepare the ID card and the second document beforehand, just to be sure.

So, what really happened, and why I’m simply disappointed?

As a part of the verification process, I was contacted by a polite agent.

She checked my workspace using my camera view, so, what was behind

And in front of my desk, my hands and wrists for watches and cheat sheets.

All good! Good to go!

Everything was fine until she disconnected from the chat and remotely triggered an exam. My entire screen went black instantly.

The only thing I was able to see was an overflow menu with the following items: Pearson logo, chat, whiteboard, and camera view.

I waited around 10 minutes hoping for the exam to be loaded. Then, I clicked the ‘chat’ icon — instantly — the entire application froze. I waited for some time hoping it would ‘unfroze’, unfortunately, it has not happened. I had to force restart the entire device.

I’m running a MacBook Pro with a quad-core CPU and 16GB of RAM. You can be sure it’s enough. I’m running Android Studio, Docker, and much more on a daily basis. Additionally, I was at 300Mbs fiber-backed internet connection. So, I kinda blame Pearson software.

You need to go to AWS's dedicated Pearson help center. Since my country doesn’t have a dedicated Pearson phone number I spent more than 1 hour waiting for online assistance. It took around 15 minutes to open a case. Now, I need to wait from 3 to 5 business days to resolve the situation. The entire process is “very corporate” if you understand what I mean. It’s slow.

Take the above-mentioned points into consideration while scheduling an exam. It’s all understandable but it’s quite limiting compared to taking an exam on site. On site you can go to the bathroom, drink, you will have a piece of paper to work on, and you can relax a bit. If you’re able to schedule on-site I recommend it. I won’t do the online exam again unless # COVID19 will force me to.

Obviously, shit happens. I’m not furious nor mad but I want to warn you what may happen, what reality looks like, so you’re not disappointed. Every student spends a lot of time beforehand to pass an exam — it’s a bit frustrating when technical issues get in the way.

I understand software sometimes is not functioning as expected as I’m also introducing issues from time to time. All software engineers do.

Simply, if I had a choice between an on-site stable exam environment and unstable, unpredictable software — my choice is obvious.