Online Proctored Exams for PMO Certifications

As the PMO world has settled into working from home, many PMO teams have turned their eye towards online training. There’s a whole raft of reasons why now is the time to take up some PMO training, especially if you’ve been furloughed and there are some great PMO courses available, no matter what skills you’re looking to develop.

One of the things that causes the most apprehension when booking a certification course is the exam. After all, you want to make sure that when you’ve finished, you’ve got something to show for it.

When you’re taking an exam in a physical classroom, everyone knows what to expect: you’ll be at a clear table away from your fellow delegates and be expected to work in silence, to complete the questions in a set amount of time. When booking our virtual classroom courses, a lot of people aren’t sure how they work, so we’ll explain what you can expect during the process.

What is an online proctored exam?

You may have heard of online exams being called ‘remote invigilation’, ‘online proctoring’ or even ‘remote online proctoring’ but they’re all exactly the same thing. You take the exam on your own PC or laptop, in your own home and there is a real human invigilator supervising you (via webcam) while you answer the questions.

What will I need?

You don’t need any more equipment to take an online exam, than you do to attend the virtual classroom training – just a webcam and microphone for your computer and a working internet connection.

The most important requirement to note is that you’ll need some space. You will be asked to show that you have a clear desk and are alone in the room before you’re able to start and you’ll also need a copy of your ID.

When do I take my exam?

Unlike a physical classroom course, where your exam is scheduled for the final classroom day, when you book a virtual classroom course, you’ll receive an online exam voucher. You’ll be asked to make an account with the exam board and then you can schedule your exam for whenever works for you. There’s a whole range of times and dates available including evenings and weekends, so it can completely fit around your schedule.

What should I expect?

Once you register for your exam, you’ll be able to log onto your account and access the exam information whenever you need.

Before your exam date, you’ll have to download the exam software – this is a small program that you’ll use to talk to the invigilator and answer the questions.

When you’re ready to start your exam, you simply log on to the program and you’ll be connected to your invigilator. Here you’ll be able to ask any questions before you start and the invigilator will check that you’re alone, your desk is clear, and your phone is turned off.

You’ll now be able to start answering questions. Like a normal exam, you can work through at your own pace and your time will be shown the whole time so you can keep track. Your invigilator is available at any point if something goes wrong. If your internet drops or you disconnect, you’ll normally receive a phone call and the invigilator will talk you through the process. Depending on how long you disconnect, you may be able to continue the exam or reschedule for an alternative slot.

The greatest benefit of taking an online proctored exam is that you’ll be able to see your results as soon as you finish so there’s no stressful week of waiting for your certificate to arrive.

If you’ve got to grips with remote working recently, online-proctored examinations are easy and straightforward.

How do I get started?

The most common PMO certification in the UK with online examinations is the P3O® Foundation. The course covers the fundamentals of P3O®, giving you a solid foundation in the P3O® model, the terminology and concepts involved – the course also covers the key functions and services in a P3O® model – considered to be one of the most useful areas for a PMO practitioner.

You can also sit the P3O® Practitioner examination online too.

The P3O® courses on this page are offered by PMO Learning. P3O® is a [registered] trade mark of AXELOS Limited. P3O® is a registered trade mark of AXELOS Limited, used under permission of AXELOS Limited. The Swirl logo™ is a trade mark of AXELOS Limited, used under permission of AXELOS Limited. All rights reserved.