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BEFORE YOUR EXAM: WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
After you submit your application but before you are set to take the exam you must schedule your appointment to actually take the exam. It is recommended that you schedule your appointment as early as possible. Appointment changes such as rescehduling, testing center changes and the withdrawal and refund policy are prudent to review once you receive your Authorization to Schedule notice.
SCHEDULING AN APPOINTMENT
Examination appointments may be scheduled online or by phone. When scheduling an appointment, the following information will be required:
- Your name exactly as it is printed on the Authorization to Schedule notice and the unexpired government-issued ID you will use to confirm your identity at the testing center;
- Your IEEE WCET® ID number as it is listed at the top of the Authorization to Schedule notice;
- Your daytime telephone number; and
- The name of the examination sponsor (IEEE Communications Society).
Online scheduling is encouraged because it is faster and more efficient. An email address is required to schedule online. Candidates who schedule online will receive an email confirming their examination appointment and their confirmation number. To schedule online, go to www.prometric.com/wcet and click on "Schedule a Test."
Your appointment confirmation number is different from your IEEE WCET® ID number. Make sure you retain your appointment confirmation number since it is required to confirm, reschedule, or cancel an appointment.
Those scheduling an appointment within 48 hours of the end of the application window must do so by phone only. Examination appointments can be scheduled by phone Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Regional Contact Center Time). To schedule by phone, call Prometric at the number listed on your Authorization to Schedule notice or contact the appropriate Regional Contact Center.
Candidates scheduling by phone will not receive written confirmation of their appointment unless they have provided an email address, so it is imperative to note the appointment details and appointment confirmation number. Please retain your appointment confirmation number. This number differs from your IEEE WCET® ID number and is required to confirm, reschedule, or cancel an appointment. It is highly recommended that candidates confirm examination appointments within 48 hours of making them. Confirmations can be made online at www.prometric.com/wcet, by phoning the number listed on your Authorization to Schedule notice and selecting the voice prompt to confirm an appointment (your appointment confirmation number will be required), or by contacting your Regional Contact Center.
If you lose your confirmation number, you can confirm your appointment by contacting your Regional Contact Center. Candidates should verify their appointments as soon as possible, but no later than three (3) business days before the scheduled examination.
Candidates who do not schedule an appointment and do not request a refund will forfeit all fees. Candidates who cancel their exam appointments but do not request a refund will forfeit all fees. For more information, review "Withdrawal and Refunds" section of this handbook.
Schedule an Appointment Early
Candidates should schedule their examination appointment as soon as possible after receiving their Authorization to Schedule notice. Candidates who delay scheduling their examination until the testing window has opened run a significant risk of not being able to schedule their test at a time and location of their choice. In rare instances, candidates who attempt to schedule/reschedule their appointment or change their testing center location late in the testing window may find that they are unable to schedule an examination date and location. If this occurs, candidates may withdraw from the examination and apply for a 50% refund (US$177.50 for IEEE and IEEE ComSoc members and US$202.50 for nonmembers) of their examination fee (see "Withdrawal and Refunds"). The US$95 application fee is nonrefundable.
APPOINTMENT CHANGES
Understand Testing Center Rules
The following rules are enforced at all testing centers to ensure a fair and consistent test experience for all candidates.
- Arrive at the testing center at least 30 minutes before your scheduled reporting time.
- All candidates must present an unexpired government-issued ID bearing their photo and signature to be admitted to the testing center (see "Presenting Positive Proof of Identity"). Your ID must match the name you provided on your application and the name that appears on your Authorization to Schedule notice, and the photo must validate your identity.
- All candidates will be required to have a fingerprint scan and will also have their driver's license (or other national identification) read and scanned.
- Admittance to the testing center is by appointment only. Candidates must be present at the time and location of their appointment to be admitted.
- No test materials, documents, or memoranda of any sort may be taken into or from the test room.
- Candidates will have the opportunity after the examination to submit general comments or comments about specific examination questions by following the applicable onscreen instructions. The IEEE ComSoc Examination Committee will review all comments but will not provide written responses to comments.
- Smoking is prohibited.
- Candidates may not ask questions about examination content.
- All examinations are monitored and may be recorded in both audio and video format.
- No breaks are scheduled during the examination. Candidates who have to leave the testing room to take a break will not be given extra time on the examination. To re-enter the testing room, candidates must have their fingerprint rescanned, and must sign in and present their identification documents.
- Candidates may not leave the testing site facility while the examination is in progress.
- IEEE ComSoc and PES reserve the right to cancel any test score believed to be obtained in a questionable manner.
- Food, drinks, purses, briefcases, notebooks, calculators, pagers, cellular telephones, recording devices, and photography equipment are not allowed into the testing room.
- It is expressly prohibited to disclose, publish, reproduce, or transmit any part of the examination, in any form, by any means, verbal or written, for any purpose, without the express written permission of the certifying organization. Violation may result in civil or criminal prosecution.
- Medications that may need to be accessed during the test can be stored in lockers outside the testing room. Candidates who will need to use crutches or other medical equipment should complete a special accommodation request form (see Appendix E) so that the testing center can be informed in advance.
- Religious headwear may be worn into the testing room; however, it may be subject to inspection by a testing center administrator before entry into the testing room is permitted.
- Candidates are expected to behave in a civil manner when on the premises of the testing center. Exhibiting abusive behavior toward the testing center staff or other testing candidates may result in forfeiture of your examination and/or criminal prosecution.
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Please remember that other examinations are being administered at the same time that you are taking the IEEE WCET® examination so you may hear typing on keyboards for an essay examination, coughing, and/or people entering and leaving the testing room. It is impossible to provide a completely noise-free testing environment. The testing center allows candidates to bring small earplugs that can be inserted inside the ear. Candidates are not allowed to bring in headsets or headphones. Earplugs are subject to inspection by a testing center administrator before entry into the testing room is permitted.
Security Acknowledgement and Agreement
Prior to taking the examination, candidates will be presented with a security acknowledgement screen. Candidates must acknowledge that they have read, understand, and accept the conditions listed below.
1. I have an ethical duty to protect the security of the IEEE WCET® Certification Examination.
2. The examination and questions contained therein are the exclusive property of the IEEE Communications Society - WCET Certification Examination Program.
3. This examination and the questions contained therein are protected by copyright law and constitute valuable trade secret information, the disclosure of which will cause injury to the IEEE Communications Society - WCET Certification Examination Program. No part of this examination may be copied or reproduced in part or whole by any means whatsoever, including memorizing and/or reporting question or examination content.
4. The dissemination of question or examination content to any person, organization, company, or other entity in any manner shall constitute a breach of professional ethics and theft of the exam. Any person found guilty of such violation may have his/her score voided. The IEEE Communications Society may prohibit the candidate from future access to the IEEE WCET® Certification Examination.
5. The theft or attempted theft of an examination or examination items is punishable as a felony and may result in civil penalties and/or professional sanction. I recognize that the breach of my obligations under this candidate acknowledgment may expose me to liability for damages caused to the IEEE Communications Society and to legal fees incurred by the IEEE Communications Society in preserving its rights.
6. I understand that during the examination, I may not communicate with other candidates, refer to any materials other than those provided to me, or assist or obtain assistance from any person. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in the invalidation of my examination results as well as other appropriate action.
7. My participation in any irregularity occurring prior to, during, or subsequent to this examination, such as giving or obtaining unauthorized information or aid, as evidenced by observation or subsequent statistical analysis, may result in termination of my participation, invalidation of my examination results, or other appropriate action.
Candidates who do not agree to the conditions listed above will not be allowed to proceed and take the examination, and will forfeit both the application and examination fee.
Inclement Weather and Local or National Emergencies
In the event of inclement weather or a local or national emergency, please contact Prometric at the Regional Contact Center (the number provided in your Authorization to Schedule notice) or go to www.prometric.com/sitestatus to determine the appointment status. If the center is closed and appointments are canceled, candidates should wait two (2) business days before calling to reschedule their appointments.
Know what to bring with you on exam day
Appointment Rescheduling
Candidates can reschedule examination appointments as often as they wish within their testing window. Testing windows, however, cannot be changed. Testing center seats fill up quickly, so be sure to reschedule as early as possible during the testing window. IEEE ComSoc shares the Prometric testing centers with many other organizations, so reschedule your appointment as soon as possible.
There is no charge for rescheduling examination appointments but this must be done no later than 12:00 noon (Regional Contact Center time) five (5) business days before the scheduled examination. Candidates who do not reschedule examination appointments within that time frame and who do not appear to take the examination will be considered no-show candidates and will forfeit all fees. Candidates who attempt to reschedule their examination appointment late in the testing window cannot be guaranteed that a seat will be available and risk forfeiting the examination fee. If this occurs, candidates must withdraw from the examination and apply for a 50% refund (US$177.50 for IEEE and IEEE ComSoc members and US$202.50 for nonmembers) of their examination fee (see the "Withdrawals" and "Refunds" sections in this handbook) in order to not be considered no-show candidates. The US$95 application fee is nonrefundable. To reschedule your appointment, contact Prometric at www.prometric.com/wcet, call the number listed in your Authorization to Schedule notice, or contact your Prometric Regional Contact Center.
Testing Center Changes
Candidates can change their testing center location; however, doing so will cancel their previously scheduled appointment. Candidates who attempt to change their testing center after the opening of the testing window may not be able to reschedule at a time and test location of their choice. In rare instances, candidates who attempt to change their testing center late in the testing window may find that they are unable to schedule at the new location. If this occurs, candidates may withdraw from the examination and apply for a 50% refund (US$177.50 for IEEE and IEEE ComSoc members and US$202.50 for nonmembers) of their examination fee (see the "Withdrawals" and "Refunds" sections in this handbook). The US$95 application fee is nonrefundable. To change testing centers, contact Prometric at www.prometric.com/wcet, call the number listed on your Authorization to Schedule notice, or contact your Prometric Regional Contact Center.
KNOW WHAT TO BRING WITH YOU ON EXAM DAY
Presenting Positive Proof of Identity
All candidates must present positive proof of identity by providing two forms of identification. One of these must be an unexpired government-issued photo ID with a signature. Examples of government-issued identifications are a driver's license with a photograph, a military photo ID, or a passport. The name on the ID must match the name used on the application and the Authorization to Schedule notice and the photo must validate the candidate's identity. Credit cards with photos and Social Security or similar cards are not acceptable forms of government-issued identification. However, credit cards are acceptable as the second form of identification.
All identification documents must be in Latin characters. Candidates testing outside of their country of citizenship must present a passport. Candidates testing within their country of citizenship must present either a passport, driver's license, national or other government issued ID, or military ID.
Candidates must have acceptable and unexpired photo identification to be admitted to a testing center. If a candidate's primary ID does not have a photo and signature, the secondary (backup) ID must contain either a photo or signature, whichever is missing on the primary ID. The name on the backup ID must exactly match the primary ID and the name in the scheduling system. Candidates who arrive at the testing center without the required identification will not be permitted to test and will forfeit all fees.
Biometric Validation of Candidate Identification
To further validate candidate identification, Prometric employs a sophisticated biometric identity management system throughout its domestic and international testing center network.
Prometric's biometric identity management system consists of a fingerprint reader, a device for reading the data on a driver's license, passport, or similar identification document, and a scanner for scanning in the driver's license or other identification document. The fingerprint reader captures an image of a fingerprint and that image is used for comparison throughout the day.
Prometric's biometric technology allows for enhanced monitoring of a candidate's movement into and out of the testing room. By capturing the fingerprint scan at check-in, Prometric can allow candidates to leave and return from breaks (based on IEEE ComSoc rules) by rescanning their fingerprint along with their sign-in and a display of their identification documents. The software will compare the fingerprint to the one scanned and saved at check-in, alerting the testing center administrator if the fingerprints do not match.
Prometric's reader and scanner system authenticates a candidate's driver's license (or other national identification) when presented during check-in at the testing center. The software will read the bar code or magnetic stripe on the license and provide two comparisons. First, it compares the license presented to known license templates for the state, province, or country and will let the testing center administrator know if the template does not match the license presented. The information from the magnetic stripe or bar code will then be compared to the information on the face of the license. Again, the testing center administrator will know if the information on the face of the license matches the information embedded in the barcode/magnetic stripe. This enables a testing center administrator to verify that the license presented is valid and that the individual presenting the license is who he/she claims to be.
Hyphenated Names
Candidates with hyphenated last names whose photo IDs show only one of the last names may be admitted if the single name matches part of the hyphenated name and the signature and photograph clearly match.
Candidates whose middle names are spelled out on their ID but are listed with an initial on the application may be admitted as long as the initial matches the first letter of the middle name and the signature and photograph match. This also applies to candidates who use their middle name instead of their first name on their application but their ID displays their first, middle, and last names.
WITHDRAWAL & REFUND POLICY
Withdrawal
Candidates who have a scheduled appointment, as well as those candidates who have not scheduled an appointment with Prometric, may withdraw from the IEEE WCET® certification examination. To withdraw from the examination, candidates must do the following:
Candidates Who Have a Scheduled Examination Appointment
Candidates with a scheduled examination appointment may withdraw from the examination by canceling their appointment on or before 12:00 noon (Regional Contact Center time), five (5) business days before their scheduled examination appointment. To cancel an examination appointment, contact Prometric at www.prometric.com/wcet, call the number listed on your Authorization to Schedule notice, or contact your Prometric Regional Contact Center. In addition to canceling your appointment with Prometric, you must submit your Examination Withdrawal information online at https://www2.proexam.org/IEEE. The withdrawal information must be submitted on or before the last day of the testing window in order to receive a refund. See the following section on Refunds for more information.
Candidates Who Have Not Scheduled an Examination Appointment
Candidates who have not scheduled an appointment and who wish to withdraw from the examination must submit Examination Withdrawal information online at https://www2.proexam.org/IEEE. The withdrawal information must be submitted on or before the last day of the testing window in order to receive a refund. See the following section on Refunds for more information.
Refunds
Candidates who withdraw from the examination on or before the last day of the application period will receive a full refund of their examination fee. The US$95 application fee is nonrefundable.
To initiate the refund, candidates must submit their Examination Withdrawal information online at https://www2.proexam.org/IEEE.
Candidates who withdraw from the examination after the last day of the application period, but no later than 12:00 noon (Regional Contact Center time) five (5) business days before their examination appointment, will receive a 50% refund (US$177.50 for IEEE and IEEE ComSoc members and US$202.50 for nonmembers) of their examination fee. The US$95 application fee is nonrefundable.
Candidates who do not cancel their examination appointment within the specified time frame and/or do not appear for an examination appointment are considered no-show candidates and forfeit all fees.
Candidates who cannot take the examination due to a medical or personal emergency should refer to "Refunds for Medical or Personal Emergencies" below.
Candidates who do not schedule an examination appointment with Prometric and/or who do not submit their Examination Withdrawal information online are considered no-show candidates and forfeit all fees.
To receive a refund, candidates must submit their Examination Withdrawal information online at https://www2.proexam.org/IEEE on or before the last day of the testing window.
All candidates will need to provide the following Examination Withdrawal information in order to obtain a refund:
- Candidate's full name as it appears on the application;
- Candidate's postal and email addresses;
- IEEE WCET® ID number (found in the Authorization to Schedule notice);
- Testing center location (if applicable);
- Examination appointment date and time (if applicable); and
- Date and time the appointment was canceled (if applicable).
No refunds will be issued unless candidates submit their Examination Withdrawal information within the specified timeframe. Refunds are issued no later than four (4) weeks after the close of the testing window.
Refunds for Medical or Personal Emergencies
IEEE ComSoc recognizes that medical or personal emergencies may arise that prevent candidates from rescheduling or withdrawing from an examination appointment. In such cases, candidates may request a partial refund of their examination fee by submitting a written request to PES and including supporting documentation as to the nature of the medical or personal emergency (e.g., accident report, medical documentation, death certificate). Refund requests resulting from medical or personal emergencies will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and candidates will be notified by email of the outcome of the request. If approved, candidates will receive a refund of their examination fee minus US$100. The US$95 application fee is nonrefundable. Examinations cannot be rescheduled to a future testing window.
Medical or personal emergency refund requests must be made in writing to PES on or before the last day of the testing window and must include a description of the situation and documentation of the emergency or extenuating circumstance. Candidates whose examination appointments were scheduled for the last two (2) days of the testing window may submit the refund request no later than five (5) business days from the last day of the testing window. Requests received after that time and/or without documentation will not be reviewed.
What Is a Medical or Personal Emergency?
IEEE ComSoc considers a medical emergency to be an unplanned medical event that arises within 48 hours of the scheduled examination and prevents candidates from taking the examination. The medical emergency may apply to candidates themselves or to one of the candidate's immediate family members (spouse, child, or parent). Medical events that can be anticipated as occurring on or near the examination date or any of the dates on which candidates can schedule, reschedule, or withdraw from the examination are not considered medical emergencies.
A personal emergency may apply to candidates themselves or to one of the candidate's immediate family members (spouse, child, or parent). Personal events that can be anticipated as occurring on or near the examination date or any of the dates on which candidates can schedule, reschedule, or withdraw from the examination are not considered personal emergencies. Inability to take the examination due to workload or work conflicts, or to an inability to properly prepare for the examination is not considered a personal emergency.
No-Show Candidates
Candidates who do not appear for their scheduled examination appointment, who arrive more than 15 minutes late for their appointment, who appear without ID or without a valid ID, or who cancel their appointment later than 12:00 noon (Regional Contact Center time) five (5) business days before the scheduled examination (without a documented medical or personal emergency) will be considered no-shows and will forfeit all fees. No-show candidates may reapply for a future examination window and pay the full fee.
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BENEFITS OF WCET • •
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