What will my experience be like at a Prometric test site?
Check-in Process
Plan to arrive 30 minutes before the scheduled appointment to allow time for check-in procedures. If you are late in arriving, you will not be allowed to test and will forfeit your exam fee.
Prometric takes their role of providing a secure test environment seriously. During the check-in process, all of your personal belongings need to be placed in your temporary Prometric locker during your time in the test center. You will be permitted to keep your ID and your locker key with you at all times.
The test center administrator will ask you to raise your pant legs above your ankles, empty and turn your pockets completely inside out, and raise shirt sleeves above your wrists prior to every entry into the test room. A test center will also take the following steps of inspecting for security:
- Glasses (full rotation, inner/outer frame)
- Ears (no Bluetooth devices)
- Hats and any hair accessories must be removed (unless worn for religious reasons)
- Remove Jewelry (inspect front/back, remove from testing area) Note: Wedding/engagement bands are allowed upon inspection.
- Hands (front, back, fingernails)
- Sleeves/Wrists (push up/pull down, tattoos)
- Tie (slowly roll upward, looking for bulges)
- Pockets: Pants - Shirt (front/back pockets) Check to see if they have a coin pocket
- Hoodie/Outerwear (check pockets, shake out hood, collar) Note: Must be worn for entire exam, placed on back of chair, or completely removed from area.
As a final step in the process, you will be scanned with a metal detector wand prior to entry into the test room.
All exams are monitored by continuous audio and video recording. If you experience any issues while taking an exam, please raise your hand to inform the test center administrator.
- Outerwear
- Beverages
- Notebooks
- Electronic devices
- Wallets
- Hats
- Purses
- Watches
- Wearable technology
- Bags
- Food
- Briefcases
- Cell phones
- Medication
If you have a medical condition that requires medication, food, beverages, or similar items, you must obtain authorization from ASQ before scheduling your appointment with Prometric. For more information, please view the Special Accommodations FAQ.
Identification
- English characters/translation
- Your photograph
- Your signature
If your government-issued identification does not display a photograph or a signature, a secondary form of identification may be used, which includes a photograph and/or signature (whichever is missing from the government-issued identification), and your name printed on the identification. All identification must be current (nonexpired).
Your identification documents must be in good condition and cannot be bent, frayed, taped, cracked, or otherwise damaged in any way. The identification documents must be the originals and cannot be photocopies. You will not be permitted to test if the name on your identification documents does not exactly match the name on your scheduling notification, or if your identification is damaged. Neither ASQ nor Prometric will make any exceptions to this policy.
If you do not provide the appropriate and/or matching identification, you will not be permitted to test. If you still wish to take the exam, you will be required to apply for re-exam and pay the reexam fee to take the exam at a later date, when valid identification is available.
- Valid driver's license
- Valid military ID
- Valid passport
- Valid national identification card
- Valid employee ID
- Valid credit card with signature
- Valid bank (ATM) card
- Social Security cards
- Library cards
Reference Materials
All ASQ exams are open-book.
All reference materials (e.g., including all forms of notes) must be bound and remain bound during the exam. Bound refers to material permanently bound by stitching or glue and material fastened securely in its cover by fasteners, which penetrate all papers (e.g., ring binders, spiral binders, plastic snap binders, brads, or screw posts). Manually or hand-stapled documents that are not securely fastened in their covers are not allowed. The size of workspace area at Prometric test centers is limited. The approximate desk dimensions are 48in in length and 24in in width.
Before you enter the exam room, the test center administrator will inspect all references. "PostIt notes" will be permitted as book tabs only (must be attached prior to entering the test center). The following items are strictly prohibited in the exam area: hand-stapled materials, blank writing tablets or tablets containing blank pages, unbound tablets, unbound notes, slide charts, and/or wheel charts (hand-held cardboard or plastic calculating devices with rotating or sliding pieces).
Absolutely no collections of questions and answers or weekly refresher-course quizzes are permitted. Reference sources that contain such copies are not allowed unless the questions are removed or obscured. Examinees are responsible for abiding by applicable copyright laws.
Calculators
All computer-based exams feature a basic scientific calculator on-screen in the exam. Test center administrators can provide you with a basic calculator upon request.
With the introduction of tablets and palmtop computers and the increasing sophistication of scientific calculators, ASQ has become increasingly aware of the need to limit the types of calculators permitted for use during the exams. Any silent, hand-held, battery-operated calculator without an alphabetic keyboard will be permitted; however, all programmable memory must be cleared before entering the exam room.
Calculators such as the Texas Instruments TI-89 or similar are absolutely NOT allowed because they contain alphabetic keyboards. The exam is written so a simple calculator will be sufficient to perform all calculations. Examinees are allowed to have a backup calculator if necessary.
Pencil and Scratch Paper
Certain certification exams may include mathematical calculations. At test centers, Prometric will provide each candidate with a pencil and scratch paper to use during the exam. For remotely proctored exams, effective July 1st, 2022, candidates are prohibited from using blank scratch paper and physical writing objects such as a pen or pencil. Instead, the Scratchpad function in the exam application can be used.
Breaks
Candidates are allowed to take breaks during the exam, however, the clock on the exam will not be paused. Remotely proctored examinees are allowed a maximum of three ten-minute breaks during their session. Examinees are not allowed to leave the camera view without first notifying and being acknowledged by the proctor. Upon return, a full security scan will be conducted prior to resuming the exam.
Inclement Weather
If any candidate is unable to arrive to the designated exam site or testing center because of inclement weather, natural disasters, and unforeseen emergencies beyond control of the candidate, the candidate will be allowed to reschedule the exam at the next available date without being charged. If you are registered for a paper-based test, the proctor in conjunction with the ASQ certification exam coordinator will notify you of all applicable changes. If you are registered for a computer-based test, Prometric staff will contact you for your exam reschedule. For a list of Prometric testing center closures click here.
If for any reason the exam is unable to be administered, the candidate will be rescheduled to the next available date without being charged.
Test Incidences and Irregularities
Any problems, suspected instances of cheating, alleged inappropriate exam administration or candidate behavior, environmental testing conditions severe enough to cause disruption of the process, or other irregularities related to test administrations should be addressed to the onsite Proctor/test center administrator. All such matters will be reported, investigated, and subject to further action based on ASQ policies and procedures.
Technology Failure/Lost Exams
ASQ, in conjunction with its partners, takes all available precautions to ensure appropriate and secure availability of online and handling of completed tests. In the rare and extreme case in which the candidate experiences a technology issue or the test becomes lost or unreadable, candidates will be required to undergo retesting without being charged an exam fee. ASQ will not be responsible for candidate travel-associated expenses for future testing.