Re: Need urgent help for CISSP exam refusal - Page 2

Birmingham_UK

I’m very, very upset and on the verge of tears. Today has been an extremely painful and stressful day for me.

I paid a £700 fee for the CISSP exam at Birmingham, UK, but the exam didn’t even start properly. Instead, it finished abruptly. When I looked at the screen, it showed “Time Expired,” followed by a message stating, “You have not accepted the NDA, and you have now been refused to take the exam.”

The exam was scheduled to begin at 9:00 AM today. After completing detailed security checks, I was seated and ready by 8:54 AM. However, the screen displayed my name along with the message “Time Expired” at 8:54 AM.

Time expired? For what? There was nothing to read, no NDA to accept or reject. I have no idea what happened or why it happened. My nerves were about to burst, and I cannot express how frustrated and disappointed I feel.

After leaving the test center, I tried calling the number +44 20 3960 7800 several times, but no one answered. This has only added to my frustration and disappointment.

I have taken dozens of exams before, but nothing like this has ever happened to me. I feel completely lost. Could someone please help me or guide me on what I should do? PLEASE

denbesten

@CBMExamTeam wrote:

Knowing how much effort goes into preparing for these exams, it’s unfortunate when the NDA Time Out is reached, and the exam shuts down. However, once that 3-minute mark is reached, it is assumed a candidate has not accepted the Agreement, the exam times out and shuts down, and the exam status becomes: Refused.

"Unfortunate" is a nearly-cruel understatement. We need to think of the candidate's state of mind the next time they enter the test center. I am pretty sure they will not be calm, cool, collected and in the test-taking-zone. Instead their prior experience will be stuck in their head as they CYA-up for another $700 fight.

Years ago, when I took my exam, I was more worried about the check-in process than I was about the exam itself. Why? I was confident in my studies, but I had $600 (at the time) of my own money on the line. If somebody did not like my ID, or if a bad mouse prevented me from accepting the NDA, poof there goes $600.

Things are worse for the complainants than they were for me. They are reporting that they did not get the three minutes. In one case, the person reported going to the restroom after checking in but before entering the test room. In other cases, they report the timer was at zero by the time they completed the vein scan, put their coat in a locker, listened to the "raise your hand" spiel, etc. Their theory (which seems reasonable) is that the timer was started at the check in desk, not when their butt hit the chair.

Safeguards are needed to ensure that we don't unnecessarily put candidates through this stress. Presuming refusal upon no response is flat out wrong. Forfeiting $700 for accidentally clicking the wrong button is also wrong. Instead, we ought to focus on improving the workflow. We could start the exam with an untimed question ("Are you ready to start?") before displaying a timed NDA. We could give them the entire scheduled exam time (180 minutes) to respond affirmatively. And, we could ask "are you sure?" if they click no.

Along similar lines, if there are problems matching the ID, perhaps charge a $100 rescheduling fee instead of the full price for the exam they did not take.

Birmingham_UK

Your message is very "user-centric" and "humanity-focused," and you made an excellent point that both companies involved—the one administering the exam and the one providing the platform—are rich and powerful. They have thousands of intelligent people who can work to improve the system, rather than playing with the nerves of a single, stressed-out candidate. The candidate is already under immense psychological pressure because of the exam, financial pressure since the exam is not cheap, and physical stress, as they may not have slept well the night before due to the anxiety of the upcoming test. Why add to this pressure by testing their resilience unnecessarily?

Take my case as an example: I couldn’t sleep the night before because of exam-related stress. I then lost another night of sleep after the incident that happened, an incident in which I had absolutely no fault. My success depended entirely on the examiner's competence, and unfortunately, their lack of attention ruined everything. The examiner should have ensured I was seated and ready before starting the exam. Instead, the exam started prematurely, and my time, effort, hard work, money, and planning were all wasted. I was ultimately kicked out of the exam center with just a case number, leaving me to navigate a problem I did not create.

At this moment, my personal and family life has been completely disrupted because of what happened yesterday. Who is responsible for this? May I ask this question here on this forum?

@denbesten , you are absolutely correct that the timer should only start with the candidate's click, not the examiner's. The examiner doesn’t lose anything if they make a mistake—they can continue with their day, enjoy their coffee, and move on. But it’s the candidate who bears all the consequences of such errors. Starting the exam with an untimed question, such as "Are you ready to start?" is a brilliant suggestion.

Your point about presuming forfeiture due to a lack of response is also spot-on. Forfeiting $700 because of a mistaken click is entirely unfair. Adding a warning message, such as "Are you sure?" before confirming any critical action, would prevent such disasters. Candidates are focused on the exam itself and may not realize how one inadvertent click can destroy their efforts before they even reach the actual questions.

In my case, the examiner’s mistake has derailed my life. Now, I’m left to clean up their mess while also dealing with all my other personal challenges.

Birmingham_UK

Could I ask when someone will contact me? No one has reached me so far.

nkeaton

Unfortunately no one here can really answer because none of us can work this issue for you. On my issues I usually call or send an E-mail depending on the issue; yes, it does seem to take forever sometimes. I am very puzzled though and am guessing that this was caused at the test center. I have 7 ISC2 certifications, and my test sites (there are 3 here have used) never started the exam until they took me to my workstation. My test centers are all in the US. I am guessing, although not really a factor, that you are not in the US since the exam is $749 USD here. Definitely seems like Pearson Vue was the issue, but they are very difficult to deal with. I have days spent on the phone trying to help some of our employees with their issues. I just hope that ISC2 works this for you to your satisfaction. That is a terrible experience. I only wish you the best in this.

Birmingham_UK

Thank you for your reply. I’m very disturbed and having very difficult time because all of this. I don’t know what to do to feel better. I really need help on urgent basis. No one from ISC2 has contacted me so far, which has made me more upset.

nkeaton

So you submitted a formal request as well? I definitely would not recommend the community pages for getting something resolved. Maybe they would let you sign up for the CC for no cost (not sure if they look at if already had an exam appointment) for a small victory and to "test" the test center. I do wish that I had some really positive words that would help you. You might also want to consider a formal complaint to Pearson Vue as no idea why they would start an exam before the person was at their assigned workstation. That never happened to me on any of their exams, but the test centers did not start the exam until I was checked in and seated.

Birmingham_UK

@nkeaton Thank you for your message. Could you please let me know how to submit a formal request? I have already sent an email to examadministration@isc2.org, but I haven’t received any response, not even an automated reply. This is deeply concerning and adds to my distress, as it feels like there is no support from ISC2. Additionally, no one answers the phone at +44 20 3960 7800, which is extremely frustrating and leaves me feeling helpless.

Furthermore, could you guide me on how to file a formal complaint against Pearson Vue? Their test center has completely disrupted everything for me, and I am at a loss as to what steps to take next. I’ve read about similar cases from other individuals, which only confirms the seriousness of this issue.

@CBMExamTeam , could you provide any guidance? Could you tell me where to go, what to do, and who to contact? It’s highly disheartening that I’m unable to get through to ISC2 via phone (+44 20 3960 7800) or email (examadministration@isc2.org). This lack of response is very disappointing and extremely stressful. So please guide me, help me......