I don't know how many people have answered the survey yet, but results are sitting at 88% "NO." I'm a "NO" because I took the NPM in June and July and scored a 68% both times. I'm going to take the test again next week when I get the retake discount voucher.
I have a question to all the people that said “No.” Why do you not have any SCP certs?
Are the tests too difficult?
Did COVID, killing the in person boot camps and forcing the test to be taken online, kill your desire to test?
Is PSI’s performance as an online testing vendor a major factor? (I want to use the vouchers from the virtual boot camps I’ve taken, but I’ll probably stop testing after I get the NPM strictly because of PSI. It a pain trying to get into the test.)
Does the cert have no value to you or your employers?
Do you have other required certs for your job that take up more time/studying?
There seems to be a lot of discussion and comments on THWACK. I’m surprised there is such a high number of personnel that aren’t certified. I figured more individuals would have certs based on the amount of engagement and experience in the community.
Cert has no value to myself or my employer. Now, if I were to change employment it would be a good look for me to have certs, like a CCNA or this one. Until that time comes I do not see the need for the effort or time. I am already in a solid job which relies on my experience and not what I can "test well" on for me to do my job.
I am a looser .... no... been thinking about it ... I have failed to use the MVP status to even try an exam .. sham on me!
Tried, spent 60,000 THWACK points, created PSI account and after that informations requried for scheduling online exam was too confused and I gave up. What a waste of thwack points.
No.. Not yet.. But soooonnnn....
I also had a frustrating experience getting my exam scheduled and day off I felt clueless as to how I would take the exam. Had to dig up an email that had a customer support number and they got me through. Since I do solarwinds all day every day the exam wasn't too difficult. Some got-cha type questions and some that felt like more than one answer is technically right, so what's the real "right" answer. But I passed and now it's expired. No desire to re-cert.
I do have a question, being someone that is actively pursuing an NPM as well as Troubleshooting. Compared to Pearson Vue, what extra did PSI require of candidates? I've never really had a clear answer.
There should be an option for "Yes, but it expired"
I see 84% of people who don't have it, but wish they had it
83% of the votes on no. Glad I can say I've got two SCP's already, but Architecture and Design is still a tough one for me.
Biggest issue is accessing the actual test. You can only take the tests in your house. There isn't a physical facility to take the test. Taking a test from home sounds great but the requirements for the rooms specs are difficult to meet and standards are subjective not objective.
The problem is getting the room to meeting the proctors standards (not PSI's posted standards) while the proctor can only message you with chat. Step 1 is you show your ID. Step 2 is you have 15 seconds to film the room your are in. Step 3 and beyond, you have to film a half dozen other things in 15 second intervals. All of this is recorded by video without a live proctor speaking/being present. You have to then submit the videos for review to a random proctor. Sounds pretty easy.
The video are reviewed and usually rejected by the proctor through a chat/text message. They is no audible interaction. You get a message saying rejected and you get immediately kicked back to the automated system. You have to redo all the steps. After you get rejects three or four times, then a proctor will message you what is wrong with the room. When you message proctor to ask what is wrong, you get kicked back to automated system until you fail 3 or 4 times. It's never sooner. 1 proctor complained that I had a bookshelf and I needed to cover it with a sheet. Next proctor said sheet is not allowed to be in place and the bookshelf needs to be visible. I've had the proctor instruct me to turn computer around to show a closed glass double doorway during testing yet another proctor said it is wrong. The issue is lack of consistency and clarification on what is required to get to the test is the issue. For one of the tests, it took me 70 minutes to get into the test, yet I read and followed all of PSI's posted instructions. 70 minutes to get a room to meet standards where the standards change each time based on proctor is insane.
Two of my co-workers have taken tests as well and they report the same experience. It has taken them 30 - 60 minutes to get into test.
The last two problems I've encountered other than the room were:
1) I called a PSI physical testing center and drove to the center when they said they can administer the test. I couldn't sign up for the NPM online, but they said they could do it there. Test center says I was good to go and just needed to come over on the agreed upon date. I got to the facility and sat around for an hour or so. Site couldn't get the test to pull up on their testing software. After the site called the PSI/SolarWinds representative, that representative told the facility the SolarWinds test is offered "online" only. How did the testing center not know they can't issue the test? They are a testing center. It was a waste of 60 minutes of gas and drive time not counting the hour or two I was in the facility.
2) I recently bought a Chromebook. I figured it would be easier to test with a laptop in a smaller room vs. my office and bulky desktop. I got a smaller room in the house and a laptop would make it easier to spin around and film everything in the 15 second intervals. PSI's site says Chromebooks are supported. I ran the test software PSI has for testing. Test results passed and said my computer will run the test. Testing time comes and I can't enter the test. I do the system test again and it passed. The login specifically list MAC, Windows, & Chromebooks as compatible devices. I called PSI and their tech said the SolarWinds test does not work on Chromebooks. I said "in writing, your site says it does support Chromebooks. Your system check before the test said it passes and will work." Long story short, I carried my desktop up to the room with the Chromebook in it and took the test from that room.
Lastly, don't cover your mouth or move your lips during the test. if you read a question that is hard and wording and mouth the words and read it allowed to hear it/understand the question, they will send you a warning or end the test.
This is sad to hear
Mine is unfortunately expired.
We're sorry to hear you experienced trouble purchasing an exam voucher. Please email us at certification@solarwinds.com and we would be happy to walk you through the process and troubleshoot for you.
Renewing your certification can be done by retesting. Visit the SCP program page for more information. https://support.solarwinds.com/solarwinds-certified-professional-program
We're sorry to hear you experienced trouble getting your exam scheduled. For any issues, feel free to email us at certification@solarwinds.com. We are happy to answer your questions on what to expect, etc. You may find the information you are looking for on the SCP program page. https://support.solarwinds.com/solarwinds-certified-professional-program
Details on signing up for an SCP exam, scheduling your exam, and what to expect during your exam can be found on the SCP program page. https://support.solarwinds.com/solarwinds-certified-professional-program You can email us any time at certification@solarwinds.com with any questions or concerns. We are actively working with our testing vendor, PSI, to address scheduling concerns and bring back in-person testing after in-person training. Stay tuned to the SCP forum on THWACK for details.
We are actively working with PSI to bring back the in-person testing after in-person training. As it is available, we will post to the SCP forum in THWACK. We appreciate your feedback and hope you will stick with the SCP certifications as we make adjustments and improvements.
Our current contract with PSI is for online testing only. We are working to bring back in-person testing after in-person training. We are also discussing the option for use of physical testing centers. As we have more details available we will post them to the SCP forum in THWACK. Details on what to expect during testing are available on the SCP program page. https://support.solarwinds.com/solarwinds-certified-professional-program Feel free to email us at certification@solarwinds.com with any questions or concerns.
This is great news! Mine is currently expired and would love the renew it. Once 'in person' becomes available I will schedule the exam.
I have the original version of the SCP. So I voted yes but I'm guessing it's not valid anymore?
@SaraClark I have an online test scheduled next month and these "issues" raised about PSI are unbelievable.I have never been good at "doing exams" (lots of reasons, won't bore you here). I also suffer with a dry throat and always carry water with me, and have been told by PSI I'm not allowed water during the exam. I queried this and was told take it up with SolarWinds as it is "their requirement". I can believe all the PSI horror stories, and quite frankly PSI's approach to this is making me even more worried about the scheduled exam than I already am - especially as this is going to be my first exam in over 2 decades.
Linked below is the list of violations for SolarWinds exams.
https://support.solarwinds.com/-/media/solarwinds/success-center/psi/exam-violations-with-psi.ashx?rev=dbf900b59c4f4e44a7ec17db3b096758
We have removed the eating/drinking violation. If you have any trouble, bring it up to the Proctor and make sure to follow up with PSI afterwards.
We are working on holding in-person testing again. As it becomes available we will post on THWACK.
Feel free to email with any other questions.
Sara
sara.clark@solarwinds.com
No one will probably read this, but I have a correction. I retook the NPM exam yesterday and passed.
Important thing to note is PSI may have improved their process for entering the test. I failed the video scanning at the beginning of the test. After first fail, a live operator answered through chat and allowed me to scan the room with them watching. That process made entering the test a 100 times smoother than pervious access attempts in the past. I'm still not a fan of PSI, but if they do the same thing for other personnel as me, PSI is attempting to make improvements on their processes.
I re-took and exam yesterday (9/1/22), so this info is current.
1) Water is a allowed if it is in a clear glass or clear bottle without label. No coffee or colored liquid. Any containers that aren't 100% clear with no labels are a no go. Recommendation, skip bottles and use a big clear glass or large jar if you can. I used a large clear glass and had to drink some so they could see the bottom of glass.
2) It didn't take me 70 minutes to get into the exam this time around. I scanned the room and failed scan. Instead of getting kicked back to the automated system to scan again and again...and again, they had an "admissions proctor" hit me up in chat after 1st failed scan. The proctor gave me instructions through chat to film/rescan stuff and the proctor watched. That process made it much easier than the automated process and much less of a headache.
3) Be aware of your camera placement and your body at the start of test. The camera was close to my face based on size of room. I received 3 warnings on the test. I received 2 for looking off screen. I looked down but since I was close to the camera, they couldn't see that I lowered my head and stared near keyboard in concentration. If I was further from camera, they would have seen surroundings and said nothing because it was normal movement. The second thing I got hit up for was covering my mouth. I didn't cover my mouth directly. I put hand together while thinking of a question's answer. The angle between camera, my hands my mouth blocked viewing of my mouth. I was focused on question and not paying attention to camera. Again, it was an angle thing. If you aren't close up to camera, you should be good.
I pass the Exam today!! wohooo!
Alright!
