Exam Policies

Test Security

Knowledge Pillars (KP) is committed to making sure that its certification exams are respected, reliable and valued in the marketplace. Accordingly, KP takes appropriate measures to ensure that the integrity of its exams is never compromised, preventing and detecting fraud and exam security breaches.

KP conducts periodic checks to identify abnormalities in exam results that help detect cheating or content piracy. Indicators such as types of responses, latency, pass rates and retakes may reveal patterns of cheating, collusion or piracy.

KP requires entities delivering its exams to ensure an appropriate physical testing environment, and that administrators and proctors are trained to provide good quality oversight of testing.

Administrators and proctors who observe violations of rules or suspect a testing security breach must immediately contact KP, reporting date, time and location of the incident, name of Test Candidate, name and version of exam taken.

Physical testing environment

Ensure the testing area is a professional environment where Test Candidates may take the exam without interruptions. Private dwellings, homes, or other personal facilities are not approved testing environments and should not be used to administer exams. To get more info on how to deal with testing during COVID-19 emergency, please contact KP at info@knowledge-pillars.com

Ensure that each test is actively proctored with an unobstructed view of each Test Candidate in the testing area. Acceptable methods of proctoring include:

• Camera/video display – The proctor may remotely monitor the Test Candidate via a camera with access to a complete view of the testing environment.
• Observation window – The proctor may monitor the Test Candidate through an observation window with a complete view of the testing environment.
• In-Room proctoring – The proctor is located in the same room as the Test Candidate. This is typically the preferred method for larger groups of classroom testing.

While testing is in progress, use of equipment such as printers, fax machines, copiers, telephones, or other electronic devices is not permitted in the testing environment.

Candidate exam procedures

1. The administrator of the exam is responsible for verifying the Test Candidate’s identity with at least one form of valid identification (containing both a photograph and the Test Candidate’s signature).
2. The Administrator/Proctor must not allow recording or electronic devices in the testing area. Such devices include paper, pens, pencils, cameras, computers, or cell phones. Additional Test Candidate property, such as books or bags, should be stored outside the testing environment or inaccessible during the exam.
3. The Administrator/Proctor may allow a Test Candidate to take a break during testing if requested but must inform the Test Candidate that the testing clock cannot be stopped during the break and that should happen in cases of emergency and the Test Candidate must comply with security guideline, to avoid compromising the test.
4. The Proctor must confirm that the Test Candidate’s ID matches the KP account information, prior to launching the exam.

Accommodation of disabilities

As a worldwide provider of certification exams, KP is committed to ensuring that those persons with the desire to certify through an exam have the opportunity to do so. KP embraces the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as well as other global accommodations for disabilities.

KP requires advance notification for requests of accommodations as well as a reasonable amount of time to review and implement such requests.

Accommodations may include:

• Extended testing time
• A separate testing room

Test accommodations are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Required documentation

• Educational or psychological report
• Current or recent school-based special education plan
• A detailed letter from a qualified professional that describes the disabling condition and the related adjustment request

Any documentation that is submitted must:

• Include a clear diagnosis
• Be printed on the evaluator’s or school’s official letterhead
• Be signed and dated by the evaluator, doctor, or school official

Please contact us at support@knowledge-pillars.com for further information.

Test candidate exam policies

Test candidates, proctors and administrators must adhere to and/or enforce all of the following policies when taking or administering an exam at a KPTCs.

• Upon arrival at the testing centre, Test Candidates must present their personal identification bearing a photograph and signature.
• Test candidates may not take recording devices such as paper/pencil, cameras, PDAs, computers, or communication devices such as cell phones, or pagers into the testing area.
• Test candidates must not communicate with other test candidates either in the testing room or in any other area of the testing facility during authorized testing breaks.
• Test candidates must read and accept the terms of the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) presented prior to the start of the exam.
• Test candidates must not remove exam content from the testing area, and must not reproduce exam content outside of the testing area.
• Test candidates must abide by the terms of the retake policy.
• Test candidates found to have violated testing centre rules may lose any existing certifications and may be made permanently ineligible for additional certifications.

Retake policy

• If a candidate does not achieve a passing score on an exam the first time, the candidate must wait 20 days before retaking the exam.
• If a candidate does not achieve a passing score the second time, the candidate must wait another 20 days before retaking the exam a third time.
• A candidate may not take a given exam any more than three times per year (12 months). This 12-month period would start the day of the third unsuccessful exam retake. The candidate would then be eligible to retake the exam 12 months from that date.
• If a candidate achieves a passing score on a KP exam, the candidate would be eligible to retake the exam 2 years from the date passed.

Exam scoring policy

KP certification exams are designed to measure skills on an individual basis, rather than in relation to another person or group.

In the interest of security, KP distributes multiple versions of its exams, each with different content and, accordingly, different passing standards and number of questions. However, steps are taken to ensure that each version of an exam measures and certifies an equivalent level of knowledge, skill, and ability. For each exam, passing standards are derived from a combination of expert opinion on “minimal competence” and observations regarding how well an exam actually differentiates between low-performing and high-performing examiners.

To identify the passing standard for a particular exam, please refer to the exam score report provided upon completion. The exam score report is also accessible within a test candidate’s KP profile. It is KP policy to not provide additional documentation regarding certification passing scores or other exam metrics that may be considered proprietary information.

Proctored exam instructions

Examus Inc. offers Knowledge Pillars test takers the opportunity to take exams remotely from anywhere in the world in a secure and user-friendly environment. Together we help candidates verify their skills and certify with confidence!

Find out what to expect with our online proctored exams.