Trying to decide whether to take your Series 7 from home, or at a Prometric testing center?
Well, everyone’s situation is different.
That said, we’ve heard plenty of feedback from hundreds of our students at Professional Exam Tutoring that have experienced both. So, we thought we would write about what we’ve heard and hope that it helps those of you that still need to make your decision.
Series 7 from Home…Good Idea or Bad?
If you decide to take the Series 7 from home, there are certainly a few things that you should consider.
First, you will need to have a room that has a door that you can close. FINRA requires that.
Second, you will have to live with the fact that you will have a live proctor watching you as you take your exam. For some people, this can be fairly distracting, although others may not mind so much if it means they do not have to wear a mask – which may be more of a distraction, and is required at testing centers.
Third, FINRA is understandably very strict when it comes to minimizing cheating. As a result however, you do not have the ability to have physical scratch paper.
Testing from home you will be provided with a notepad that is on the screen. You can use it to take any notes, or write down any definitions or formulas you need. This can be a little bit more tricky than hand writing notes on a whiteboard or scratch paper.
Lastly, you will need to be comfortable using a calculator provided by the testing software. The calculator will be displayed on the screen. You will not be allowed to use your own physical calculator.
If any of these impediments, cause major distress, consider going into a testing center.
Going to a Prometric Testing Center
Going to a Prometric testing center can also have its distractions however. Often you will be in a room with multiple other people, and the constant movement can be distracting for some.
Furthermore, as mentioned above, as of this writing, all testing centers continue to require masking due to the COVID-19 virus.
Many students have expressed difficulty in taking the exam with a mask without having practiced with one beforehand. On that note, make sure that you practice taking a mock exam while wearing a mask so that you can get used to it.
Finally, at the testing centers you are often given a whiteboard, or a laminated sheet with a felt pen or marker to make notes.
While not ideal, most people prefer this to taking notes on the computer.
So Which Do We Recommend?
All in all, neither scenario is perfect. However, the one clinching point for us is the fact that many students have run into technical difficulties when trying to take the test from home.
The last thing most people want to experience is a technical issue while already dealing with test anxiety. If you are comfortable being in a room with others, we would recommend going to a testing center.
Taking the Series 7 from home can be more comfortable, but can also increase stress above and beyond what you may experience when taking it at a center run by experienced test givers.
Well, we hope that helps! For more tips, feel free to reach out or check out one of our Series 7 video courses! Good luck!