GETTING STARTED FAQ FOR NEW CATCs
Last Updated - September 2023 © Copyright 1996-2023 Pearson Education Inc. or its affiliate(s). All rights reserved.
Q: Which exams are currently available for certification testing?
A: We maintain a calendar matrix that has all current and upcoming certification exams and practice tests. We maintain a
separate calendar for our Learning Products. Remember our motto… “Learn, Practice, Certify”.
Q: I want to deliver certification exams at my school or business, how do I get started?
A: The first step is to register your institution as a Certiport Authorized Testing Center (CATC) at www.certiport.com/go.
Next, a Certiport representative will contact you with information on how to be activated, purchase exams, and receive
training. A CATC may deliver one, or any number of certification programs we offer, including Microsoft Office Specialist.
Q: What is required for our computer(s) in order to deliver the various exams?
A: See our Technical Requirements page; please note that “Live-in-the-Application” (LITA) exams such as Microsoft Office
Specialist (MOS) and Autodesk Certified User (ACU) have additional requirements and setup to administer them.
Q: Where do we download Compass or other delivery systems?
A: After your CATC has been approved and activated, you will set up roles under your Certiport user account. One of those
roles, Organization Administrator, has access to our “Exam Delivery” area where there is a dedicated page for Compass
and other systems (requires login). See more about assigning roles on our Get Started as a Testing Center page.
Q: How do I know how many exams my CATC has remaining?
A: Log in at www.certiport.com, change your role to Organization Administrator, hover over the “My Certiport” tab, and
then click on the “License, Inventory or Vouchers” dropdown. Prior to testing, you should routinely view your quantity of
exams remaining to ensure you have enough to proceed without interruption. If you should run out of exams, you may
contact your Territory Representative, purchase through the Org Admin role, or even purchase through our Store.
Q: We were not able to attend the On-Boarding training, what can we do?
A: Certiport provides pre-recorded video training for all new CATCs. Refer to our Webinars page and scroll down for a list
of available pre-recorded videos or to sign up for any available weekly live trainings. We also have many Quick Reference
Guides created and posted on our website in addition to a variety of additional pages with online solutions such as FAQs.
Q: Why do we need Windows Admin Rights with no Group Policies in order to run LITA exams on Compass
for Windows?
A: Please see our Compass for Windows Admin Rights guide.
Q: Why are there so many updates for Compass?
A: From Windows to a simple phone app, all software programs are subject to continual maintenance and improvements.
In addition to the actual delivery software itself, our exam content may undergo psychometric analysis that may require a
maintenance update, or new products and/or localizations (language translations) may be added to our lineup. These
events will result in an update to Compass because some of the information is stored locally on the testing computer
(client-side). However, Certiport has now introduced a new Update Services model where updates are now performed as a
Windows service in the background. So long as a testing workstation has Compass installed, the computer is on, and it
maintains an internet connection, that computer can be set to check for updates daily.
Frequently Asked Questions
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GETTING STARTED FAQ FOR NEW CATCs
Last Updated - September 2023 © Copyright 1996-2023 Pearson Education Inc. or its affiliate(s). All rights reserved.
Q: What if the Test Candidate is under the age of 18?
A: CATCs are required to collect and maintain a signed Parental Consent form prior to allowing Candidates under the age
of 18 to sit for any Certiport certification exam.
Q: What do we do when the computer freezes during an exam?
A: Restart the computer (perform a cold reboot if you encounter a hard freeze), launch the software again on the exact
same workstation on which it was started, and then choose the test that is already in in progress (the test will start from
the last question unanswered on most exams). If the problem persists or you do not see the same exam marked as “In
Progress”, please contact Certiport Technical Support or refer to our FAQs for detailed information.
Q: We have 20 identical computers, 19 launch fine but one doesn’t – how can this happen if they are all the
same?
A: Most of the time there is likely just one setup item or technical requirement that was overlooked on the workstation that
will not launch. Should all setup and technical items be addressed but the problem still occurs, the solution may be
wrapped within a more complicated answer. Over time, even computers with the same hardware can and will develop a
unique historical software “fingerprint”. It may be necessary to simply start over and reinstall Console and its dependencies
from scratch, or in extreme cases, even reimage or reinstall Windows on that particular workstation.
Q: Should the instructor also take the certification exams?
A: Yes. It is highly recommended that the instructor take an exam before administering it to the Test Candidate(s); this will
assist the instructor in becoming more attuned with not only the exam objectives, but the nature of test delivery itself. A
teacher so inclined also has the option to become a Microsoft Certified Educator.
Q: What are the required passing scores for the exams?
A: Cut scores are never published. Please refer to our official exam scoring policy.
Q: Are there any exceptions for Test Candidates with disabilities?
A: Yes. Approved candidates can request accommodations on any Certiport delivered exam. For more information on
accommodations and/or to obtain the ADA request form please visit our ADA page.
Q: We cannot test in-person/on-premise due to health restrictions, mandates, or other issues. Do you have a
solution?
A: Yes. Certiport developed a remote proctored solution in 2020 called Exams from Home.
Find Answers online or Contact Support through Phone, Email, or Live Chat.
Support is available Monday through Friday 6am to 5pm MT
Contact Support
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