AWS SysOps Associate testing experience – The Waiting Game
So, I passed the SysOps Associate exam on Saturday. At least, I think I did. I have an email that gave me my score, but I haven’t received my pdf with the cool logo so I can stick it in my email header. The new testing vendor is doing things a bit different than the last, and though the facilities were much more professional, there are a couple of hiccups that are giving me pause.
Previously, I took my certification tests at a Webassessor vendor on Topanga Blvd. It was a couple of cramped office cubicle spaces in a retired cop’s private investigator / training office on the third floor of a rather uninspired office building. I seem to only test on Saturday mornings, and the testing center was run by a lovely lady who always had her little girls under foot, running errands and keeping we test takers from getting too anxious. When I would complete a test, I would immediately get an email with my score, and then a second email with my certificate and badge / logo assets.
All that went away once AWS changed testing vendors to PSI and are running it all through the cool new certification portal. It is annoying to have to sign in a couple of times to get to my test info, but I imagine this is just growing pains, it will get simpler after a while.
The testing facility was a bit further away in Agoura Hills, but in Los Angeles terms it was conveniently close for me. There was some very loud construction going on in the lobby, which added to the anxiety of the testing experience. The testing facility was on the third floor, and when I walked in, it was clear that they were in the testing business, not just as a side line.
Once in the door, the proctor team was no nonsense. They take your primary and secondary IDs and use them as tokens to keep track of you and your stuff in the testing process. The primary ID is attached on your test scratch paper, and your secondary matched to your locker key, with which you secure all of your electronics and pocket contents immediately, no chance to cram in a little bit more studying before getting in line. If you are in the door, you are ready to test. I had rather counted on standing in line as people get signed in, but not this time!
The intake process was very efficient, much the same look and feel as being checked into a jail or medical facility, all white walls and cameras. The place could use some institutional happy colors , but otherwise you felt like they knew what they were doing.
Until I sat down to take the test…
The testing station was great, they gave me two pencils, earplugs and hearing protection such as you might get at the firing range. I had already signed off that the construction noise didn’t bother me, but I might have been able to reschedule if I wished to make an issue of it. Nice chair, well lit, cameras everywhere. It was a bummer that I couldn’t take off my shoes, but I can see why some folks might get bent out of shape about that. All ready to go, clicked Next, and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Finally I summoned the proctor, who told me that they had gotten an email that morning saying that there would be a delay between questions, but that the delay would not count against the test time limit.
ok….
And so it went, after each question, I had to stare at the animated circle of life for 25 to 45 seconds until the next question page loaded. I don’t know if it was a network issue, caching issue or just how the test is going to go from now on, but I had a mandatory moment of zen between each question. If you went back to review an answer, you also got a delay. Luckily, there was no penalty to the count down timer (I watched that sucker like a hawk) for the delay, but I nearly fell asleep between questions a couple of times. Lots of deep breathing.
Once I complete my test and submit it for grading, I am expecting the dreaded pass or fail page. Heart in my throat, I wait 30 seconds for it to load… and a feedback survey page pops up. Gah! I have to wade through a bunch of survey question pages, not knowing if I passed or not, and wait 30 seconds between questions to contemplate all my life’s bad decisions that led up to this moment!
After the survey, I got the feedback that I had passed, and I would get an email. Normally I take about a third of the allocated time for these tests, but on this occasion I was forced to take the whole thing. I was rehearsing my excuse to PSI asking for a refund if I didn’t pass, blaming my lack of preparation on the testing scenario…. Lucky I didn’t have to dance to that tune.
So, I get my score sheet, which tells me how I did in each section. There is one section I need to practice, but the rest held up enough for me to pass. However, I don’t see my certification PDF with the cert number, so I can’t update the resume. What is going on?
Looking at the certification portal, I have to wait 5 business days before I can expect any update to the website for proof that I passed. So, I get to practice patience and wait again.
I did pass, didn’t I? If a pdf fails to be created on the internet, does anyone hear it? In about 5 days someone is going to hear about it, for sure.
Anyway, I am grateful to the folks at A Cloud Guru, Linux Academy and Whizlabs for helping me prepare for the certification. I am also grateful for my parent organization, YPI Charter Schools, who gave me time off to prepare and let me experiment on their dime.
Update: I kid you not, the minute I published this article, I got an email directing me to look at my certification in the portal. Yep, there it is, 24 or so hours later. So much for instant gratification, but glad to have the proof at long last!
