The 2 women at the front desk work quickly & are efficient, respectful & no nonsense, with a good dose of humor.
A few tips for this location:
* Park as close to the front door as you can, as that's how you'll enter. Plenty of lot parking, which is free.
* You may find the front door to be locked, in which case, press the call button on the large panel to the right of the door & the office will answer & buzz you in. Rm 107 is to the left, down the hall, on the left.
* The men's room is right across the hall from the office, next to a conveniently placed water fountain & the ladies' room is on the other side of the bldg... as you walk in, behind the center stairs.
* The lockers are free & can fit a large laptop bag, so you should have plenty of room to store belongings. By now you probably know not much can be brought into the test room with you... basically, eyeglasses. (Note: I brought in an extra sweater & the room was very warm, but as I was about finished the a/c kicked on super cold & if I'd remained, I'd have needed it. That's a warning, if you have bare arms/legs.)
* Anything placed inside the locker must remain there until after testing. If you want bottled water to sip on, you must leave it on top of the lockers & raise your hand in the room, remaining seated, to wait to be escorted to the locker to sip your water. You must then be escorted back in. Even though the website instructions said closed beverages may be brought into the testing room, that's incorrect as of 12-20-17.
Pros:
* Easy to find location.
* I arrived an hour early. Since a seat was available, I was told I could begin my test immediately, which was great & very accommodating.
* Nearby water fountains & bathrooms, should you need a break. As above, if for any reason you need assistance or to leave the room, you must raise your hand, remain seated & wait for someone to come to you.
* The testing room is very quiet, but they also provide giant, noise-cancelling headphones at each station. I have an average sized head & they fit very tightly, but were still useful for concentration.
* The headphones, keyboard & desktop are wiped down with a sanitizing wipe after each person leaves, which is a lovely touch.
Cons:
* Nothing. But, it's good to know that the testing center is a couple of banks of cubicles, all lined up next to each other... I'm guessing 20. You're facing the wall & just 6" away from your neighbors' elbows. I'm a bit claustrophobic, but settled in quickly & I'd imagine all the other testing centers are the same.
Good to know before you come:
* There is a video on the PV website you should watch, about the check-in procedure. If I hadn't watched it, I'd have been disoriented, because I wouldn't have suspected such thorough procedures, used to prevent cheating by hiding notes or recording devices. They do provide the same info printed on a laminated sheet, which you're given to read before entering the exam area, but a pic is truly worth 1K words.
For example, I had to roll up long sleeves, lift my long shirt over my waist in the back & front, while turning around to show that I had no pants pockets & pat myself down from waist to ankles. Not everyone does this... depends on what you're wearing. Note: Simpler is better. If you're wearing big, floaty skirts & loose tops, they've got a lot more material to be mindful of.
If hair is worn down and/or over the ears, you may be asked to push it behind your ears or turn & lift a ponytail or hair so they can see the back of your neck. My hair was down... I pulled it into a ponytail in front of her so she could see I wasn't hiding anything. I also brought in 2 pairs of eyeglasses, 1 for the computer only & they both needed to be placed on the table for them to inspect.
Lastly, you will find them to be direct. People are nervous because we're taking state boards, after all, so it's understandable that things need to be repeated. They're firm but very respectful & pleasant. For example, 1 woman finished her test & asked if she could wait for her friend & they said not in the office. She then told them (didn't ask) she was going back into the exam room to speak to her & they said no.
Of course they were right... firstly, we all read the laminated card about rules on entering or leaving the exam room & no one is allowed to talk or chew gum, let alone have a discussion with their carpool mate. Some may have found that to be abrupt. I thought it was rude of the woman to repeat it twice, loudly... I paid for my timed test, I don't want to overhear your conversation about waiting in the car. She'll know! She saw you walk out. Where else are ya gonna be!
All in all, 5* out of 5. Very professional women. And, I'll be back to PV as I didn't pass & need to retake my exam. Boo... but at least I'm more comfortable about what to expect. Good luck! read more