Where to take the CeMAP Exams?

So you've decided that a career in mortgage advice is for you, you've taken the plunge & started studying for your exams AND maybe you've even registered & paid your exam fees with LIBF. Now comes the big decision...

Do you sit your exam in a test center or remotely from home? Here are the key things to consider before booking the exam:

1. How quick do you want to sit the exam? As a general rule you can usually book any of your CeMAP exams a lot sooner if you sit them remotely. This depends entirely on your location! Test center will be at the same place as your local driving theory test center, so availability will depend entirely on that specific test center & students can sometimes book exams with as little as 2 weeks notice, others may have to wait 6+ weeks in comparison with remote exams which can often be booked for the next day.
   

2. What equipment do you have? I will only say this once. PLEASE don't sit the exams from a works laptop & here's why... When you first book your exam with Pearson Vue (this can be done within 24 hours after paying your registration fee with LIBF). You will be asked to complete a systems test on whichever laptop / desktop you plan on using on exam day. You will download a piece of software that will check to make sure you have no 'suspicious' programs running in the background and it will automatically check for Team, Zoom, Team Viewer + a bunch of various firewall tech. But here's the BIG problem. Because these systems run in the background they may not automatically flag on the initial systems check (especially Teams, Team Viewer, Slack & Bitdefender Firewall). Instead what happens is you will get the all clear during the software check phase, only to be kicked out of your actual exam 15 minutes in... & every 15 minutes thereafter. The good news is you absolutely can avoid this. By using you personal laptop you will have full authorisation to uninstall the relevant tech AND disable your firewall for your exam. Generally work desktops / laptops don't allow for the same changes to be made & I have had a handful of students in the past who have had to quit their exam early & pay the £180 re-sit fee because of this. Don't be that guy - use your own equipment & avoid the added stress on the day!
   

3. Where is your comfort zone? For me, having to drive to a new place in a City Center to take a test feels like A LOT because my 9 - 5 involves working from home in my pants. But not everyone works the same. To be able to sit a remote exam you need to have a space free from distractions, with no noise AND somewhere you can completely empty for your exam. This means no paper on your desk, no pictures / pin board on connecting walls and absolutely no noise that will interfere with your exam. A remote invigilator (remote exam) will involve someone watching you on a webcam throughout the entire process. They will get you to take photos of your exam space from every angle and may even ask to video call you before you exam starts so they are confident there is no way you could be cheating on the big day. Not everyone can accommodate for that. Many of us have lively households with kids, partners, pets, robo-hoovers or particularly noisy next door neighbours to contend with - if that's you I'd strongly recommend going to a test center instead of sitting the exam from home & giving yourself the best opportunity to get into the right headspace. Ultimately you need to remember that we are all different, I think the phrase is 'different strokes for different folks' so do what works best for you & I wish you all the best on the big day.

Xo,

Charlotte.