I have noticed a lot of questions in the forums about proctored exams at Penn Foster College, and how they work. I have taken proctored exams at PFC for my first semester courses, and the proctored finals for my second semester courses are coming up soon. In order to address some of the questions I have seen here at eLearners lately, I thought I would recount my experience and let PFC students who are preparing for their first proctored exams know what to expect.
One of the first things that students must do is find a proctor. According to PFC, the proctor can be anyone with at least an associate degree who is not a relative. Proctors can be employers, librarians, teachers, clergy...anyone with at least a two-year degree. I suggest checking the local public library first. That is where I found my proctor, who has a masters degree in library science. He does not charge me for proctoring my exams. You can also check your local community college's testing center to see if they offer a proctoring service. There is a nominal fee if you go this route. PFC used to pay an honorarium of about $20 to the proctor, but they no longer do this.
After you have your proctor selected and finish all of your courses for the semester, PFC will send the final exams to your proctor in the mail. Your proctor will then schedule a time for you to take your exam. The exams for the three-credit-hour courses are typically an hour long. If you have a one-credit course, allot about a half hour for the final exam. If you have five, three-credit-hour courses in your semester, you can count on having five hours to take all five final exams.
The proctor is directed to check your photo ID, to make sure you are the person who is supposed to take the test. The proctored finals are open-book exams, and you can also refer to your notes and your study guides. You are not allowed to use a computer or any other reference materials not supplied by Penn Foster College. The proctor is there to ensure you only use your PFC materials and notes and to enforce the time limit of the exam.
Once you have finished your exams, you place them inside the envelope provided by PFC, and your proctor is responsible for mailing the exams to Penn Foster. It typically takes a week or two to receive your final grades. I never received an email to notify me my exams had been graded. I just signed in to the student portal and checked to see if I had final grades yet.
If you fail an exam, you must take a makeup exam. The highest score you can receive on a makeup exam is a 70. You have one month to schedule and take the makeup exam after failing an exam. You must pass the exam with at least a 70 to pass the course, so you pretty much have to ace the makeup exam. I failed two final exams during my first semester. The exams were not easy. You MUST study for the exam, know your material and be prepared. I did pass the makeup exams with a score of 70 on each.
Penn Foster College makes its students earn their grades, but you will definitely receive an education!