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Taking the CPF test online?

Andrew Lenz Jr.

Frequent Poster
Messages
206
Location
Santa Cruz, CA
Company
Lenz Arts, Inc.
Has anyone taken the CPF test online (using a proctor)?

Anyone know the ins and outs?
Is there an information sheet on it?

Does the PPFA pay the proctor out of the test fee? (Optimist.)
Or does the test taker arrange/pay for that? (Realist.)

Any advice?

Andrew
 
As far as I know, the proctors are volunteers and do not get paid for their time, not for travel and accommodation.
This is different for the examiners at the Fine Art Trade Guild, who get paid a set amount, that covers the materials used by the candidate (matboard, molding etc.) at the examination-site and some pocket-money.
Examiners there get paid more when they are testing candidates at the advanced levels.

The reimbursement paid to the examiner by the Guild comes from the fee the candidate pays for sitting the exam.
 
Here is the information from the PPFA website on the Online exam. Contact Nick for more information.

Online CPF Exam
In order to take the CPF exam online, it will be the student’s responsibility to secure a proctor for the exam.

What is a proctor?
A proctor is an individual who agrees to oversee an online CPF examination.

What does a proctor do?
A proctor will receive log-in instructions directly from PPFA for the CPF exam. The proctor will log-in to the computer to begin the exam and supervise the student during the exam to assure that no books, notes, websites or other resource materials are used during the exam.

Who can be a proctor?
A proctor must be a disinterested third party who has no corporate, employment or personal relationship or other interest in the student's performance on the exam?

A proctor may be a:
CPF or MCPF Designated Framer
School or Public Librarian
Public or Private School Personnel (i.e. Administrator, Teacher, Counselor)
Learning/Testing Center Employee

A proctor may NOT be a:
Framer without a CPF or MCPF designation
Relative or Friend with whom you have a personal relationship
Employee or Co-Worker

To request an online exam, please send an email to Nick Shaver with the proctor's contact information along with a tentative date/time for taking the exam online.
 
Thanks Robin,
Now I am confused about who a proctor can be.
A proctor can be:
a librarian
school personnel
learning center employee

However, it goes on, that a proctor cannot be someone without a CPF or MCPF designation.
Is there an ambiguity here? Do these abovementioned individuals also have to hold the CPF and MCPF qualifications?

In that case, why not change the rules and simply state, that a proctor has to be a CPF or MCPF and not be an interested party in the outcome of the exam without mentioning librarian, school-personnel and an employee of a learning center?
 
It can not be a Framer without a CPF or MCPF designation. Please reread the information. The others are possible people you can use as a proctor.


A proctor may be a:
CPF or MCPF Designated Framer
School or Public Librarian
Public or Private School Personnel (i.e. Administrator, Teacher, Counselor)
Learning/Testing Center Employee

A proctor may NOT be a:
Framer without a CPF or MCPF designation
Relative or Friend with whom you have a personal relationship
Employee or Co-Worker
 
It can not be a Framer without a CPF or MCPF designation. Please reread the information. The others are possible people you can use as a proctor.

A proctor may NOT be a:
Framer without a CPF or MCPF designation
Maybe I'm a bit dimmer than usual today, but I have to ask.....why does a framer have to be certified to be a proctor?
 
There was a reason, maybe the Certification Committee will chime is as I truly do not remember.
 
Maybe I'm a bit dimmer than usual today, but I have to ask.....why does a framer have to be certified to be a proctor?

Pretty simple. A proctor has, or could potentially have, access to the CPF exam questions. If that framer is already a CPF or MCPF there is no potential conflict of interest. If the proctor is not though, then there is the possibility (however remote, given that people are generally honest) that seeing exam questions would give someone an unfair advantage when he or she decides to take the exam.
 
O.k. So a proctor can be a librarian who is not a CPF or MCPF?
Why is it so difficult to find a proctor who is also a CPF and MCPF? The proctor does not have to live near where the candidate is taking the CPF exam. Correct? A proctor can live in another continent.

Why do we need proctors who are only school or public librarians, school-personnel, and employees of learning centers. For the same token we can include general practitioners or justices as proctors.

With about 70 MCPF's worldwide, we can only have MCPF's as proctors and nobody else.
 
A proctor has to be present when the exam is being given. IF the person selected to be a Proctor is a framer they Must be a CPF or MCPF. If the person is not a framer they do NOT have to be a CPF or MCPF. The suggestion of a school librarian, school personnel or learning center personnel is because that is usually where there are computers available to take the exam.

You have to go to one of these places to take the exam if I am remembering correctly. You are not allowed to take the exam on your computer or your friends computer.
 
Robin is correct. A proctor must be there in person to log the CPF examinee onto the test, read the script explaining the procedures and to monitor the test taker. She is also correct in that librarians and people at schools and testing centers usually have experience administering exams, along with the needed quiet space and computers.

Proctors though are not limited to these job descriptions. I believe somewhere in the CPF materials the words such as precede librarians, etc. As Kai suggested it could be, I don't know, a court clerk, a justice of the peace, a local mayor or the head of the particle physics department at the local university. It just needs to be someone with no vested interest in the performance of the test taker, which would rule out your mom, employees or employer and maybe even sales reps.
 
Pretty simple. A proctor has, or could potentially have, access to the CPF exam questions. If that framer is already a CPF or MCPF there is no potential conflict of interest. If the proctor is not though, then there is the possibility (however remote, given that people are generally honest) that seeing exam questions would give someone an unfair advantage when he or she decides to take the exam.
Thanks for the explanation, David!

That hadn't occurred to me! I guess that precaution eliminates any chance of someone getting an unfair advantage, however slim that might be!
 
In search for a CPF test proctor, what can I tell them that he or she is in for?

Max 3 hours?

Max 5 hours?

Can the proctor be doing something else useful nearby—like putting library books away? Or does the proctor literally have to look over your shoulder every second?
I'm fine with either, but I don't want any surprises and want to be up front with the requirements. (Though, granted, it'll be easier to find someone who doesn't have to be bored to death watching me click every button on a screen for hours.)

Thanks,
Andrew

p.s. I'm still curious to hear from anyone who has taken it as an online test.
 
You have three hours to complete the test, so that is the minimum time commitment. There is a short script he or she reads before you get started, the same sort of usual stuff like when you took the SAT in high school, and a little bit of time to get everything set up and ready for you to go. So I'd say maybe four hours.

The proctor doesn't have to peer over your shoulder every minute, they are there just to get you started, make sure you aren't pulling out hidden notes or checking into the Grumble while taking the exam. I'd say it would probably be ok if the proctor were doing other things as long as he or she checked in on you and was close enough to keep an eye on you.
 
O.k. So a proctor can be a librarian who is not a CPF or MCPF?
Why is it so difficult to find a proctor who is also a CPF and MCPF? The proctor does not have to live near where the candidate is taking the CPF exam. Correct? A proctor can live in another continent.

Why do we need proctors who are only school or public librarians, school-personnel, and employees of learning centers. For the same token we can include general practitioners or justices as proctors.

With about 70 MCPF's worldwide, we can only have MCPF's as proctors and nobody else.

Hi Kai.

As I read the previous post about the proctor, the proctor has to be on site. So the candidate must go to where the proctor is, or the proctor must go to where the candidate is. And they need to have a computer that can access the website for the exam. A prior post was made stating "A proctor must be there in person to log the CPF examinee onto the test, read the script explaining the procedures and to monitor the test taker."

For example, if you lived in Springfield Colorado, you would not have a CPF within probably 100 to 150 miles. (whole county has 3,400 people in 2,557 square miles). Probably no learning centers, either, except for the local school. So you could have one of them "proctor" the exam. I'm sure you could also have the local sheriff proctor. The examples given only some of the "acceptable positions" for people that can be proctors.
 
I believe the proctor needs to be in the room with you. Advise them to bring a book or paperwork they can do while you are taking the test.

Contact Ellen Collins and she can answer your questions. She is the Certification Chair.
 
I believe the proctor needs to be in the room with you. Advise them to bring a book or paperwork they can do while you are taking the test.

Contact Ellen Collins and she can answer your questions. She is the Certification Chair.

Robin has it right.

Here is the wording from the Certification Guidelines:
3.1.1 In order to take the CPF exam online, it will be the student’s responsibility to secure a proctor for the exam. The student must send the proctor’s contact information to PPFA along with a tentative date/time for taking the exam online. Following approval, PPFA will send the log-in information directly to the proctor.

A proctor is an individual who agrees to oversee an online CPF examination.

A proctor will receive log-in instructions directly from PPFA for the CPF exam. The proctor will log-in to the computer to begin the exam and supervise the student during the exam to assure that no books, notes, websites or other resource materials are used during the exam.

A proctor must be a disinterested third party who has no corporate, employment, or personal relationship or other interest in the student’s performance on the exam.

A proctor may be a:
·CPF or MCPF designated framer
·School or public librarian
·Public or private school personnel (i.e. administrator, teacher, counselor)
·Learning/Testing center employee

A proctor may NOT be a:
·Framer without a CPF or MCPF designation
·Relative or friend with whom the student has a personal relationship
·Employer or co-worker

Let me know if I can help further.
 
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