If you’re soon going to take your Certified Software Quality Engineer exam with ASQ, it can be overwhelming to consider all the items that you will need to have prepared in advance and the ones that you will need to bring with you to the testing center. Becoming certified as a Software Quality Engineer confirms your commitment to quality and the positive impact it will have on your organization. [1]
After you sign up for your spot to take your future ASQ exam, it’s vital to next choose your ASQ CSQE certification preparation course to help you study and gain the knowledge on which you will be tested. We offer an online and onsite CSQE training course that reviews the following:
- Quality philosophies & principles
- Project management
- Software inspection & test methods
- Software maintenance
- Configuration management
- Software metrics
- Software audits
After your CSQE training, you will be prompted to take the CSQE practice test. This will help you gauge your understanding of the CSQE information in preparation for your actual ASQ exam. If you do not pass the practice test, no worries. You can retake the test up to 3 times and can be extended upon request.
After you have completed your Software Quality Assurance Certification practice test, you should gather all the items you’ll need for the upcoming ASQ certification exam. The IQPS CSQE preparation course assists in narrowing the list of reference books down to 2-3. It can be helpful to work on bookmarking these reference books during your ASQ exam preparation course with IQPS instead of doing this task days before your ASQ exam.
ASQ candidates can now take their exam via two different administration choices. Candidates can not only take their exams at their local Prometric testing site but can now take their exam from the comfort of their home via ProProctor (remote proctoring).*
Taking the test remote
- Test your internet connection — If scheduling your exam for remote proctoring, it is extremely important that you have a stable internet connection. Please perform a system readiness check prior to scheduling your exam via this method and once again closer to your exam appointment date to verify that your system is still meeting requirements. Failure to launch or complete your exam due to internet connectivity issues on your end will result in a $100 reschedule fee in order to reattempt the exam. A wired internet connection is recommended, if possible.
- Room scan is required — Once the exam begins, you are not permitted to talk, stand, or move from your seat. Wall art, posters and whiteboards will be inspected. Also, no one else is permitted in the room with you while you are testing. During the check-in process after you have submitted all required photos, the proctor may ask to see your environment, including the walls, floor space and the desktop. Additional monitors and computers must be unplugged and must be turned off. You must agree to this scan or you will not be permitted to proceed further or to take the exam.
- Reference materials permitted with restrictions — You are allowed to use reference materials. All reference materials must be bound and remain bound during the exam. Please visit https://asq.org/cert/faq/faq-taking-exam to see our open-book policy. You are allowed to use post-it notes as book tabs only. You are allowed to use hardcopy dictionaries and built-in calculators. You are prohibited from using electronic dictionaries.
- Scratch paper is not permitted — Effective July 1st, 2022, scratch paper and physical writing objects such as a pen or pencil are prohibited for use during a remotely proctored exam. Instead, you can use the Scratchpad function in the exam application.
- Breaks are permitted — Remotely proctored examinees are allowed a maximum of three ten-minute breaks during their session. Examinees are not allowed to leave the camera view without first notifying and being acknowledged by the proctor. Upon return, a full security scan will be conducted prior to resuming the exam.**
Taking the test on-site
- Reference materials permitted with restrictions — You are allowed to use reference materials. All reference materials (e.g., including all forms of notes) must be bound and remain bound during the exam. Bound refers to material permanently bound by stitching or glue and material fastened securely in its cover by fasteners, which penetrate all papers (e.g., ring binders, spiral binders, plastic snap binders, brads, or screw posts). Manually or hand-stapled documents that are not securely fastened in their covers are not allowed. The size of workspace area at Prometric test centers is limited. The approximate desk dimensions are 48in in length and 24in in width.
Before you enter the exam room, the test center administrator will inspect all references. “PostIt notes” will be permitted as book tabs only (must be attached prior to entering the test center). The following items are strictly prohibited in the exam area: hand-stapled materials, blank writing tablets or tablets containing blank pages, unbound tablets, unbound notes, slide charts, and/or wheel charts (hand-held cardboard or plastic calculating devices with rotating or sliding pieces).
Absolutely no collections of questions and answers or weekly refresher-course quizzes are permitted. Reference sources that contain such copies are not allowed unless the questions are removed or obscured. Examinees are responsible for abiding by applicable copyright laws.
- Basic calculators are permitted — All computer-based exams feature a basic scientific calculator on-screen in the exam. Test center administrators can provide you with a basic calculator upon request. Any silent, hand-held, battery-operated calculator without an alphabetic keyboard will be permitted; however, all programmable memory must be cleared before entering the exam room.
- Scratch Paper is permitted in some cases — Certain certification exams may include mathematical calculations. At test centers, Prometric will provide each candidate with a pencil and scratch paper to use during the exam.
- Breaks are permitted but count against the clock – Candidates are allowed to take breaks during the exam, however, the clock on the exam will not be paused.
If you still have more questions about what you may need for your ASQ exam or have questions about your CSQE training, feel free to reach out to your instructor, Robin Dudash. (CQM/OE, CSQE, CRE, CQE, CQA, CCT, EXEMPLAR-LA, IRCA-LA, MBA) As one of the most qualified quality professionals in the world, she can help answer your questions and put your mind at ease!
If you need an ASQ exam preparation course for the Certified Software Quality Engineer exam, be sure to sign up today!
References
1. “Software Quality Engineer Certification CSQE”
https://asq.org/cert/software-quality-engineer
2. “Improve Your Chances of Passing an ASQ Certification Exam – Govind Ramu.”
qualityprogress.com
*https://www.prometric.com/test-takers/search/asq
**https://asq.org/cert/computer-based-testing