We’d Like To Welcome Oregon To The 21st Century

Prometric is only one step away from TSA at this rate, next thing you’ll likely have to submit to backscatter body scanners. 95 year-old CPA exam candidates will have to remove their Depends, while younger candidates will have to accept getting groped by Prometric staff. Awesome, isn’t it? Aren’t you guys thrilled you chose the most trustworthy occupation on the planet besides Hollywood madam?

Thanks to the many (and I mean many) tipsters who sent us the following email which was sent out to all CPA exam candidates on Wednesday:

Prometric is committed to a strong, secure, testing environment for the CPA Examination and for all candidates visiting one of its test centers. Over the past few years, Prometric has made several significant investments to further strengthen security in its test centers, including a global roll-out of digital video recorders and enhancements to biometrics at the centers. This communication is to advise you that there is a new security enhancement being introduced into Prometric centers this week.

Starting July 1, Prometric Test Center Administrators (TCAs) will be using hand-held metal detector wands to scan all candidates in the Test Centers in the United States and Territories. All candidates will be scanned prior to each entry into the test room, including returns from breaks. Candidates will still be required to turn their pockets out, and the scan will be done immediately afterward. The purpose of the wand scan is to take an additional step in identifying any prohibited items that a candidate is attempting to take into the testing room.

Prometric’s Security Department conducted a pilot of this program in 2010 using the wands for a period of five months. Approximately 60,000 candidates were scanned during that time. Ultimately, the wand was found to be a strong deterrent and operationally effective. Based on the results of the pilot, Prometric has decided to move forward with this program and has deployed hand-held metal detectors to all U.S. Test Centers.

In addition to this message, information about wanding has been added to Prometric’s standard Test Center Regulations Form. This form is posted on Prometric’s website and is given to all candidates to read prior to check-in.

The scan will be done in full view of the TCA DVR camera so it will be recorded, and any candidate complaints or escalations can be properly investigated. All candidates will be required to submit to the scans. Any candidates refusing to be scanned will not be permitted to test. Please rest assured that the metal detectors do not affect pregnancies, pacemakers, or other medical equipment that’s connected to the body.

This small change will help to make our test even more secure, and further protect the integrity of our exams.

I wonder how much this has to do with the candidate in Illinois caught “cheating” (we still don’t know what exactly he or she was busted doing, be that using a crib sheet or actually trying to smuggle out exam content).

We checked the Test Center Regulations and still don’t see any mention of metal detectors (or bodyscanners).