Admissions data waivers

Some candidates do not want test centers to collect admissions data for religious or other reasons. Admissions data includes a digital signature, digital ID authentication, palm vein, and/or photograph. For most exam sponsors, candidates must receive prior approval to skip any admissions data. This is done before they arrive at the test center.

If an exam sponsor provides prior approval to skip one or more types of admissions data, Pearson VUE assigns a Pre-exam client admissions waiver case to your test center before the appointment. The case indicates which type of admissions data you can skip. After you admit the candidate, update the case to confirm that you skipped the appropriate admissions data for the candidate.

If a candidate asks you to waive any admissions data but does not have prior approval from the exam sponsor, check the exam sponsor's documentation for further instructions. If the documentation does not have specific instructions, use the standard guidelines in the following table.

Admissions data type	Waiver policy
Digital signature	Never skip the digital signature requirement without prior approval from the exam sponsor. The digital signature indicates the candidate's consent to the rules agreement, so the candidate must provide a signature in order to test. Turn candidates away if they refuse to sign the rules agreement and have not received prior approval from the exam sponsor to skip this admissions data.
Digital ID authentication (DIA)	Only applies at PVTCs and PVTC Selects equipped with a DIA device. Pearson VUE notifies test centers if they must have the DIA device installed. This device is not required at all PVTCs and PVTC Selects. Never skip the DIA requirement without prior approval from the exam sponsor.
Palm vein	Only applicable at PVTC Selects and PVTCs equipped with a palm vein device. The palm vein device is not required at all PVTCs, but it is required at all PVTC Selects. For more information about the differences between a PVTC and PVTC Select, see About the test center network. Pearson VUE contacts test centers if they must have the equipment installed. Never skip the palm vein requirement without prior approval from the exam sponsor.
Photograph	If the exam sponsor's documentation does not indicate that the exam sponsor requires prior approval, you can waive the requirement only if the candidate asks to skip the photograph for religious reasons. For more information, see Waiving the photograph for religious reasons.

Waiving the photograph for religious reasons

If a candidate requests to waive the photograph for religious reasons and does not have prior approval, check the exam sponsor's documentation. Some exam sponsors strictly require prior approval to waive the photograph; some may allow the photograph to be waived without prior approval specifically for religious reasons; and some may not require prior approval at all.

If the exam sponsor's documentation does not indicate that prior approval is required, you can waive the photograph. Follow these steps:

When the "Capture photograph" admission step appears, click Next without taking a photograph. (If a message directs you to contact VSS in order to obtain an authorization code to skip the step, see Skipping a mandatory admission step.)
Create a case, selecting these options:

Admissions/Check-in

Admissions data waivers

Photo

In the case details, explain that the candidate requested to skip the photograph for religious reasons and that the exam sponsor's documentation did not indicate that prior approval was required.

At the end of the admission process, a message informs you that you did not perform all the admission steps.