Checking in assistive personnel

Some candidates receive accommodations for assistive personnel to help them during an exam. For example, assistive personnel can help with the following tasks:

Read the exam questions and responses to the candidate.
Record answers as directed by the candidate.
Serve as a sign language interpreter between you and the candidate.

Candidates may also have an accommodation for some other type of assistant, such as a personal care attendant (PCA).

Pearson VUE must approve all accommodations in advance. An accommodations coordinator determines what type of accommodations to permit. He or she then arranges for an assistive person to aid the candidate. You will receive a case containing the details about the assistive person before the candidate arrives.

Assistive personnel should arrive at least 30 minutes before the candidate's appointment. Upon arrival, check them in without using the admission steps in Admissions Manager. The admission steps are only used for candidates taking exams. Because assistive personnel are not taking exams, you need to check them in manually without the admission steps. Thus, you do not need to capture their photograph, palm vein patterns, or digital signature.

Assistive personnel must complete the following check-in tasks when they arrive at your test center.

Present an acceptable form of ID.
Present their copy of the Assistive Personnel Attendance Record.
Store any personal belongings.
Pat themselves down.
Present their eyeglasses for inspection, if applicable.

PCAs are not required to use the Assistive Personnel Attendance Record. When working with PCAs, disregard any steps involving the attendance record.

Use the processes in the following sections to manage appointments with assistive personnel.

Check-in process for assistive personnel

Follow these steps to check in assistive personnel:

Check in the candidate using the standard process.

Use the Admissions Manager schedule to verify the candidate was granted an assistive personnel accommodation.

Assistive personnel serving as sign language interpreters need to assist with the candidate check-in process.

Ask the assistive person for identification. Verify that the name matches the name listed in the case and Assistive Personnel Attendance Record.

Assistive personnel must present a valid government-issued ID that contains both a photo and a signature. If the ID is missing a signature, they must present a secondary ID that has a photo or signature. For more information, see Acceptable forms of ID. If the name on the ID does not match the name in the case because the original assistive person had to cancel, see Substitute assistive personnel.

Ask the assistive person to complete and sign the Assistive Personnel Attendance Record.

Before arriving at the test center, assistive personnel receive their attendance record. They are instructed to bring the attendance record with them to the appointment. If they forget to bring their attendance record, provide them with a copy of it. A printable version of the attendance record is located in the Resources application in the Connect portal.

Ask the assistive person to complete and sign the appropriate log sheet. Compare the signatures on the log sheet and on the attendance record with the signature on the ID. All signatures must match.

At PVTCs, assistive personnel must sign the Test Center Log Sheet. At PVTC Selects, assistive personnel must sign the Site Visitor Log Sheet. Printable versions of the Test Center Log Sheet and Site Visitor Log Sheet are located in the Resources application in the Connect portal.

After checking the signatures, return the ID to the assistive person. Instruct him or her to hold onto the ID since it is needed for signing in and out of the testing room. Return the attendance record to the assistive person. Ask the assistive person to provide it to the proctor when signing in to the testing room.

Show the assistive person where to store personal belongings during the exam.

The personal belonging rules that apply to candidates also apply to assistive personnel. One exception is that assistive personnel can take a covered water bottle and contact lens solution into the testing room. For more information, see Assistive personnel guidelines and Storing personal belongings.

Introduce the candidate and the assistive person to each other after they have each completed the check-in process.

Candidates might not want others to know that they have a disability. If other candidates are present, quietly introduce the candidate and assistive person to one another.

Exam delivery and sign-out process for assistive personnel

Follow these steps to sign in and sign out assistive personnel from the testing room:

Inform the candidate and the assistive person about the exam sponsor's break policies. You must also explain the following assistive personnel break policies to them both:

If the candidate takes a break, the assistive person must also take a break. Both must leave the testing room.
The assistive person cannot take a break unless the candidate also takes a break.
When a candidate takes a break, sign the candidate out using the standard process. Ask for the assistive person's ID and verify that the photo on the ID looks like him or her. Log the time on the Test Center Log Sheet for PVTCs or the Site Visitor Log Sheet for PVTC Selects.
After a break, sign in the candidate using the standard process. Ask for the assistive person's ID and verify that the photo on the ID looks like him or her. You must escort the candidate and the assistive person back into the testing room at the same time.

Collect the assistive person's Assistive Personnel Attendance Record.

Tell the assistive person that he or she will receive the attendance record after the exam. Store it until the exam ends.

Escort the candidate and assistive person into the testing room, if necessary. You must then start the exam as you normally would.
Sign out the candidate and the assistive person after the exam.

At PVTCs, be sure to sign out the assistive person on the Test Center Log Sheet. At PVTC Selects, sign out the assistive person on the Site Visitor Log Sheet.

Sign the assistive person's Assistive Personnel Attendance Record.
Create a case, selecting these options:

Admissions/Check-in

Site visitor

AT PVTC Selects, create a copy of the Site Visitor Log Sheet, and attach it to the case. For more information, see Submitting Site Visitor Log Sheets and letters of authorization.

Return the attendance record to the assistive person.

The assistive person keeps the attendance record.