Pearson VUE Statement April 23, 2020

Attention:  Please be advised that on April 23, 2020, the following information was provided to NICET by Pearson VUE, the organization that administers NICET examinations.

We wanted to make you aware that we will be taking action to reset our test center seat availability in order to accommodate your testing program in the Essential Services test delivery channel and implement required social distancing measures for candidate appointments through May.

This action will result in exam appointment cancellations for your candidates who had previously scheduled a May exam appointment.

Operating within the COVID-19 environment presents limitations in our ability to retain all existing exam appointments when restrictions continue to change or extend. We’d like to explain why this occurs, and why it will potentially continue to occur, as we navigate the COVID-19 environment.

• In order to regain as many testing appointments as possible, our scheduling system must reset and clear out all appointments to allow for the most logical and efficient appointment rebooking. This allows for logical and efficient appointment booking by maximizing all available time through sophisticated appointment stacking. Appointment stacking removes wasteful open time gaps due to various exam lengths and ultimately enables better appointment availability.  

• Because of the continued COVID-19 restrictions and/or the potential recovery, all existing candidate appointments (Essential Services appointments and non-Essential Services appointments alike) are held until a decision can be made as to whether we continue forward with the Essential Services test delivery exception, or if we are able to resume full exam delivery across testing programs per local government updates. 

For your reference, below are the actions that will be taken to reset appointment availability.

• All candidates (yours and non-Essential Services candidates) who are currently holding appointments throughout May will have their appointments cancelled/removed.
• Due to the distancing restrictions required across our PPCs, we continue to operate at approximately 50% seat capacity, resulting in constrained appointment availability. 
• If needed, this process may be repeated in June, however your candidates will only be disrupted if social distancing requirements are not met.  

Going forward, Essential Services candidates will not be automatically removed as part of the scheduling reset and will only be rescheduled via a random selection process if social distancing requirements are not met. 

As we manage through the changing COVID-19 environment in the coming weeks and months, it’s likely we may need to repeat this cycle of cancellation/reschedule actions again. We monitor government guidance and restriction information routinely and prepare to make necessary adjustments quickly. 

As we evaluate the conditions for operation, we will likely be returning with additional updates on our approach beyond this month’s (May’s) actions.  

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 dynamics don’t present an optimal solution in these circumstances. We ask for your patience and understanding as we put our best effort forward in doing what we can to ensure we provide as many exam appointments as possible while continuing to adjust in our effort to provide a smooth testing experience for your candidates during this crisis.   

Candidates will begin to receive cancellation/reschedule email notices starting April 27, with new appointment availability starting May 1, and beyond.

Thank you for your understanding and support as we work through this unprecedented time together.