MECP Proctor Program
By Todd Ramsey
MECP Program Manager

You’ve Got Options When it Comes to Where You Take the MECP Exam

Many installation technicians and sales professionals who want to become MECP certified think they’ve run into a roadblock when they look into where they can take the exam. But, that perceived roadblock has been removed. Although MECP utilizes a network of over 1,000 Thomson-Prometric testing centers located throughout the U.S., there are several other options for a proctored (i.e., supervised) exam that may be closer and easier than you think.

Besides the Thomson-Prometric centers, there are three additional ways to take an MECP exam:

Option #1
MECP exams can be taken at any one of the MECP-approved industry schools (visit Education Partners on MECP.com). There are also a number of community colleges, which offer courses in mobile and/or automotive electronics and proctor MECP exams. In either case, the participant must contact the school directly to ask if they proctor exams and to schedule an appointment for testing.

If you have a school in mind that is not already an MECP proctor but would like to be, have a school representative e-mail mecp@mecp.com. MECP will coordinate with the school.

Option #2
Prospective test participants can also contact their local public library to see if it has availability for supervised testing services. Not all libraries will be willing or able to do this, but many can. The responsibility of locating the library and making the initial contact is yours because you usually know your libraries much better than MECP.

Simply contact the library and ask if it could proctor an Internet-based, supervised exam. If the library agrees, the contact person at the library (or test location) who will be supervising (proctoring) the exam must e-mail mecp@mecp.com for login information. MECP will then work to get your contact set up as a proctor. Once your proctor has a user ID and password, they can schedule an exam time for you.

Option #3
Test participants can contact their manufacturer’s representative or an MECP Master Installation Technician who is authorized for proctoring MECP exams. This is known as the “Field Rep Proctor” option. The responsibility of locating and arranging the proctor falls upon the test participant. Typically this is reserved for certain retailers or others in the industry that have access to field reps.

A current list of proctors is available on the MECP website. If you would like one of your reps to become a proctor for MECP exams, it’s very easy. Just have the rep e-mail mecp@mecp.com with his or her contact information. Exam proctoring is a great way for field reps to reach out to their customers and provide added value that ultimately benefits everyone involved.

So there you have it. Now, there are more ways to test and it’s more convenient than ever. Get certified. Get ahead in your career. Get to the next level!