The ATA Chronicle - November/December 2021 - 33

CERTIFICATION FORUM By Michele Bantz
Practical Tips for Taking ATA's
Certification Exam Online
You can now take ATA's certification exam online anywhere, but how
does it really work? As a past exam taker, I would like to share some
practical tips for those preparing for the online exam.1
Prepping for the Exam
y Familiarize yourself
with ATA's explanation
of error categories, the
flowchart for error point
decisions, and framework
for standardized error
marking (https://bit.ly/
ATA-exam-grading), and
its list of authorized online
resources (https://bit.ly/
ATA-resource-list)
in advance.
y Take a practice test
or two (https://bit.ly/
ATA-practice) in the
weeks leading up to your
exam and reflect on the
feedback you receive from
the grader. While current
practice tests do not
replicate conditions for
the online exam, they do
provide a feel for what the
passages will be like and
how they will be graded.
y Participate in a study
group to prepare for
the exam.
Testing Environment
y Make sure you meet
the necessary technical
requirements to take
the online exam before
registering (https://bit.ly/
requirements-online).
y Set up your workspace,
computer, and smart phone
for the exam in advance.
www.ata-chronicle.online
y Double check that the
ExamRoom.AI app-the
testing platform-is
installed and opens on
your smart phone and
that your phone is fully
charged before the exam.
y Turn off all notifications
and reminders and exit
email programs, Slack,
etc., on your computer
and smart phone to
avoid distractions
and/or grounds for
disqualification.
y For those with partners,
kids, and/or pets, try to
have your home to yourself
on exam day.
y Even though you hopefully
have your home to yourself
that day, choose a quiet
room where outside
noises (e.g., lawnmowing,
dogs barking, etc.) won't
distract you.
y Type up any notes you
want to use and print
them out in advance.
(Loose pieces of scrap
paper and Post-Its are
not allowed for the online
exam.) You can write
notes on a whiteboard
but will be asked to
erase them and show the
whiteboard to the proctor
before ending the exam.
y Have physical dictionaries
and printouts set out on
your table or desk.
y Have online dictionaries
and resources such as
websites bookmarked
and tabs open on your
computer before logging in
for the exam.
y If working into English,
have the PDF version of
ATA's Into English Grading
Standards downloaded and
open on your computer
before onboarding so you
can quickly search the PDF
for ATA's style preferences
if necessary during the
exam. (https://bit.ly/intoEnglish-standards).
y
Open multiple tabs in
Chrome for web searches
during the exam. (Internet
Explorer is not allowed.)
y Have laptop and smart
phone chargers
readily available with
outlets nearby.
Onboarding Process
On exam day, you log onto
the ExamRoom.AI website
to be guided through the
onboarding process, which
includes verifying your
identification and showing a
scan of your surroundings.
The details for onboarding
are included in the
instructions sent after
registration.
y Before onboarding, use
the link in the ExamRoom
confirmation email to run
a system check.
y Begin the onboarding
process at least 20 minutes
before your scheduled
exam so it doesn't cut into
your exam time.
y Have your photo ID
ready to show the
onboarding agent.
Exam Itself
y Once the exam interface is
open, the three-hour timer
begins its countdown.
y Read all three passages
available for translation
and choose the two you
will translate. (You are
allowed to change which
passages you translate
once you begin.)
y You can toggle back and
forth between the three
passages using arrows on
each screen.
y Once you decide which two
passages you'll translate,
type " This Passage Not
Translated " in the text box
of the passage you won't
be working on.
y Use the Escape button to
minimize your browser
to access your electronic
dictionaries and other
authorized resources on
your computer.
y Your computer screen
will be recorded and room
activity monitored, but
you'll not see a proctor
during the three-hour
exam. The only time
you'll interact via webcam
with the onboarding
agent is during the initial
onboarding process.
y You will not hear the
proctor at all unless you ask
American Translators Association 33

http://www.ExamRoom.AI https://www.bit.ly/ata-exam-grading https://www.bit.ly/ata-exam-grading https://www.bit.ly/ata-resource-list https://www.bit.ly/ata-resource-list https://www.bit.ly/ata-practice https://www.bit.ly/into-english-standards https://www.bit.ly/ata-practice https://www.bit.ly/into-english-standards http://www.ExamRoom.AI https://www.bit.ly/requirements-online https://www.bit.ly/requirements-online http://www.ata-chronicle.online

The ATA Chronicle - November/December 2021

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