Question on items allowed inside testing areas

Maji · Aug 18, 2016

From what I have read, bound referenced materials are allowed in the testing area. My questions are as follows:

1. Can I bring in a 3-ring binder (a file containing 3 hole punched papers) with reference material inside it? From what I have read, it appears to be allowed but I am confused. It says the items have to be firmly bound. The papers can be easily removed from the 3-ring binder. What is your opinion or have been allowed to take this item into the Prometric testing area?

2. Can I bring in my bound notebooks that I have written notes? These are college ruled notebooks with several items that I have noted while studying. However, the rules say that notepads with blank pages will not be allowed. However, the couple of notebooks that I am compiling has some blank pages at the end.

Thank you for your time.

ptatohed · Aug 18, 2016

As far as I know, you'll be fine. Maybe pull out the blank pages from your notebooks though. Or, better yet, pull out the written pages and place them inside your 3 ring binders.

Other than the CERM, almost all of my references and notes were in 3-ring binders when I took the 8-hr, the Survey, and the Seismic.

Good luck.

Maji · Aug 18, 2016

Thank you ptatohed.

CAPLS · Aug 30, 2016

As ptatohed said, 3 ring binders are allowed. Just make sure there are no loose papers in the inside sleeves and nothing that could appear like you were writing on during the exam. My advice would be that if you have handwritten notes, make a photocopy of those for the binder so if there was any question, you could show that you did not apply any recent writing during the exam. Don't plan on opening the binder clips during the exam as that would also trigger some concern.

smahurin · Aug 30, 2016

Ya 3-ring binders should be fine. When I took the PE, and both SE days I had a bunch of 3-ring binders from old class notes. They weren't an issue. I also made the mistake of not cleaning out my code reference books prior to the SE. I forgot that I had stuffed errata from the individual codes into my code books. That first day of the SE, every time I'd pull out a new code to look out, several pages of loose leaf errata would fall out.

I kept calling over the proctors and showing them my mistake. They took the errata and gave it back at the end of the exam. They got annoyed with me after about the 3rd time (understandably) but they didn't really care. Just try not to have it, and at least from my experience if your honest and open about whats happening (if you mistakenly have some loose leaf papers) the proctors (at least mine) didn't care.

Maji · Sep 1, 2016

CAPLS said:
As ptatohed said, 3 ring binders are allowed. Just make sure there are no loose papers in the inside sleeves and nothing that could appear like you were writing on during the exam. My advice would be that if you have handwritten notes, make a photocopy of those for the binder so if there was any question, you could show that you did not apply any recent writing during the exam. Don't plan on opening the binder clips during the exam as that would also trigger some concern.

Thank you for the suggestion of copies of notes.

smahurin said:
Ya 3-ring binders should be fine. When I took the PE, and both SE days I had a bunch of 3-ring binders from old class notes. They weren't an issue. I also made the mistake of not cleaning out my code reference books prior to the SE. I forgot that I had stuffed errata from the individual codes into my code books. That first day of the SE, every time I'd pull out a new code to look out, several pages of loose leaf errata would fall out.

I kept calling over the proctors and showing them my mistake. They took the errata and gave it back at the end of the exam. They got annoyed with me after about the 3rd time (understandably) but they didn't really care. Just try not to have it, and at least from my experience if your honest and open about whats happening (if you mistakenly have some loose leaf papers) the proctors (at least mine) didn't care.

I hope I can learn from your experience. I have several loose pages with formulas and notes scribbled that I need to bind. Thank you.