PeopleCert's Take2 Overpriced Exam Insurance

PeopleCert provide an online proctoring service for professional exams. If you want the qualification, PeopleCert are often the only providers available. Prior to taking the exam, they offer “Take2” which is effectively insurance against failing. If you fail the exam, and you’ve paid for Take2, you can resit the exam within the next 6 months.

I didn’t take out Take2 and I haven’t failed any of my exams but this just screams shonky to me. Playing on people’s uncertainty about exam success by providing very expensive insurance.

Hello and welcome @KDobs.

Perhaps you could supply some metrics. For one of these online certification courses, how much for the course and exam? And how much for the retake ‘insurance’?

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It would be interesting to know who the organisation is that puts its exams through PeopleCert. Most teaching institutions or professional organisations offer secondary exams if one meets necessary conditions.

I wonder if the insurance has no added benefit, and is selling something which has no real value.

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The course is in-person and is offered by many providers so there’s some price-tension. The exam has to conducted by PeopleCert. The one I took costs $760 (for a 2.5 hour online exam). The insurance was $149.

I assume the training-providers (who include the cost of the exam in their fees) get a discounted rate compared to taking the exam directly, but I dont know for sure.

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They are IT related certifications

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So if you failed the exam, and had paid the ‘insurance’, would that mean a discounted fee for the retest. Say the normal fee minus the insurance amount?

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That appear to be the intent of the ‘insurance’

https://www.peoplecert.org/Take2

That being if one fails an assessment with insurance, a retake can be undertaken without paying more fees. Otherwise the full fees for an assessment would be incurred again.

The ‘insurance’ plays on one’s confidence. If you aren’t confident in passing, then insurance may have merit as it could save money (examination fee less insurance fees) for a re-sit. I think that one shouldn’t take insurance if they weren’t confident in passing. Otherwise, why take the examination/assessment. Having the insurance only encourages doing minimum effort to try and pass - not a good outcome for the student, future employers or the institution providing the certification. The last one as the performance of students could impact on the reputation of the certification organisation.

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