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Ashton Testing Services – For all your testing needs

July 19, 2019

Ashton Testing Services – For all your testing needs

For more than five years now, Ashton Testing Services has been helping professional and academic candidates in Vancouver and Abbotsford areas to take relevant exams, thereby opening up a world of opportunities for them. We caught up with Ananth Sundaram, the Director of Operation at Ashton Testing Services, to learn more.

1. How did you start Ashton Testing Services Centre?

There has always been a high demand for testing services among those who seek to pursue professional designations or want to obtain certifications and licences that will help them advance their careers. With the growing number of immigrants who need to validate their foreign credentials and ensure their qualifications are accepted in Canada and the US, the demand for professional exams has only grown.

We established Ashton Testing Services in 2014 with the opening of the Prometric Test Centre in downtown Vancouver. The Prometric lab catered to the growing testing needs of professionals in various fields and students pursuing higher education. In 2016, we opened a second test centre, partnering with Pearson, Yardstick, Paragon, Kryterion, Castle, PSI/AMP and other well-known exam providers to administer their tests in Vancouver.

A year later, ATS launched the second location in Abbotsford to provide exam services to the test takers residing in the Fraser Valley. In addition to that, we also opened another, brand-new Prometric Center. With a capacity of 26 testing stations, our centre became the largest in Canada, and the only independent testing facility offering high-stakes professional exams.

2. Tell us a little bit more about the testing services ATS provides.

We provide proctoring services for computer and paper-based exams for various institutions and examining bodies. For example, we partner directly with ACCA, a UK-based financial compliance body, that certifies accounting professionals all over the world. Another example of independent tests can be CLEP (College-Level Examination Program) exams, which can be taken by those who are applying to US colleges.

Another category of tests that we administer are the agency examinations. As I have mentioned before, we partner with global organizations such as Prometric, Pearson, Yardstick, etc., that develop and deliver tests for professionals in various industries. Through these exams, the professional associations make sure the candidates meet the industry standards and have the necessary qualifications to perform their work duties.

Finally, we also work with open universities and colleges in Canada, UK, US and Australia. Their distant students, for instance, take exams at the accredited test centres, such as ours, thereby guaranteeing the authenticity of the results. We keep the schedule of our candidates in mind and offer flexible exam time slots.

3. Are there any specific industries you focus on? What exams do you offer?

We offer more than 200+ types of exams that cover several industries. Medicine, engineering, construction, finance, dentistry, education, geology, bookkeeping are just a few examples of fields we conduct exams for. Professionals who want to work in these and other industries often have to prove their knowledge and skills by taking the tests developed by their respective regulatory bodies.

For example, an USMLE exam is mandatory for physicians who want to practice medicine in the US. Taking this exam can help a candidate get their credentials and experience recognized and enter the industry. This is a necessary step to take for those who have education in medicine in other than the US country and wants to continue their career as a physician.

Another example would be CELPIP and TOEFL tests. Both of them are designed to assess the English language proficiency of a candidate regardless of their age, occupation and background. People take English tests for multiple reasons, including academic or immigration purposes.

Regardless of the type of the exam or the industry, our job at Ashton Testing Services is to assure the examining body that the results of the exams taken at our centres are accurate and legitimate. We follow their regulations and protocols regarding the check-in and security process to a T. At the same time, we make sure that the test-takers’ experience is as stress-free and comfortable as possible.

4. Why should test-takers choose Ashton Testing Services?

Ashton Testing Services is unique in a sense that we are the only test centre in Canada specializing in high-stakes professional exams. The majority of other testing facilities are attached to universities and colleges administering their internal exams. At ATS, we can deliver any type of exam for any category of test-takers.

ATS is continuously working on expanding the number of exams and tests we offer to our clients in Metro Vancouver and Lower Mainland areas. We are seeking new partnerships with examining bodies to make it convenient for our test-takers. The broader variety of exams we offer, the more beneficial it is to the test-takers who don’t have to go far to take their exams.

Our convenient locations are another reason why candidates book their exams at ATS. The test centres are easily accessible by car and public transit. We are open five days a week at our Vancouver location. We also offer testing services by appointment, outside of our regular business hours. Exams are stressful on their own, so we try to make our clients’ experience as smooth as possible.

5. Lately, remote invigilation services have been on the rise, which allows test-takers to take their exams at home. What are your thoughts on this?

Security is a major concern for high-stakes exams. Remote invigilation does not provide the similar level of security that we offer at ATS centres. Test-takers should remember that a lot of examining bodies don’t allow the use of proctoring software for their exams and request that the candidates appear for in-person exams at accredited test centres only.

Test centres have proctors who authenticate the candidate’s identity, validate their ID and closely monitor them for the duration of the exam. The most significant advantage of giving a test at a centre is that candidates have the opportunity to ask proctors exam-related questions, procedures and so on. Moreover, they have someone to fall back on in case something goes wrong during the exam.

Proctors use their experience and training to spot suspicious behaviour or cheating during the exam. In remote proctoring, this can only be done after completion of the test as the sessions are recorded and reviewed later. While this may sound like a disadvantage to test-takers, I can assure them that taking their exams at an accredited test centre is better because it adds to the credibility of their results.

6. You mentioned before that ATS tries to make a candidate’s experience as stress-free as possible. Could you please specify how do you do this?

Firstly, we have well-trained and highly-experienced proctors at all our centres. They can provide detailed instructions on every test we administer and make sure the candidates understand everything that’s going to happen during the exam. They can also answer any questions about the testing process before and during the exams. They ensure that the exams run without a glitch.

Secondly, our computer stations are designed in such a way that the distraction during the exam is minimal. The test-takers are provided with noise-cancelling headphones to eliminate any disturbances. Every station is equipped with a headset with a microphone.

We can also accommodate test takers with special needs. Candidates are required to contact the examining body in advance if they require special accommodation. This can include a separate room, additional testing time, permission to bring medications, etc.

7. What advice or tips would you give candidates for the exam day?

The general advice I would give to the test-takers regardless of the test they are going to take is to come prepared. Study the subject matter of your exam well and learn as much as possible about the exam format itself: the duration of your exam, what components it consists of, whether you’re required to write an essay or to record your oral answers. If the exam is a long one, there will be some time allotted for breaks. The proctors will give you all the details.

Also, it is important to find out what you need to bring on your exam day. For all exams, you will be required to present a valid ID with your photo and signature on it. As for other items, the list of the allowed ones can vary depending on the particular exam. Make sure you contact the examining body or one of our proctors at the ATS test centres to clarify this in advance.

Last, but not least, don’t get too nervous. Sleep well, have a light breakfast before the exam, stay hydrated. Arrive at the test centre early to find a parking spot and go through the check-in and security processes. Don’t stress too much and remember that even if you happen to, unfortunately, fail the exam, it’s not the end of the world and that you have a chance to improve your result next time. Good luck!