Vancouver +1(604) 628-5783
Vancouver +1(604) 628-5783
July 8, 2020
When Ashton Testing Services (ATS) was coming to fruition, it was obvious that world-class partners would be needed to help provide secure testing services to as many people and organizations as possible through the Vancouver, BC location. Prometric, a leading global test developer and testing services provider, was a natural fit.
Ashton Testing Services’ facility is the biggest Prometric centre in Canada,and it’s the only Prometric facility in BC. Because it is Prometric certified, ATS is part of a global network that supports more than seven million test takers at more than 14,000 locations in over 180 countries around the world. The new purpose-built test centre was completed in 2018 and delivers the ideal testing location for test-takers with state-of-the-art technology. Plus, the Vancouver operation offers additional testing capacity through the ATS lab, a satellite testing centre.
These elements contribute to the facility being the second highest revenue-generating Prometric centre in Canada and it is ranked in the top three centres overall in the country. The location is also NCTA test centre certified, proving it has the highest standards in testing and professionalism. These accomplishments help illustrate the success of the Prometric and ATS relationship.
The tests delivered through the Vancouver location are for a wide range of licencing and certification bodies, academic institutions and government agencies. The CFA Institute chose the Vancouver ATS Prometric facility as one of its just eight examination locations worldwide for the Chartered Financial Analyst test.
Other organizations that trust the Vancouver ATS Prometric centre for their testing solutions include: American Dental Association, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Green Business Certification Inc, Graduate Record Examination, Global Risk Management Institute, Medical Council of Canadian Evaluation Exam, National Board of Medical Examiners, National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, Nursing Community Assessment Service, National Council for Interior Design Qualifications, The School and College Ability Test, Society of Actuaries, Test of English as a Foreign Language and United States Medical Licensing Exam.
Safety is of the utmost importance in today’s testing environment. Following the necessary closure of all testing facilities at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, ATS was among the first in Canada to implement strict safety protocols in order to reopen. This quick response has enabled the operation to successfully resume Prometric testing and ensure test-takers have access to the testing they need in a safe environment.
Prometric offers assessment solutions through online testing and what it describes as the most integrated, technology-enabled environment across the world’s most secure testing network. This is where partners like Ashton Testing Services come in. Working hand-in-hand with Prometric, ATS ensures test owners are able to access the services they need to fulfill the needs of diverse groups of test takers.
ATS Vancouver’s Prometric tests are delivered via technology with supervision in ways that ensure fairness, integrity and honesty in the test taking process.
Prometric was established in the early 90s when Drake Training and Technologies changed its name to Drake Prometric which was in line with the company’s goal to provide exam administration and professional test delivery. In 2018 BPEA, a global investment firm, acquired Prometric, which progressed the company in the testing services space. This same year, the partnership between Prometric and ATS was finalized with the opening of the Vancouver testing facility. Prometric is an independent, Delaware-based company owned by BPEA-affiliated investment funds. It is governed by a board of directors.
One of the reasons Prometric and Ashton Testing Services make great partners is the shared philosophies of the organizations. Both stand for honesty, integrity and transparency in all relationships they are engaged in. Those relationships include everyone from partners and employees to test takers and test owners. With this solid foundation of relationships, Prometric is dedicated to working with clients and partners like Ashton Testing Services, to ensure exams are delivered in a way that meets the needs of the test owners. This level of commitment begins at the point of exam registration and ripples through the entire process to the check-in prior to the exam, taking the exam itself and obtaining information after the exam.
Prometric works with test owners to tailor exam solutions that meet organizational needs. This is done through fully understanding the test-delivery market while also ensuring flexibility towards test owner needs. Ashton Testing Services delivers those exams in the ways outlined and agreed to so that tests are fair across all partner platforms and test takers have a consistent experience regardless of which test centre they choose to take their exam.
This customized approach delivered across a world-wide testing network ensures that every step from reviewing time slots, billing and payment to the delivery of results (if desired) is done with the utmost care and focus. Not only does this ensure uniformity of approach for exams and takes administrative work off the shoulders of test owners, but it also allows test owners to take their programs to new regions without having to establish new relationships or determine how exams can be delivered. It’s all done for them through Prometric’s existing network.
There is no doubt that testing services must have a great amount of integrity behind them. The relationships formed by both Ashton Testing Services and Prometric have ensured that test owners can expect quality and flexibility in establishing testing parameters and test takers can rely on a consistent experience in their testing experience regardless of which test centre they choose.