Testing Yourself

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999

Exam

turteltaub-adam-200x200-150x150By Adam Turteltaub
adam.turteltaub@corporatecompliance.org

Everyone realizes you need to know a lot about compliance before you take the test to become a CHC, CCEP or one of the other designations offered by the Compliance Certification Board.

What few realize is that you can learn a lot about compliance just by taking the exam and being on the receiving end of all the test rules.

I have proctored the various certification exams probably a dozen times, and it is a great way to learn how strongly people, even compliance professionals, struggle with complying.

There is a rule for test takers that says that you can’t keep your cellphone with you or powered on, even in vibrate mode, during the exam. It should be a simple rule to follow: turn it off and leave it in your hotel room or the back of the testing room for a couple of hours.

There are very good reasons for this rule:  a vibrating phone makes a distracting noise.  And, as we all know, you can access virtually every piece of data known to man from a smart phone.  So, it’s not a good idea to let people have one in front of them while they take a test.

Despite this, there is a look of terror on the faces of some test takers at the proposition of being separated from their phone.  You would think they were being asked to cut off their fingers and turn them into a necklace.

Many seem offended that they are even being asked to follow a rule so firm.  They ask repeatedly if it is necessary.  Some seem even offended that you would suggest that they may cheat, and these are people, remember, whose job it is to ensure that in the work place no one cheats.

There is also a rule that once you enter the testing room you may not leave to go to the bathroom until the test begins (and then you must be escorted). Why? It is a bit chaotic getting everyone seated properly and telling people they have to turn off their cellphones. Plus, only people who have had their ID checked may enter the room to take the test.  Step out of the room, and the proctors now have to remember that you have already been checked in, while, at the same time, they are checking someone else’s ID.

We typically make one or more announcement about this rule while people are queueing up to check in for the exam. Then as soon as they enter the room several people ask to go to the bathroom.

Also, I should note, several people suddenly need to get up to get a glass of water, which is problematic since you can’t keep water on the desk with you:  spill it on your test response sheet, and you’re out of luck.  Spill it onto someone else’s, and you’re going to be really unpopular.

I could go on but the point is that even compliance officers can have trouble being compliant, including at the time they are being tested about compliance.

So, the next time you are confronted with an employee giving you pushback on a simple rule, remember what happened when you took the certification exam.  It may make you more sympathetic and better able to appreciate how hard it is to follow someone else’s rules.

[bctt tweet=”Testing Yourself @AdamTurteltaub” via=”no”]

 

2 COMMENTS

  1. So very true! I think the best response to pushback is to calmly reflect on our own inability to change the way we’ve always done something (whether it is effective or not) and then formulate your response to the person. Most times, it’s a matter of educating, but in a manner that explains why the change is needed. Compliance Officers are dealing with adults (in the majority of cases) who are independently successful who know why they do the things they do. All adults need to understand why we are asking them to modify their actions – that’s not so tough to communicate and persuade them to change.

    • I think what Adam describes is so symptomatic of the idea that it seems generally speaking people (including compliance professionals) seem to think that the rules are fine…until they are applied to them…then all bets are off. Go figure!

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