Questions about getting ready for your Red Hat remote exam?

[Deanna]

This thread is dedicated to connect you with Red Hat subject matter experts who can help answer your questions regarding Red Hat remote exams. Please see the following resources for Red Hat Remote Exams below:

• Remote Exams Announcement
• Technical Documentation for "Getting ready for your Red Hat remote exam"
• Remote Exams FAQ

For questions on scheduling or redeeming your exams,  please use the Red Hat Certification team comment form here. 

**Our subject matters experts in the Red Hat Learning Community will not be assisting with tasks related to scheduling exams. 

[vishals]

Hi @davman ,

These changes have been announced a month in advance to allow users to plan for their exams accordingly. We recommend taking the updated exam after completing the few hours (includes labs) of additional training content.
I'm checking internally about when the updated training content will be available on ROL, but you may also want to follow up with the training/ROL team for an update.

Best Regards,

[Sarang]

Good initiative in this pandemic times. 

I have couple of questions:

1. Regareding Camera:

- I want to buy a camera for Remote exam. However, I am not sure on how to check compatibility. Is there a list of compatible external cameras?

- What is the OS used in 'live USB ISO' or 'rhrexboot.iso' that will be used to setup exam environment.  

2. Regarding Network:

I have two internet connections,  a wired broadband connection and 4G mobile internet . Both meet the speed requirements i.e. Download speed requirements of 768Kbps and
upload speed requirements of 512Kbps

If the primary network connections (broadband)  goes down during exam. Lets say for 15 min.

- Will I be able to switch to my mobile 4G connection?

- Will I be able to connect back again after 15 min if switching to mobile internet is not allowed?

- Will I be able to reschedule the exam if above two are not allowed?

[JS_Learning]

Hi @Sarang ,

1.1 There is no such list officially. What is officially requested is an external webcam with at least 1m cable. Unofficially, some candidates are sharing their experience here:

https://learn.redhat.com/t5/General/RedHat-Remote-Exam-supported-hardware-cameras-mice-keyboards/m-p... 

1.2 The OS is Fedora 32.

2. I think, it's a difficult topic to answer and something that the proctor will have to evaluate with all variables at hand and discuss with the candidate. In general, it also depends when the interruption occurs. See the FAQ and Getting Ready documents, links available in the supported hardware camera topic link I shared above.

As for the actual 4G, it also depends on it's connected, the only supported method are wifi and ethernet cable. Therefore, it it's connecting to a 4G hotspot, and using wifi for the Remote Exam Laptop, I guess it's ok. If it's about using a 4G modem directly, it's not in the officially supported hardware.

Cheers,

[Sarang]

Hi @JS_Learning 

Thank you for the answer.

1. Can I say that external Webcam that works well with Fedora 32 will also work with live USB ISO ? 

Of course, I will consider other factors,  1m cable length  and Camera clarity. 

2. 4G internet will be available as wifi hotspot ( lets say "Vodafone-4G"). I think that should not be a problem as 'live USB ISO' will treat it as any other wifi hotspot.

The broadband connection can also be made available through wifi hotspot( lets say "airtel-wired").

The  important point for me is to know if I can switch between hotspots "airtel-wired" and "Vodafone-4G" if one goes down during exam. Can you help me on this or direct me to any useful discussions? 

[JS_Learning]

Hi @Sarang ,

I need to clarify something practical with the teams about your question.
For now, this is in the FAQ:

"Answer: If network connectivity problems arise within the first 30 minutes of the exam and you are unable to resolve them, you can request to discontinue and reschedule your exam attempt. If you are able to resolve the issue quickly, you will be able to resume where you left off once you boot to the live USB and connect to the exam environment."

Source:

https://www.redhat.com/cms/managed-files/tr-certification-remote-exams-FAQ-f24596pr-202007-en_0.pdf 

I understand the core question now is if you can switch wifi hotspot during the exam. I will check on that and let you know.

Cheers,

[Sarang]

Hi @JS_Learning 

I will wait for the response.

[shefeeqyr]

Hello @Sarang,

If there is an internet issue, you will have to reboot the laptop to the RE image, go to the wireless network settings and connect to the back up connection. Rebooting will not impact your exam. The Proctor will suspend your exam session till you are back.

Nevertheless, I am highly doubtful if a 4G connection will be sufficient to have a smooth exam experience. The performance may be significantly impacted.

Best Regards,

Shefeeq

[Michael1]

Hello, 

I schduled my exam for next week, 

Do I need speakers for the exam, or is it enough to have only a camera and microphone? And in case speakers are required, can I use an external USB sound card since my speakers won't plug directly into the computer?

[shefeeqyr]

Hello @Michael1,

Speakers are not a requirement for remote exams. The proctor will communicate with you via a chat applet with in the proctoring application. 

All the best for your upcoming exam.

Best Regards,

Shefeeq

[catdad]

Is this still valid? I take my test next week and my monitor/computer does not have built in speakers.