Pearson Vue woes

Nursing Students NCLEX

Published

I am a recent graduate of a nursing program in Minnesota, and it looks like the only business that offers NCLEX testing is one called Pearson Vue. I have some complaints about them and I haven't even sat for the exam yet!

First of all, their website is cryptic. My school gave me a code that I was supposed to input so Pearson Vue could ensure that yes, I really did graduate from them and will be ready to sit for the exam. I keyed in the number in the right field, and I was unable to proceed. None of the buttons worked as long as I had anything in the field where the program code was supposed to be. I double and triple checked the program code to ensure I keyed it in correctly. The number didn't work, and I ended up just running a search for my school and inputted (the same number my school gave to me) and it finally worked. If they want you to search for your school instead of manually inputting the number, why even bother to have it as an option?

Then when I went to pay via credit card, I made an honest mistake and forgot to change the expiration date on the payment form. No big deal, its an easy fix but did they tell me that the card I was using was expired? Of course not, that would have made it much too easy for me! Instead they highligted in big bold letters "your mailing address must match your card on file." What the bull crap is that?

So I fired an angry email to Pearson Vue, essentially telling them that if they hired a technical school dropout to take a diarrhea dump all over their servers (that is literally what I wrote to them), they might end up with a better website, and that just because there's no competition in the licensing exam racket, it isn't an excuse to be lazy. At $200 per test, they can afford to hire a damn consultant to fix their horse excrement website. This is unacceptable!

Don't we have rules against monopolies? When one business has absolute control over their field, what incentive do they have to improve the way they do business?

Anyone else had problem with these guys? Or are there other testing companies that I just don't know about?

Specializes in ED, Medicine, Case Management.
If I was speaking to them professional to professional I would have chosen my words more carefully. This time however, I am a paying customer and I am well within my rights to use abusive language to demand better service. Having worked in customer service in excess of ten years, I picked up on the fact that angry complaints are more likely to be dealt with than polite ones. Rude people tend to get ahead in life. They may not be liked for it, but hey, if it gets results. Have a nice day![/size] My billing address matches my mailing address and I have the same address on file with my credit card company. The site just gave me the wrong prompt, so of course I had to look into it. I figure I am doing Pearson Vue a favor by drawing attention to the fact that their error prompts are broken.

You absolutely have the right to act no better than the people who treated you abusively when you were in customer service. Others have the right to treat you accordingly. And they will. The fact of the matter is, rude people don't get ahead in life. They have learned to get their way by blind aggression and bullying - but they aren't making any friends doing it. Rude people who feel entitled to abuse those in subservient positions lack empathy and clearly the ability to harness language and charm to their benefit. How do you know that what you experienced wasn't only a momentary glitch in their system? It happens. I suggest you find more constructive ways to deal with your frustration.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

OP...it is clear you are frustrated and at your limit. ((HUGS)) However, I am not sure venting your frustration on the only people licensed to administer the exam is putting your best foot forward.

I am curious that you didn't realize that it is Pearson Vue who administers the test. Did you school not tell you this early on? Even back in the day nursing board tests were administered at only one place in the state.....ALL candidates had to go to that place at one time in one room. We had over 4,000 humans in a big room every other seat....for 2 and 1/2 days. 8A to 3:30P. They turned people away at the door if they were wearing glasses and the glasses were not on the picture on the ID...It's their game their rules. They hold ALL the cards.

Now...go outside and scream get it out of your system. Hit a tree. Then breathe.

Tomorrow will be a better day.

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Specializes in ED, Medicine, Case Management.

Based on her responses, my guess is that OP is just looking for a fight, ostensibly for cathartic purposes. I think we have fallen right into her trap. :)

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".... Having worked in customer service in excess of ten years, I picked up on the fact that angry complaints are more likely to be dealt with than polite ones. Rude people tend to get ahead in life. They may not be liked for it, but hey, if it gets results...."

This is quite possibly the greatest myth I've ever heard in all my years of dealing with the complaining public. (worked 25 years at a pizza place, I've seen every kind there is) It is true that sometimes rude people get what they want, HOWEVER rude folks will more likely come up against someone that won't tolerate their attitude or their tone and fight them just because they can and will. I know...I've done it. I will walk 10,000 miles on broken glass for someone that is polite to me and make everything right and THEN SOME. But the minute you come to me with language that is less than desirable, rude, disrespectful, and degrading....I'm the kind of person that will "clam-up" and not budge an inch and make it as difficult to deal with as you are being with me. The old adage goes, "you can draw more flies with honey than vinegar" I believe????

Have a blessed day and remember, we're all humans in this together. : )

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Specializes in Med/Surg, LTACH, LTC, Home Health.
Thank you, BSNINTHEWORKS, and very astute. Yes, there are other things bothering me with how my final clinical rotation went; a topic for another time, but it involved interrogations, grammar police and price gouging. The problems I had just registering for the test is the last straw.

QUOTE]

We've all been there and had our moments. It feels good for the moment, but remorse comes in the morning. I hope things get better. The best thing about your final clinical rotation is that it was your FINAL CLINICAL ROTATION:D...over and done and you are preparing for the NCLEX. That is all that matters.....life is going on for you. Make it count. :yes:

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All good points, and I will take your suggestions under advisement.

In my defense, flying off the handle like this isn't what is normal for me. Everyone has a breaking point; we can only tolerate so much before a seemingly small non-incident seems like a personal affront to everything we stand for. The trouble I had with Pearson Vue was obviously it for me. I will not go into details, but I had to repeat my final clinical rotation which was not only a grave injustice (yes, I know every college student who fails a class thinks it is the instructor's fault but the difference here is that I have evidence that I was treated unfairly) but it meant that I wouldn't graduate alongside the people with whom I went through the program, thus pinning and commencement were virtually meaningless ceremonies to me. I took all of this--which turned out to be a five month ordeal--with assuaging stoicism. I vowed to write a scathing complaint about the instructor who did this to me, but when I saw how well liked she was, the last time I saw her at the pinning ceremony I figured it wouldn't do any good so I realeased all of my ire and contempt at Pearson Vue just because of an admittedly meaningless non problem.

My mother taught me that "there is no excuse for bad behavior."

I'll tell ya what, how about I get off this forum right now, and compose a heartfelt apology to the staff at Pearson Vue? I could even copy and paste it so it can be viewed here. The damage is done, but at least I can make a gesture.

Edit: here's what I wrote to Pearson Vue less than 60 seconds ago:

Hello Pearson Vue staff!

First of all, I want to thank you for getting my ATT to me so quickly despite my rudeness (explained below), that was incredibly classy!

A few days ago, I bellowed a harsh, profanity laced critique about your website. I just wanted to apologize for what I have done.

What I said was indefensible, and the problems I had encountered were only minor issues that were probably my fault anyway. I discussed my issue with this website on a forum, mainly to vent but also to gain some sympathy and one person very helpfully told me that I should probably update my browser.

What I said in my previous email wasn't called for. I was just being a scallywag. I wanted to use a more profane outpouring of obscenities to describe myself, but I plan to copy and paste this and post it on the forum where I discussed this. You need only look at my previous email to get an idea of how brutal my temper tantrum could have been.

It is my hope that you will accept my apology, and I mean this sincerely this time: have a great summer!

Kind regards,

Kev

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I'll give you a 'kudo' just for calling yourself a 'scallywag!'

As someone who's evinced far more 'scallywag' behavior in my 50 years than I'd care to remember, I will tell you that sometimes the behavior will get doors slammed in your face.

I encourage you to practice constructive releases... even if it's typing the nasty-gram but then deleting it before you send it... or saving it but considering a review in 24 hours before sending it.

Still, a kudo for owning your bad behavior - and yes, I think my original comment of 'jerk' was an appropriate label - and, as I said, another kudo for 'scallywag.'

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Specializes in Med/Surg, LTACH, LTC, Home Health.

On a more humorous note, after you take the NCLEX, might I suggest that you NOT try the Pearson Vue trick? It's known to cause some anxiety between two of its pop-ups and we wouldn't want that now, would we?:roflmao:

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Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

I think Pearson Vue owns every testing situation. They administer the teaching boards here, the national teaching boards, everything my husband takes at work (fed govt). They also manufacture most of the textbooks nationwide from Kindergarten to our nursing texts. makes sense: they make the books and the tests.

Every website has issues now and then-not necessarily a Pearson issue.

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I think Pearson Vue owns every testing situation. They administer the teaching boards here, the national teaching boards, everything my husband takes at work (fed govt). They also manufacture most of the textbooks nationwide from Kindergarten to our nursing texts. makes sense: they make the books and the tests.

Every website has issues now and then-not necessarily a Pearson issue.

I really think you're right! Prior to nursing school, I went to dental assisting school and Pearson Vue administered the certification exam. Same for my current job as a certified pharmacy tech. They seem to own this world so I guess we have to deal with them.

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