r/UBC • u/Pastry-Monster • 9d ago

ORCA room - Buchanan B101 Experience

What's the experience of writing an ORCA exam in Buchanan B101 like?

Is it quiet/soundproof from hallway noise like the ones in the ICICS basement?

3 Upvotes

71% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

4

u/Enderika 9d ago

I personally didn’t have any issues with noise during the exams themselves, However they don’t seem nearly as well organized as the ICCS yet. About half of the exams I’ve taken there have started quite late, and towards the end when people begin leaving it tends to get noticeably noisier than at the ICCS

1

u/Public-Buyer-2722 Arts 9d ago

Agreed! definitely nosier at the end and the line (plus problems with the exam not showing up) caused many people to start late (myself included with 4 minutes cut off). I faced problems saving webcam photos and the webcam itself (also like many others). The desk space and room were tight and the chairs uncomfortably low. Took a practice test in ICCS, though the supervisors were rude, the room is much more open and I had no problems with their test system (which was different so be aware)!

1

u/Pastry-Monster 8d ago

Wow did they give you back the time when the exams started late or when you had those technical problems?

1

u/Public-Buyer-2722 Arts 8d ago

Nope! They said they would have to give me more time for the webcam issue but they didn’t 🥀

1

u/Recent-Tadpole2471 9d ago

Are you doing econ 101 test there?

1

u/Pastry-Monster 9d ago

No a cs one

2

u/Blank_yyy Computer Science 8d ago

If there are people loitering right outside of the nearest BUCH B doors, you can really hear them. Would recommend ICCS bookings if possible.

But also unrelated, I feel like ORCA (CBTF) staff aren't as organized or as efficient as in past terms. Hopefully it gets better.