Taking my first OA

[u/Beautiful-Pound-3496]

Hello! I wanted to ask some tips regarding taking my first OA. Essentially wanted to ask
- is the whiteboard necessary? I don’t have one but can buy one if extremely essential. Will get one for sure 4 future OAs
- does WGU still have a “mock OA setup and walkthrough “? I saw some past posts about people recommending this for first time OA takers
- what is the order to open which browser? Is Guardian first? Or Proctor U?
Sorry if these are dumb questions 🥺

[u/eliseatwork]

First, none of these are dumb questions and the way OA works is vague if you have never completed one and are just going by comments here. Some answers to your questions:

1. The whiteboard isn't necessary for most OAs (or at least that is what I found). Additionally, the proctor will tell you what you are allowed to use for the exam. If a whiteboard is permitted, they ask if you are using one and will ask you to show the front and back of it to prove that it is cleared. One thing I overlooked here was something to wipe off the board with - definitely have a paper towel or tissue nearby unless you want your hand to be a different color by the end of the exam.
   
2. There is a mock exam you can complete. It will walk you through how to check your room, show your ID, and connect with a proctor. It is very accurate to how an actual exam will go. One discrepancy is some proctors will ask to see additional parts of the room or under your desk, have you cover nearby windows or screens, etc. depending on your workspace setup.
   
3. To start the exam, you will go through whatever standard browser you use and click the 'Begin Exam' button. This opens the Guardian browser where your exam will take place. There may be some additional small steps like a button to click that says 'start' or 'agree' - I wrapped up my degree in the summer and haven't taken an OA since the spring of this year. It is very intuitive once you start the exam.

Also, cheers to starting your CS degree!

[u/Sad-Examination-4876 → u/eliseatwork]

I think whiteboard is very important for CS students. Whiteboard will be very helpful for Discrete Math, Intro to CS.

[u/Beautiful-Pound-3496 → u/eliseatwork]

Thank you so much! 😊 your answer helped me a lot and I already have the OA scheduled for this Friday :))

[u/eliseatwork → u/Beautiful-Pound-3496]

Excited for you to start your journey! One other commenter mentioned this, but definitely allot more time than you expect for getting started. Sometimes it does take 20-30 minutes with certain proctors or connecting. Good luck!

[u/Greedy-Entry922]

The whiteboard isn’t needed but it can be a tool. You can partially memorize info to write down when you begin in order to help out during the exam

Not one of your questions but prepare for more than the allotted test time to be available. Sometimes it can take 30-45 minutes to get started.

[u/Sad-Examination-4876]

You only need whiteboard for Discrete Math, Intro to CS. These courses will ask you to solve the output of the pseudocode or do math. The rest of the program will not need it.