Today I was doing the pre-test check on the TAO platform, using my laptop. One of the last steps consists in using the webcam to scan your desk. As I started to move it around, the PC crashed (faulty motherboard-to-LCD cable) and now my pre-test check is marked as terminated. I cannot re-take it, and I cannot use another PC (according to the rules).
I knew I was doomed since the beginning with this type of testing: there are just too many variables that can fail. Let's add to this the fact that they are building something next to my building, the noise is insane, but one cannot use ear plugs.
I think it is completely discriminatory that a person needs to have:
a) a modern laptop
b) the favor of the tech gods that nothing fails
c) the luck of living in a quiet place
Doing the test in the testing centers was a much more democratic and uniform process. You were guaranteed silence, and independence from hardware and software hiccups.
I will contest my exclusion, but I don't have many hopes.