I'm taking the CQA exam remotely very soon. I have a couple of questions about the rules and proctoring:

3-Ring Binders for Notes: I read the proctoring guidelines, which mention that pen and paper aren't allowed on the desk. However, the ASQ website states that reference materials and note binders are permitted. I'm planning to put my notes (over 200 pages both print and hand written) into a 3-ring binder. Will a binder this thick cause an issue during the room scan or exam?

External Monitor Covered with a Cloth: My main desk setup has a large external monitor, but I plan to take the exam using just my laptop and a bluetooth mouse. If I unplug the monitor and cover it completely with a cloth, will that get flagged by the proctor?

Any advice from people who have taken it remotely would be greatly appreciated!

I recently took the ASQ Certified Quality Auditor (CQA) exam but unfortunately didn’t pass. I’m planning to retake it and would really appreciate advice from anyone who has successfully cleared the exam.
For those who passed, what study materials, question banks, or courses helped you the most? How did you prepare for the scenario-based questions, and how much time did you spend studying before your exam?
Any tips on what I should do differently for my second attempt would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I have my exam scheduled next Friday and now I'm afraid I'll not pass it. I took the prep course and felt it was easy and straight forward. When I started the question bank - I failed the first 2 sets of question banks. I havent taken the 3rd set yet. I felt confident and now I'm stressed out about the exam. For those who got the question bank, how was the actual exam compared to the question bank ?

I took all the notes from the prep course and it's 140 pages. I'm thinking of printing the notes and use it during the exam. And now I'm wondering if I should get all the questions from the question bank in my notes too. Is it too excessive?

Any advice on passing teh exam is appreciated

I've been a medical laboratory scientist for a decade (chemistry supervisor for the past 5) and am looking to branch out. There is no national license and my state is unlicensed, so administration is increasingly using uncertified (in my opinion unqualified) people with random degrees and asking me to provide on the job training.🙄

The medical laboratory field pays very poorly and I'm wondering if CQE would help open doors (and if so which ones specifically)?

If I've read the the requirements correctly, my time as a clinical laboratory supervisor would meet the quality requirements?

Taking my exam this Monday and want to be as prepared as possible. Would appreciate any insight from people who took it recently.

Proctoring setup:

• Can I use an external monitor with a built-in webcam (MacBook lid closed, connected to monitor)?

• OK to use wireless keyboard and mouse?

• What does the room scan (360°) and desk clearing actually involve? And how strict it is?

• Does Proctor flag "eyes off screen" too aggressively during calculator/notebook flipping?

• Do they check handwritten notes briefly, or go page by page?

Open book materials:

• Planning to use: Quality Gurus Summary Sheets (exam-designed handbook), my own written notes (2 notebooks), and a non-programmable scientific calculator

• Any tips on organizing materials for quick lookup during the exam?

• Best open-book strategies you used?

Content focus:

• I'm weaker in stats and calculations. For those who took it recently, which topics showed up the most (control charts, Cp/Cpk, DPMO, probability, hypothesis testing, etc.)?

• Was it more calculation-heavy or concept/definition-heavy?

Time management:

• How did you pace yourself across the exam?

Answer style:

• Are the answer choices intentionally similar/tricky, or usually clearly distinct?

• Any common traps to watch for?

Any other advice for a first-time taker is welcome. Thanks in advance!

Hey, Is there anyone had taken ASQ CQA Exam after April 2026 which was based on BoK 2026.