Selecting a Proctor

Certification applicants are responsible for selecting their own proctor using the criteria below. If you are unsuccessful in locating your own proctor, contact ace@entsoc.org and ESA can assist. Once you have chosen a proctor, communicate that information to ace@entsoc.org. To select a proctor, consider the following:

• In all cases, the following criteria should be met:
  a) The proctor may not be an immediate family member of the applicant.
  b) The proctor should not be an immediate supervisor to the applicant.
  c) The applicant should not be an immediate supervisor to the proctor.
• Ideally, the proctor would be a Board Certified Entomologist (BCE), an Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE), or a member of the Entomological Society of America in good standing. (Visit roster).
• If the applicant does not live or work near a BCE, ACE, or an ESA member, then a college professor, extension agent, religious leader, or some other “community leader” would be an acceptable alternative.
• The applicant always has the option to use a remote proctor through ProctorU, whether or not a BCE/ACE proctor is nearby. There is a nominal fee, borne by the applicant, paid directly to the remote proctor. 

Approaching the Prospective Proctor:
When approaching a person to ask them to become a proctor, bear in mind that they may or may not know what the job entails. A suggested approach is to use the following language:  

"I am attempting to become an Associate Certified Entomologist [or other certification], as certified by the Entomological Society of America. This process involves taking an online examination that is supervised by a proctor. There are rules about who can or cannot serve as proctor. You seem to qualify and I would be honored if you would serve as my proctor. The job is very simple. If you agree, you and I would agree upon a test date and test location (usually the location is the proctor's place of employment. ESA would send you instructions about one week prior to the test. On the test day, we would login and you would simply be in the room while I tested. That's it. Thank you for your consideration."

The Proctor's Job:
The proctor's job is that of volunteer monitor. They do not work for ESA, but have agreed to serve as our administrator. The proctor should not charge a fee for this volunteer service (however, if pre-test coaching occurs as part of a review course, a fee may be charged for the education provided, but no fee is charged for administering the exam). The proctor receives the instructions for the examination on behalf of the applicant, often provides the computer and internet line for the applicant's exam, and ensures that the applicant abides by the guidelines for taking the examination.

The instructions are sent about one week prior to the exam.

The online examination can take place anywhere that is of mutual convenience to the applicant and proctor, but usually it occurs in the proctor's place of employment on a computer supplied by the proctor.

The proctor should ensure that:

• The computer to be used for the examination has a reliable internet connection. 
• The location provided by the proctor is one that you can access conveniently, and
• The location provided by the proctor does not offer extraneous distractions that would inconvenience you during your examination.

If you have trouble locating a proctor, please contact ace@entsoc.org and we can help you to find one.

ProctorU remote proctoring:
This service is offered through ESA and is designed for situations where there is need for professional proctoring but no proctor is available. In remote proctoring, the applicant takes the exams in the comfort of their own home or office on their own machine and a proctor observes them throughout the entire exam via the computer's webcam and audio system. The proctor will:

• Authenticate that the applicant is the one actually taking the exam
• Secure the environment to ensure that no outside resources are used during the exam
• Confirm visually that no other people are in the room during the exam
• Assist the applicant as he/she logs into the exam system
• Ensures that the applicant takes the exam according to the instructions provided by ESA

There is a fee for using the remote proctoring service that is borne by the applicant when the exam is scheduled (all of the fee goes to the proctor, not ESA). If you wish to use a remote proctor for your exam, simply write "Remote proctor" or "ProctorU" on your application. You can read more detailed instructions for the ProctorU service by clicking here.