What is the intent of the PPEs?

The PPEs aim to help students assess mastery of the APEX curriculum and inform areas for further study.
We developed the PPEs diagnostic tool (not a study tool) to be administered in a proctored environment (think NCE, SEE, GRE, etc.).
Just like you can’t review your answers to other high-stakes assessments, you can’t review the answers to your PPEs.
Compare your scores to the national average data to identify your strengths and weaknesses.

Where do I get the password for a PPE?

How many PPEs are available?

The questions on the PPEs are unique, and they’re not available anywhere else in the APEX curriculum.
The question bank contains over 1,500 questions.
There is 1 PPE for each APEX tutorial (5 – 25 questions each).
There is 1 Midterm Exam (75 questions that cover Units 1 – 6).
There are 3 Comprehensive Exams (Comp 1 = 125 questions, Comp 2 = 125 questions, Comp 3 = 240 questions).

Can I take a PPE more than once?

The Password Protected Exams (PPEs) were programmed in our server so they are able to be accessed 1-time per account, in a proctored setting.
Unfortunately, we can not reset a PPE once it has been started unless we can verify a technical issue in the server security data.
The PPEs were created to be a diagnostic test to see how well the students understand the material. Allowing only one attempt increases the security of the content for all of the programs we work with that rely on the integrity of the PPEs for grading purposes.

Can I review the answers on the PPEs?

We configured the Password Protected Exams (PPEs) to align with best practices in maintaining the security and integrity of online examinations.
Like the SEE exam, we designed the PPEs to serve a diagnostic function (not for remediation). Also like the SEE, we do not allow students to review their answers on the PPEs.
We recommend that students evaluate their PPE scores in the context of the national averages to help them identify their areas of strength and weakness.
At the end of the Comprehensive PPEs, students can view their score breakdown, which gives them a score that corresponds with each of the units in the APEX curriculum. Once the student closes this page, the score report can’t be recovered (by the student or by APEX).
For this reason, we suggest that students take a screenshot or picture of the score report prior to closing the page. This will enable them to refer to the screenshot for future remediation purposes.
As a reminder, students have access to thousands of board-type questions and rationales throughout the entire APEX Student Review course curriculum. They’re free to use these questions as frequently as they’d like.

Will I have access to the PPEs after graduation?

The PPEs must be delivered in a proctored environment. For this reason, students will not have access to the PPEs after graduation.

How do you ensure exam fairness?

We perform item analysis on our question bank to ensure questions perform above a predefined standard.

Who writes the PPE questions?

What is the source material for the PPE questions?

All the answers to the PPE questions can be found in the tutorials in the Student Review Course.

How should I prepare for the PPEs?

Mastering the content in the Student Review Course is the best way to prepare for the PPEs.

How should I use my scores to inform my studying?

If your scores exceed the national averages, you’re in good shape.
A low score means you have significant knowledge gaps. Answering more questions will not effectively fill these gaps. Instead, you should relearn the information in the corresponding tutorial.
The comprehensive exams will give you a score breakdown (just like the Mock Exams). Focus on your lowest scoring areas.

Why can’t I review my answers?

The PPEs are a diagnostic tool to assess your degree of content mastery (think NCE, SEE, GRE, etc.).
Just like you can’t review your answers to other high-stakes assessments, you can’t review the answers to your PPEs.
You should compare your scores to the national average data to identify your strengths and weaknesses.
You may review your answers to all other practice questions on the APEX platform.

How should I interpret my scores?

What happens if I log into my account from a different browser or device when I’m taking a PPE?

Logging into another browser or device while taking a PPE will NOT bypass these rules and may cause you to lose your PPE data.
In either circumstance, we will NOT be able to reset your PPE.

Can I access the student course when taking a PPE?

What happens if I close full screen during the exam or open a second browser window?

You cannot move away from the PPE window until you complete your exam.
Every time you move away from the PPE window, the reported count will increase by 1.
Your faculty will have a timestamped record of your website behavior when you have a PPE open.

Why do I have to open the browser window full screen?

When you open an exam, we’ll prompt you to set your browser to full screen to ensure you are only accessing the PPE.

What browser should I use?

You must use a supported browser: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge. Do NOT use Internet Explorer.
For best results, we strongly recommend you keep your browser and operating system up to date.
We cannot be held responsible for data loss issues related to browsers and operating systems that are out of date.

How many times can I take a PPE?

How much time will I have to complete a PPE?

All PPEs are timed for 1 minute per question.
This is designed to mimic the pace required to pass the NCE if you receive 170 questions.
If you have approved time accommodations, please have your faculty reach out on your behalf to apply the time accommodations to your account prior to taking any PPEs.

Password Protected Exams (PPEs)