Questions about those exam failure shops

I am thinking of doing one.

However, I have heard from previous threads that there seem to be different versions is that correct? Was there one that involved something shady/illegal? I vaguely remember ppl talking about this in the past. Is there a way to identify that before accepting a shop?

I just see a generic one that says you'll take an exam and purposely fail it.

Are these long narrative reports? Can you re-do them lots of times in the future? Thanks for people's insights in advance.

Create an Account or Log In

Membership is free. Simply choose your username, type in your email address, and choose a password. You immediately get full access to the forum.

One of the scenarios does involve saying something like "I'd do ANYTHING to pass this test!" Sort of inviting, well......

I have never accepted one with that scenario.

As for re-doing them, I would assume that if the same "proctor"/test site manager is there, you would be limited in the number of times you could show up for tests without someone getting suspicious.

The hardest part for me was the utter boredom of having to remain in one room for something like 2 hours with nothing to do but look at a computer screen.

@ceasesmith wrote:

The hardest part for me was the utter boredom of having to remain in one room for something like 2 hours with nothing to do but look at a computer screen.

Ohhh, I forgot about that boredom factor.

On the positive side, I'm guessing it's also one of the easiest shops you can do? Just sit there. heh heh

I've aged out of doing these shops, but found them relatively easy. You had to 'hide' a sheet of paper somewhere on your person that the proctor should catch if they were doing their job. (I always used a wide bangle bracelet with a Post-It note taped inside. They always told me to take the bracelet off and put it in the locker.) You also had to raise your hand and ask for help one or two times during the actual test. Some scenarios called for asking to leave the room for a bathroom break.

Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. Eleanor Roosevelt

Yeah, the bathroom break thing was really tough for me.

"Aged out"? OMG. The last time I did one was last year, at 72; my friend did one last month, and she's 64.

If I can deliver pizza at 73, I sure can be trying to change careers, LOL!!!

I was going to apply for one that came up in the last couple of days, but the age limit is 60, and I'm 65. I'm afraid that's going to be happening a lot now....

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

I do believe the MSC had to get the age restriction waived.

At least two different MSCs conduct such shops for two different clients.

BAREs pays little for thevtime required. Reality Check's is (or was) about twice as much. One of them involves the hint of a bribe. Both involve sneaking notes. Reality Check's client may have gone with a different firm.

There is a recent thread in the Mystery Shopping Company sub-forum regarding this.

quote=Rousseau]
At least two different MSCs conduct such shops for two different clients.

BAREs pays little for thevtime required. Reality Check's is (or was) about twice as much. One of them involves the hint of a bribe. Both involve sneaking notes. Reality Check's client may have gone with a different firm.[/quote]

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. - Lao-Tzu

Thanks everyone. I'll check the other thread too!

I performed one recently for Bare I believe. As for the shady behavior factor, I chose the instance of hiding a piece of paper with notes in my pants pocket. They did address this by having me turn my pockets inside out as standard procedure. I was not shamed by the proctor when the paper was discovered. At the end I was to express disappointment for not passing and I asked for ideas how I can I pass this test. It wasn't as blatant or persistent as a wire transfer shop request that is outside their regulations, to me anyway. (The bait was ignored.)

The narrative seemed like a simple recap of the experience with no redundancies. I think I had to stay in the exam room for 75 minutes minimum for an exam which clearly required more time. (There were economics type questions requiring a calculator.) I did have to be the jerk that has to go to the bathroom during that 75 minutes, too. I'm sure the proctor loved that!

For what is involved, it probably should pay better. It helped I was a little curious not having taken an exam like this in 30 years. The rotation period is one year. Hope that helps.

@shoptastic I completed a shop for one of the companies that advertised that you just need to fail the exam. I was only able to see the actual guidelines AFTER I had already been accepted. I needed to strongly hint that I was willing to pay a monetary bribe for them to fix my score. I was a little annoyed since I felt that should have been mentioned earlier, and even though the shop fee was already raised to $50 I didn't think it was enough.

I later discovered another company doing them, for $70, they also want you to used the restroom and then try to go to your locker (not allowed for the exam you're taking) and see if anyone stops you. However at least this company mentioned it from the very beginning.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/2019 07:50PM by tabasco1209.

@tabasco1209 wrote:

@shoptastic I completed a shop for one of the companies that advertised that you just need to fail the exam. I was only able to see the actual guidelines AFTER I had already been accepted. I needed to strongly hint that I was willing to pay a monetary bribe for them to fix my score. I was a little annoyed since I felt that should have been mentioned earlier, and even though the shop fee was already raised to $50 I didn't think it was enough.

I later discovered another company doing them, for $70, they also want you to used the restroom and then try to go to your locker (not allowed for the exam you're taking) and see if anyone stops you. However at least this company mentioned it from the very beginning.

Yikes.

I might have to hold off on these shops. I definitely would not feel good about trying to bribe someone. It feels like police work! Is "entrapment" the relevant term?

I guess if they paid $200+/shop, I might just suck it up (even then, I dunno...). But, for me, I think the discomfort level would be too high for $50-70 that I'd rather just do my normal core shopping: grocery shop routes + ff fillers.

No stress with those!

I feel I could be way too stressed on these!

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/2019 03:34AM by shoptastic.

@lcubed3 wrote:

For what is involved, it probably should pay better. It helped I was a little curious not having taken an exam like this in 30 years. The rotation period is one year. Hope that helps.

Yeah, I'm pretty much thinking no for $30-40.

Just not worth it right now. Thanks again ppl for sharing!

One of the easiest shops I do, I try to snag them would ever offered. Even traveled an hour to do one with a great bonus.

A Dad shopping the Ark-LA-Tex and beyond.

In addition to trying to get the personnel to respond inappropriately, some of these require that you try to sneak a cellphone or something else into the testing room.

I've done them a couple of times, but that was years ago. It was kinda fun taking the exams without having a clue.

In real life, my coworker brought in an unapproved calculator for her exam. In real life, she is a disgusting cheater anyway. She barely passed with a 72% on her fourth try.

Those in my area request a stay of 75 mins.

@shoptastic wrote:

@ceasesmith wrote:

The hardest part for me was the utter boredom of having to remain in one room for something like 2 hours with nothing to do but look at a computer screen.

Ohhh, I forgot about that boredom factor. On the positive side, I'm guessing it's also one of the easiest shops you can do? Just sit there. heh heh

A Dad shopping the Ark-LA-Tex and beyond.

I did one before they had the shady requirements of trying to cheat (probably 8 years ago)? You are supposed to fail the test, but I actually passed. It was a food safety certification so it was super easy. I just breezed right through it. There were no repercussions for passing, the shop was accepted and I was paid. But all these new requirements are just too awkward for me to bother with.

Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.

Click here to login

Questions about those exam failure shops

Create an Account or Log In

Official List of Mystery Shopping Companies

Mystery Shopper Magazine