Our college has an on-prem PearsonVUE testing center for testing - not just for our computer programs, but for our AMT medical programs as well. Our test center is not available to the public, meaning you can't schedule through the web for our site - you have to contact our librarian who would set you up. Since we put students through testing in waves, it's just easier to run an eight seat center. We've had it in place since 2016.
Private test centers do get a small cut of testing fees. Like 5-10 bucks per candidate, but it's not a defined revenue stream for us. We do it in conjunction with our programs. One downside is that I can't take beta exams at the private center - since beta exams are scheduled online, and we can't schedule our private center online, well, I have to go to a public center for beta testing (I don't do a bunch of it, but when I do...)
I am not a fan of OnVUE. With the horror stories I've heard, I'm just more comfortable going to a test center. My brain seems to engage better when I have to go somewhere. I, myself, don't typically test at our school - as I don't like taking up a seat for a student - so I go elsewhere. I know OnVUE got its wind during the Coronapocalypse - but it's just never been my thing.
I also have a great story:
Turns out, about a week before I was supposed to do the Server+ TTT for 005,
@Stephen Schneiter asked me to take the beta. Well, I had to go to a nearby public site for that - for the reasons addressed above. Well, the pandemic hit the day before my testing date and I couldn't get tested. It cost me a bottle of my homemade mead to the test center owner for her to quietly open the test center (despite Pearson 'highly recommending' everyone close down), to get my Beta done. The Test Center Owner and I still laugh about it to this day, which is one reason why I keep coming back - they became good friends of mine.
/r
