i think i ran into you in the waiting room, wow small world, penn plaza right, hope you rocked it nevertheless, i was taking mechanical downstairs, saturday right? wife was taking mech on 15 too, the last time i was taking lateral, when i finished up on 17 the computer went dead, and i almost lost my mind, they had to retrieve a backup
what a mess

Yes, that was me. Small world.

I have no idea if I passed, but I don't feel confident since I felt rushed and didn't have the time to recheck all my answers.

I wonder how common this is...Seems to happen a lot.

ARE is one of the more grueling tests, prometric people know that, when you were inside i heard them talking and they were very sympathetic for you, and they said if they were you they would complain, i say wait for the results and see what happens first, good luck

What kind of shitty computers do they have at your testing center? If you're in a big city I'd suggest driving across town to a different Prometric center. Never once had a problem myself.

You need to send a written letter to NCARB within 10 days of testing. It must go to the address listed in your ARE Guidelines booklet - not to any other division of NCARB or to Prometric. "ARE Operations" is actually part of Prometric and has no decision-making power.

After you send a letter it usually takes a week or two to receive an NCARB form postcard saying "we're looking into it." It takes a lot longer - typically 6 weeks or more - to get a more specific letter.

Unfortunately the most common answer by far is something along the lines of "sorry but we were unable to confirm an anomaly."

That having been said, there are some instances in which NCARB has allowed a slightly better outcome. If they do manage to get documentation from Prometric that there was a serious computer problem then in the case of a Fail result they will sometimes allow re-testing without paying the test fee again, though usually they still enforce the 6-month wait.
It's only once in a very rare while that they'll grant permission to test again before a 6-month wait - and then usually only in cases where there is an integral flaw in the test - not a technical problem on Prometric's end (example: a group of people failed a graphic exam when version 3.1 first came out, because there was an element that was required in the written program that was missing from the available symbols in the test software! Those people were allowed to retest as soon as they could reschedule.)

I bet you passed.
Good luck.

Thanks Bloopox...I'll write the letter to NCARB. I've already written one to ARE Operations. We'll see if anything comes of it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Waiting 6 more months would be torture.

yes, i had similar experience, reported here somewhere on another thread. i determined, after multiple phone calls and some notes, that there is no recourse.

you pays yer money and takes yer chances.

Bloopox describes a very reasonable course of action. However, I presume you were authorized to test by your state board. While notifying NCARB might not be a bad plan, I would think that notifying your state board of the problem you encountered would be an equally good idea. I agree that the notification should be sent even if you think you passed. My guess is that if it turns out that you didn't pass and you wait until that notification before you file your complaint, your complaint will be viewed simply as sour grapes. Plus, the Prometric people in your testing location will most likely not remember your specific situation by then. You should get this in the record now. If you pass (we will all be thinking positively for you), the complaint simply goes away. If you fail, Steven Ward may indeed be correct as to the outcome, but without the complaint already being on file I would bet you would have no chance at all.

The letter to NCARB MUST be received within 10 days of testing. If they don't get it within that time frame they will not review the issue at all.

It's a good idea to copy the letter to your state board. The boards will not take any action in individual cases (though there are a handful of states in which it is possible to challenge a "Fail" result - but it costs $300, takes longer than waiting 6 months and retesting, and if they do happen to side with you then that Pass result is only valid in that state - NCARB won't recognize it!)
But the main reason to document this with your state board is that the boards do keep records of these things and they do occasionally voice their disatisfaction to NCARB when they receive many complaints from test-takers. The state boards are the only representatives that we have with NCARB.

SW is probably going to be right on this one, unfortunately, but you can't put the bullet back into the gun.

Thanks for your responses...I'll give an update if I anything comes of it.