Note: If your CATC will not be employing the use of vouchers in Compass Cloud, you may skip this section.
Using Vouchers in Compass Cloud
Start by familiarizing yourself with the following terms:
- Center assigned voucher: A payment method selected in the calendar for vouchers that a CATC has purchased. Vouchers used with this payment method cannot be pre-assigned to a Test Candidate at the time of session creation.
- User assigned voucher: A payment method selected in the calendar for vouchers that the Test Candidate has pre-assigned to themselves, but must also associate to the scheduled exam session via Access Code after the session is created. If you are using this payment method, you must instruct any participating Test Candidates to pre-assign their voucher to themselves and then to associate it to a scheduled session at least 1 hour before the session starts (see the FAQs below for instructions).
- Pre-Assigned voucher: A voucher that has been assigned to a Test Candidate prior to taking an exam so that no other Test Candidate can redeem it. Only Test Candidates can pre-assign a voucher to themselves.
- Reserved Voucher: An unassigned voucher belonging to a CATC that has been put on hold by Compass Cloud to make certain it is available for a scheduled exam session. Vouchers are reserved when employing the "Center assigned voucher" payment method.
- Associated Voucher / Associated to a Session: A pre-assigned voucher that has also been associated to a scheduled exam session via an Access Code. Vouchers that need to be associated to a session are ones that will be used when employing the "User assigned voucher" payment method.
Voucher Payment Types
There are now two voucher payment types to select from in Compass Cloud. Although there are some exceptions (see FAQ), a good baseline instruction for voucher use is:
- Center assigned voucher: Vouchers used in this payment method can never be associated to a session, and for clarity it is best to avoid having any of your vouchers pre-assigned to Test Candidates.
- User assigned voucher: Vouchers used in this payment method must be pre-assigned and must be associated to a session after the session has been scheduled in the calendar tool.
Using Vouchers FAQ
Q: Can we use vouchers in Compass Cloud?
A: Yes. Vouchers that your CATC has purchased and are not pre-assigned to a Test Candidate can be used as a payment method when scheduling your exam session (including Vouchers with a Retake option). In the Compass Cloud calendar you would select "Center assigned voucher" as the payment method when scheduling a session using these types of available vouchers.
Q: What is the difference between the “Center assigned voucher” and a “User assigned voucher” payment methods?
A: Use the “Center assigned voucher” payment method when you have vouchers that have been purchased by your CATC and show up in your account as an active payment method. Use the “User assigned voucher” payment method with vouchers that the Test Candidate has pre-assigned to themselves, but must also then associate said voucher to a scheduled exam session via Access Code after the session is created. Vouchers used under the “User assigned voucher” payment method may be ones that the Test Candidate acquired on their own (either purchased through our Store or were given to the Test Candidate through an outside promotion, etc.) which would not show up under a CATC’s account. However, vouchers used in the “User assigned voucher” payment method could also be ones that the CATC purchased, so long as they are not already reserved for a Compass Cloud session, or already pre-assigned and associated to another Compass Cloud session.
Q: When scheduling a session with the “User assigned voucher” payment method, can the voucher already be pre-assigned to a Test Candidate?
A: Yes. Since you aren’t actually tying the session to any particular voucher at the time of session creation, the voucher could be pre-assigned to a Test Candidate so long as the voucher is valid for the exam specified in the scheduled session and not yet associated to another Compass Cloud session.
Q: What if a CATC has vouchers that have been pre-assigned to a Test Candidate?
A: If you encounter a scenario where your CATC has purchased vouchers but also has one or more already pre-assigned to a Test Candidate, then you could still select "Center assigned voucher" when scheduling a session in the calendar as long as you have enough additional unassigned vouchers matching the total number of Test Candidates scheduled for the session. Remember that vouchers are reserved when the session is created using the "Center assigned voucher" payment method, and that vouchers to-be-reserved cannot be pre-assigned to a Test Candidate. In the same scenario, you could also use the “User assigned voucher” payment method for just those vouchers already pre-assigned to Test Candidates, so long as they then associate any pre-assigned vouchers to the scheduled exam session using their Access Code after the session has been created.
Q: Can the Test Candidate purchase their own voucher and use it with Compass Cloud?
A: Yes. Vouchers that a Test Candidate has purchased or acquired on their own can also be used, but they must be pre-assigned to themselves and associated to a scheduled session via their exam Access Code after the session has been created. If you know a Test Candidate has their own voucher, you would select "User assigned voucher" as the payment method when scheduling a session in the calendar, then give the Test Candidate the Access Code so they can associate it to the session.
Q: Can we schedule a mix of “Center assigned voucher” and “User assigned voucher” payment methods within a single session?
A: No. The fundamental guidance here is whether the voucher is associated to a scheduled exam session. If it’s not associated and do not plan on associating it to the session, use the “Center assigned voucher” payment method. If you plan on associating a pre-assigned voucher to a scheduled exam session, use the “User assigned voucher” payment method. Only pre-assigned vouchers can be associated to a scheduled exam session using Access Codes.
Q: How can we check if we have available vouchers or if they have already been assigned to a Test Candidate?
A: Log in to www.certiport.com as an Organization Administrator. Hover over the "My Certiport" tab and click on the dropdown for "Vouchers". As shown in the image below, the "Product" column will indicate if the order is for a "voucher" or "voucher + retake". The "Available" column will indicate how many unredeemed and unassigned vouchers are remaining in that order. You can click the orange "Detail" link to see if any of the vouchers in the order are pre-assigned to any Test Candidates (or “reserved” for a “Center assigned voucher” session), along with additional info. If present, the orange "Reassign" link is not for changing the Test Candidate pre-assignment, but rather transferring an order of vouchers to another CATC if you have a multisite account. Only a Test Candidate can unassign a voucher by logging in to www.certiport.com, locating the voucher under "My Exams" and clicking the green "Remove/Unassign" button.
Q: How does a Test Candidate associate their own voucher to a scheduled exam session?
A: The session must be created and the voucher must already be pre-assigned (learn how a Test Candidate can pre-assign a voucher). After that, to associate a pre-assigned voucher to a Compass Cloud session, the Test Candidate must log in to the website at www.certiport.com, scroll down to "My Exams" and enter their exam Access Code in the field and click "Associate session".
Q: How does Compass Cloud determine which vouchers to reserve and then use?
A: When scheduling a session in Compass Cloud and using the “Center assigned voucher” payment method, your CATC must have enough unredeemed and unassigned vouchers - matching the number of participating Test Candidates specified in the session - available to be reserved at the time the session is created (which we then hold until the date of the scheduled session). However, if you allow your Test Candidates to pre-assign additional vouchers your CATC has purchased that are not among the reserved vouchers for the session, Compass Cloud will redeem the pre-assigned vouchers first, then it will redeem from the pool of vouchers that were initially reserved for the session, with the difference being returned to the CATC’s account after the session is over.
Q: What happens if the Test Candidate forgets to associate their voucher to a scheduled session?
A: When using the "User assigned voucher" payment method, even if the session has been confirmed, if no Test Candidates have associated their vouchers to a scheduled session, the session will be cancelled at one hour prior to the start of the event. You must instruct your Test Candidates to associate their pre-assigned voucher to the session at least 1 hour before the session is scheduled to begin when using the "User assigned voucher" payment method.
Q: How do Vouchers with Retakes work in Compass Cloud?
A: Upon initial redemption, a Voucher with Retake works like a standard Voucher and can be utilized with either voucher payment method in Compass Cloud as described on this page. After that point, it is important to first understand how Vouchers with Retakes work (a.k.a. “Voucher + Retake”). Like regular Vouchers, Vouchers with Retakes can be purchased by either the CATC or the Test Candidate, they can be pre-assigned to a Test Candidate or remain unassigned, and if pre-assigned they could also be associated to a scheduled exam session for Compass Cloud.
How they differ from regular Vouchers occurs after they are redeemed, as there is the potential for a completely different 2nd voucher to be generated. A Test Candidate first uses the voucher portion, and only if the Test Candidate fails the exam does a “Retake Voucher” become generated. So, think about a Voucher + Retake as really being a Voucher and a separate Retake Voucher. However, the Retake Voucher will have a different voucher number (16-char redemption key) than the original Voucher, it will be automatically pre-assigned to the Test Candidate that failed the exam, it will NOT show up in a CATC’s orders even if they purchased it, and it can only be used with the “User Assigned Voucher” payment method in Compass Cloud*, which will require the Test Candidate to associate it to a scheduled session as described on this page. For other details about Retake Vouchers, please see our Voucher Policies page.
*Please Note: The statement above which says that a Retake Voucher can only be used with the "User Assigned Voucher payment method" is only in the context of the Compass Cloud delivery system. Technically, a Retake Voucher could be redeemed in a different delivery system (e.g. Compass for Windows), or even at a completely different CATC, as long as it is in accordance to the
policies surrounding Retake Voucher use.