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   Online Course FAQs

  1. How long do I have to complete my exam?
  2. Can I start my exam, take a break, and finish it later?
  3. How long do I have to complete my course?
  4. Can I retake my exam if I don’t pass?
  5. Can I extend my course/exam after it expires?
  6. How can I prove that I've finished my course?
  7. Does my certification expire?
  8. Does HDI provide practice tests?
  9. How can I receive a copy of the standards?
  10. What browsers can I use when completing an online course?
  11. Can I take online courses on a Mac?
  12. Is there someone I can call for help?
  13. Is there a discount when purchasing multiple online courses?
  14. What are the technical requirements?
  15. Do I need to create a student profile to access HDI online training?
  16. What is included with my course registration?
  17. How long is a course registration active?
  18. How many people can view an online course?
  19. Can I share my course or practice test with a teammate?
  20. What happens if I get disconnected in the middle of my Exam?
  21. I never received an email with my username and password for the online training, what should I do?
  22. What is a Practice Test?
  23. What is the difference between the online practice test and the practice test in the appendix of the student courseware?
  24. What is the difference between the practice test and the certification exam?
  25. How are practice tests similar to certification exams?
  26. Is passing a practice test a good indicator that one will pass the certification exam?
  27. Why did HDI develop practice tests?
  28. What about third party test preparation vendors?
  29. How do I contact HDI for support?

 

  
     
 
  1. How long do I have to complete my exam?

    You are given seventy-five (75) minutes to complete the online exam.

  2. Can I start my exam, take a break, and finish it later?

    No. Once the exam begins, the timer starts immediately. Should you take a break during the exam the timer will continue to count down.

  3. How long do I have to complete my course?

    You have twelve (12) weeks from receipt of payment in which to complete the course. You have full access to the course for the entire twelve (12) weeks, allowing you to set your own self-study pace.

  4. Can I retake my exam if I don’t pass?

    Yes. Each retake costs $99 and extends your time by four (4) weeks. You may purchase as many retakes as you need.

  5. Can I extend my course/exam after it expires?

    Yes. You may purchase a four-week extension for your course or exam for $50 each.

  6. How can I prove that I've finished my course?

    Contact the Customer Care Center at 1.800.248.5667 or support@thinkhdi.com and request an electronic Certificate of Completion, which will be e-mailed to you.

  7. Does my certification expire?

    HDI certifications do not expire. However, due the changing nature of the industry and the evolution of best practices and standards, we highly recommend becoming re-certified once every two years.

  8. Does HDI provide practice tests?

    Yes, please visit the Practice Tests page to see the list of courses for which practice tests are available.

  9. How can I receive a copy of the standards?

    HDI Members can download any standard from our website for free; non-members can purchase standards. To see the list of available standards, please visit the Certification Standards page.

  10. What browsers can I use when completing an online course?

    Currently, HDI only supports Internet Explorer versions 6 through 9. We cannot guarantee full functionality on other browsers (e.g., Firefox, Safari, etc.).

  11. Can I take online courses on a Mac?

    While some users have reported being able to use alternate operating systems, we do not support any operating systems other than Windows at this time.

  12. Is there someone I can call for help?

    Yes, if you experience any difficulties, you can contact the Customer Care Center for assistance. We can be reached via e-mail at support@thinkhdi.com or by phone at 1.800.248.5667. Please note that we are open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, excluding all major holidays. Any emails or phone messages received after normal operating hours will be addressed on the following business day.

  13. Is there a discount when purchasing multiple online courses?

    Please contact your area's account manager for details on discounts and group rates.

  14. What are the technical requirements?

    HDI's online courses are best viewed in Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 6 through 9. Online courses use Adobe Flash Player, Sun Java, and Microsoft Windows Media plug-in technologies. To view all course material, plug-ins must be installed and active.

  15. Do I need to create a student profile to access HDI online training?

    Yes, new users must create a student profile prior to purchasing a course. You will receive an e-mail with your login and password credentials.

  16. What is included with my course registration?

    All course prices include the online training course and certification exam. Practice tests must be purchased separately.

  17. How long is a course registration active?

    Online certification course registrations are active for twelve (12) weeks from the time the course is activated by HDI. Non-certification course registrations (e.g., ITIL Lite) may have shorter active periods.

  18. How many people can view an online course?

    Online course registrations are made for individual accounts; only the account holder with the proper username and password will be able to access the training. Sharing an account is against HDI policy and the customer ethics agreement.

  19. Can I share my course or practice test with a teammate?

    Sharing a course or practice test access with a teammate is against HDI policy and the customer ethics agreement.

  20. What happens if I get disconnected in the middle of my Exam?

    Log back in immediately. The time on the exam will keep counting down whether you are connected or not.

  21. I never received an email with my username and password for the online training, what should I do?

    Make sure you have added the HDI Learning Center's email address (HDILearningCenter@thinkhdi.com) to the safe senders list on your email account to ensure future emails will get to you. Check to see if the email is located in junk mail folder and, if not, contact our Customer Care team at support@thinkHDI.com or call 1.800.248.5667.

  22. What is a Practice Test?

    A practice test is a tool for students to understand their knowledge of the HDI individual certification exam competencies. The practice test questions are representative of the type of questions asked on an HDI certification exam, but will not be the exact same questions. The practice test questions provide a self-assessment of the individual competencies, and are not intended to provide a complete sample of all the types of questions that might be asked on the certification exam.

    Each practice test has 30 questions and must be completed in 35 minutes. Each question references a specific competency within the standard. Once you complete a practice test, you will learn which questions you answered incorrectly and what competency within the HDI Standard you should review. You may take multiple practice tests. Each online practice test is randomly generated from a pool of test questions. As a result, some questions may appear on multiple practice tests.

  23. What is the difference between the online practice test and the practice test in the appendix of the student courseware?

    Both the online practice test and the hardcopy in the book are designed to help the student in the learning process. The practice test in the book is 30 questions. Each time you take an online practice test, the list of 30 questions is randomly generated from the pool of practice test questions, which allows a more comprehensive assessment of the complete standard than is available in the courseware appendix or published standard and self-study guide. The online practice test uses the same interface as the certification exams, which also allows the student to become familiar with the testing application. Students may take multiple online practice tests, while only one practice test is provided in the student courseware.

  24. What is the difference between the practice test and the certification exam?

    There are separate pools of questions for the practice tests and the certification exams. Questions from the certification exam will not appear on the practice test. Questions for both the online practice test and the certification exam are randomly generated. The certification exam has 65 questions and must be completed in 75 minutes. Each practice test has 30 questions and must be completed in 35 minutes.

    The practice test is designed as a learning and assessment tool. When a student completes the online practice test, they are told which questions they answered incorrectly and what competency within the HDI Standard they should review.

    The certification exam is an audit of the candidate's knowledge. When an individual completes the certification exam, they are presented with a pass/fail score and are informed how well they did in each category for the HDI Standard. They are not informed which question(s) they answered incorrectly.

  25. How are practice tests similar to certification exams?

    The practice test is designed to be similar in structure to the certification exam. They both use multiple choice questions based on the same criteria for testing. Each question will be presented with four (4) potential answers, with only one correct answer. Both the online practice test and the certification exam utilize the same user interface, thus allowing the candidate a chance to become familiar with the testing system prior to taking the certification exam. Both are timed tests. Questions not answered prior to the expiration of the timed test/exam will be scored as incorrect when calculating the score. Both exams are meant to be taken closed-book without notes, courseware, or other reference materials and both are based on the same HDI individual standard, not the courseware. Questions are designed to test the candidates understanding and ability to apply the standard - not their memorization of it.

  26. Is passing a practice test a good indicator that one will pass the certification exam?

    Passing a practice exam is a good indicator that the learner understands the specific competencies; however, there are only 30 questions in the workbook sample which does not address the full range of the competencies. Passing multiple online practice tests is a demonstration that you are prepared to take the certification exam. Failing to pass a practice test is a good indicator that you are not ready to take the certification exam.

    The practice test question pool is separate from the certification exam question pool. The same questions do not exist in the both pools. Questions in both pools are based on the same standard and written with the same style guidelines.

    There is no attempt to have a one-to-one correlation of questions to the same competencies within the two question pools. Some competencies may be covered in only one question pool; some competencies are addressed in both question pools. Candidates are advised to study the certification standard and courseware to prepare for a certification exam, and not rely on their ability to pass a 30-question practice test as the sole indicator of the probability of their future success on the certification exam.

  27. Why did HDI develop practice tests?

    HDI developed practices tests because some learners require additional resources to prepare for the certification exams and customers requested practice tests. HDI decided to satisfy this need directly and provide a practice test in the student courseware and an enhanced online practice test option.

  28. What about third party test preparation vendors?

    There are companies in the market that provide sample tests for various certifications. While some of these sites may be legitimate, some are known as test theft sites. They steal and publish actual test questions as preparation questions. Candidates are unaware that they may be cheating on their certification exam by using a questionable third party provider. HDI recommends that candidates study from official HDI curriculum.

  29. How do I contact HDI for support?

    HDI provides support through the following channels: