Go into your exam with confidence by reading through these tips

I've now completed my Level 1 Educator exam! The whole process was a lot easier than I thought it would be, and I couldn't recommend it enough to all educators.

If you aren't interested in doing any training courses prior to the exam, you'll need to make sure you're confident using a wide range of G Suite tools. 

The Level 1 Educator exam covers a number of G Suite tools, some of which you may not have used before. Although these tools are often very intuitive and easy to learn as you go, you'll be way more confident if you've already seen and used these platforms prior to taking the exam. 

Try to make sure that you are comfortable navigating these core G Suite tools:

And remember, you don't need to get 100% in order to pass this exam. If you haven't used a couple of these before, don't worry - the instructions during the exam are clear so you'll be fine!

Your best free tool when preparing for this exam is the Teacher Centre on the Google for Education training course site.

The topics and information covered in the Fundamentals Training Course goes above and beyond the contents of the exam. The questions you'll be given in the exam itself are simple, either multi-choice or practical activities. You'll learn a lot in the training course, all of which could be incredibly useful to implement in your class or school.

Start the training at the same time as another educator or colleague, you'll be able to bounce ideas off each other and the learning will be more authentic.

Although you cannot do the exam together (you need to be in a quiet room by yourself), you might find it a lot easier to study/prepare together. You might, for example, have a really good understanding of how to use Gmail, but haven't used Google Sites before. Chances are there's another teacher in your school that is also wanting to get their Google for Education Certification, and their strengths may differ from yours.

If you haven't used the ProctorU platform before, you'll need to make sure you know the rules and be prepared for exam day.

The process of using ProctorU can be a bit confusing if you've never used it before. Essentially, they make sure you are working under exam conditions when taking your final exam. Here are a few sub-tips to keep in mind:

• Pre-install the ProctorU Google Extension
• Prepare your quiet space
  The ProctorU extension gains access to your webcam and microphone. If there is any noise during your exam, it will need to be manually reviewed by an assessor and it will take longer to process.
• Test your equipment
  There's a prompt on the ProctorU site that allows you to test your speaker, microphone and video camera. Make sure you do this at least a day before your exam so you can resolve any issues beforehand.
• Unplug any extra monitors
  You're only allowed to have one monitor, so if you run a multiscreen system, just unplug the other screens.
• Log in to ProctorU 5 minutes before your exam
  Even if you're 1 minute late, you'll have to reschedule.
• Be fuelled up
  Eat before your exam and have snacks nearby. Also use the bathroom and keep water near.
• Have your licence ready
  You need a government issued piece of photo ID when you start your exam. Either a drivers licence or passport will do.

The exam isn't overly difficult - in fact it's easier than the training questions. They want you to pass!

I'll be the first to admit that I don't test well - I tend to over-think it and get flustered easily. I didn't experience any of that when taking this Level 1 exam. The questions were clear and often times, the answers were pretty obvious. So relax! You'll do fine, especially if you do the training. 

Good Luck!

If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us. You can also check out my previous blog posts about my Google for Education training course journey if you'd like to see what you can expect!