Article Display: Scott Air Force Base eWAPS Testing Site

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. —

The Scott Air Force Base Scott Education and Training Center will officially change to an electronic Weighted Airman Promotion System testing site, February 15, 2024.

Starting with the CY24 E6 promotion cycle, Airmen participating in the 2024 technical sergeant promotion cycles will be the first to use the new system.

For testing, promotion-eligible Airmen should expect emails prompting them to create an account on the PearsonVUE website this month. Those who do not receive an email can go directly to the PearsonVUE website (https://home.pearsonvue.com/) to create an account. Having a PearsonVUE account is required for promotion testing going forward. Airmen who are having technical issues with the Pearson VUE website can contact:

Testing Office Email: 375FSS.FSDE.testing@us.af.mil
Testing Office Number: 618-256-5290, DSN: 576-5290

Test Control Officers or unit WAPS monitors will contact eligible Airmen to sign for their assigned official test date and review testing instructions and individual responsibilities. They will also receive instructions on how to create a PearsonVUE account, if they have not done so already.

On test day, Airmen are required to arrive at Scott Education and Training Center, room 75, on time, in uniform, with their Common Access Card and with their PearsonVUE username and password. Airmen who do not have or do not know their username and password may be marked as a no-show for testing.

Airmen will have the opportunity to retrieve their username using their first and last name and their email account, and can reset their password with the security questions they established upon account creation. Failure to reset their password and access their PearsonVUE account will result in being marked as a no-show.

See below for frequent questions and answers. If you have more questions, please reach out to your WAPS monitor or contact the Scott Education and Training Center.

Q. Will Airmen be able to instantly see their score?
A. No, Airmen will still receive their test scores the same way they do now—after promotion selections are announced.

Q. Will this shorten the amount of time for promotion results to be published?
A. No, keeping the current promotion timeline allows time for the faulty question query process and decreases the risk underutilizing promotion quotas. With promotion cut-off sometimes being so close, one-tenth of a point can make the difference, and the current timeline ensures fidelity in the results. Additionally, the timeline allows more promotion quotas to be allocated in-cycle and for more Airmen to be considered in-cycle.

Q. Can I test at my deployed location?
A. Airmen are not able to test at deployed locations and will be allowed to test upon their return.

Q. Who are the Test Control Officers and what are their responsibilities?
A. The role of TCOs at each base has not changed. These are the same personnel that previously administered the paper and pencil version and will administer the electronic version.

Q. Why then can PearsonVUE employees administer WAPS if they are not TCOs?
A. PearsonVUE and their personnel are held to the same testing requirements, security rules, and other requirements as established in policy. The tests will be administered by the PearsonVUE test administrators for those testing at a PearsonVUE testing center.

Q. What do Airmen need to do prior to test day?
A. Eligible Airmen for each promotion cycle will receive an email prior to their test date with instructions on how to create an account and register. The PearsonVUE username and password will be used for subsequent promotion cycles. If they do not receive an e-mail or they can’t find it, all eligible Airmen can go directly to the PearsonVUE website and create an account. Accounts can only be created through the PearsonVUE website after Jan. 30, 2024.

Q. What do they need on test day?
A. Airmen are required to arrive in uniform, punctually, and with their CAC. Additionally, it is now imperative for them to remember their created username and password. Lack of preparation, to include not having or knowing their username and password, will result in being marked as a no-show for testing. Airmen will have the option to retrieve their username by providing their name and email; and they will have the option to reset their password by responding to security questions they established during the account creation process.

Q. Where do Airmen go to test?
A. Most Airmen will be scheduled to test at their local education centers, however, partnering with PearsonVUE allows the opportunity to test at one of their centers, which could be within the local community. The Air Force is projecting less than 10% of Airmen each cycle will need to test at a PearsonVUE center.

Q. Do all Air Force installations have e-Testing capabilities? What about joint environments?
A. Currently, there are 78 base testing centers, and the objective is to have all 78 bases take part in a pilot test. This standardizes delivery of the test, provides practice in exam scheduling and test the efficiency of system processing and analytics.

Q. How is the Air Force ensuring test security and transmission of results?
A. e-Testing uses TLS 1.2 and FIPS 140-2 validated cryptography to protect the confidentiality and integrity of information during processing and transit. Additionally, the Air Force requires a DoD approved Authority to Operate which includes hundreds of security & cyber controls that are required to be met before go-live is permitted.

Q. Does the Air Force have the IT infrastructure to support this change?
A. The Air Force has contracted with PearsonVUE to deliver the promotion tests via their test administration software. PearsonVUE supports many testing programs throughout industry and academia worldwide. The Air Force has developed secure IT infrastructure for then transmitting the Airmen test results to AFPC for scoring. As a backup protocol, tests will be accomplished by paper if there are infrastructure issues or a lack of other test centers.

Q. How much did this cost?
A. The estimated cost for this transition Air Force-wide is $4.3M.

Q. Will tests still have Situational Judgment Test questions?
A. Yes, both cycles will continue to feature 20 Situational Judgment Test questions.