Exam Soft malfunction during first and last 1L finals Forum

[melanne89]

So, my first final was a 4 hour, essay only Civ Pro exam. Around hour 2.5, Exam Soft froze and did not start working again. (I was using an HP Pavilion g4).

My school's policy does not allow us to try and fix Exam Soft, we just have to go straight to Blue Book, so I had to hand-write the last parts of the exam. Needless to say, it was a big sloppy mess and I didn't have enough time to get to the final 2 sub-parts (thankfully, the test was 3 Questions, each with about 4 sub-parts, so I'm hoping my analysis on the other parts will make up for my inability to finish the last part of the exam).

Because of this, I bought a new laptop for my final 2 exams. My 2nd exam was 3 hours and all was fine. My 3rd exam was a 4 hour exam, in which Exam Soft was running all 4 hours. Though I had a new laptop (a gateway), Exam Soft started malfunctioning again around hour 3.5. It did not freeze, but the typing was EXTREMELY delayed and the spacing wouldn't work correctly, so I spent roughly 15 minutes just trying to make the rest of my answer legible with all of the problems I was having. I answered all of the questions, but definitely not as in-depth as I would have, had Exam Soft worked correctly.

Now, finals are over and I am desperate for a laptop that will not malfunction during 4-hour Exam Soft usage. I am even willing to spend the big bucks (which I don't really have) to get a Mac, if that's what will work best with Exam Soft.

Has anyone ever had these experiences? Also, what are people's opinions about getting a Mac? After my HP and a brand new Gateway both crapped out on me, I'm very inclined to avoid these brands at all costs.

[Blessedassurance]

Stay away from HP. My worst computer experience has been with HP stuff. They are built to fail.

You don't need a mac unless you really want one. Lenovo makes pretty good stuff for a fraction of the cost.

[094320]

..

[Blessedassurance]

Stay away from HP. My worst computer experience has been with HP stuff. They are built to fail.

I don't actually have experience with your predicament but you should contact your school's registrar.

I hear about a lot of probs with HP and Gateway computers, though I've never owned one (only Toshiba and Sony computers for me).

I had a relatively cheap Toshiba that served me well. In fact it still works (bought it in 2007) but the battery went out etc. So it gave me the impression that all computers could do the job. Then I bought a relatively cheap HP which lasted all of like one year. Started overheating about 3 months after I bought it. Absolutely horrible experience. It has too many problems to list. Completely died at the beginning of this semester. I've got a Lenovo now, and I am really pleased with it so far. I think HP is probably the crappiest computer out there, especially the Compaq stuff.

[Bronck]

Stay away from HP . . . They are built to fail.

This is pretty much the truth.

I use Lenovo and it's worked great for me. No need to shell out money for a Mac when it costs more and doesn't do anything more.

[suralin]

Stay away from HP . . . They are built to fail.

This is pretty much the truth.

I use Lenovo and it's worked great for me. No need to shell out money for a Mac when it costs more and doesn't do anything more.

[eandy]

I've had my Dell Studio for about four years and it is still running fine. I had to replace the wireless card a few months ago, but it only cost $3 to get a new one and put it in. The Dell Inspiron I had before that I had for four years. My sister uses it now and it is still going strong (so it's about 8 years old).

[Lasers]

Stay away from HP. My worst computer experience has been with HP stuff. They are built to fail.

You don't need a mac unless you really want one. Lenovo makes pretty good stuff for a fraction of the cost.

this.

it's been mentioned a few times already, but HP is trash. i got an HP laptop for undergrad and it literally started breaking down within a year. fuck HP.

i got a toshiba for law school, works very well going on almost 2 years. i would have gotten a thinkpad, but it was a bit pricey and i was looking for a more affordable option solely for law school.

[nycwm]

I've used an Asus for 3 semesters of exams and never had an issue (as have several people I know).

I have a very basic model comparable to these:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+15.6 ... Id=6999314

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+K-Se ... Id=6940249

Good luck. That's a tough break for first semester exams.

[3|ink]

So glad I don't have to deal with that shitty program anymore. My school just uses word.

[2014]

Anecdotally no one I know with a Mac or Lenovo had exam soft issues

[Gorki]

While the discussion of new comps in here is useful, OP please keep in mind almost all exam software is pure shit. I mean you are giving third party wares the ability to take over your OS and manage a ton of applications and programs... No single computer is "superior" for running these slop-quality "programs." Just avoid comps that are overall turds.


EDIT: Maybe a Mac is more conducive, but honestly we are talking a program that locks up your OS and lets you use a terribly designed version of MS Word. We are not throttle-clocking a brand new AAA computer game, or designing a complex multimedia project... Up selling a PC to take LS exams is a really really bad and see-through gimmick.

[uvabro]

patently unfair. sorry bro. money shouldn't give u an advantage but once ur committing 3 yrs to hell, u might as well get the best computer to make sure u get the most bang for ur hell.

[Shammis]

Previous Macbook Pro lasted me 5 years

This one is on year 3...HTH

[thesealocust]

There is an extremely small chance either of the problems you had were because of your laptop's hardware. They are probably operating system or software issues.

Any given problem with ExamSoft is more likely to be related to software/exam soft/OS than the computer. The fact that you then bought a new computer and still had trouble makes it all but certain that it wasn't the fault of the computer's hardware.

A much better option would be reinstalling windows "fresh" and without any of the crap that comes with new computers.

[suralin]

There is an extremely small chance either of the problems you had were because of your laptop's hardware. They are probably operating system or software issues.

Any given problem with ExamSoft is more likely to be related to software/exam soft/OS than the computer. The fact that you then bought a new computer and still had trouble makes it all but certain that it wasn't the fault of the computer's hardware.

A much better option would be reinstalling windows "fresh" and without any of the crap that comes with new computers.

[arae13]

Same exact thing happened to me. ExamSoft was stupid and laggy during my Torts final, but no major problems. During CivPro, I was about 20 minutes into the very time-intensive exam and the software started lagging horribly (to the point where it took 2 minutes for 2 senteneces to show up) and finally it froze, forcing me to to handwrite the rest of the exam....13 chicken-scratch pages of handwritten IRAC. I managed to finish, but know it wasn't nearly as organized or clear as it could have been if I was able to finish with my laptop.

ExamSoft blows. I'm considering handwriting future exams so I never have to deal with the horror of software not responding during a final again.

[LazinessPerSe]

So glad I don't have to deal with that shitty program anymore. My school just uses word.

+1.. I was confused and scared at the same time, dropped into a world where the Honor Code actually meant something. I can only imagine the look of shock on my face when a fellow 2L casually explained that I could take the exam in Word anywhere I wanted. I walked back to my apartment, exam in hand, and took that mfer in pajamas; like a boss.

[Chromakey]

I can second the recommendation on the ASUS laptops. Bought mine from Best Buy two years ago and it's worked great.

But I also agree with those that have already pointed out that it was likely a software problem with ExamSoft. There were similar horror stories at my school this semester. It seemed like many of the people that had problems had other programs open when they launched ExamSoft.

I made sure to reboot my computer right before each exam and didn't open any other programs before launching ExamSoft. I also disabled my computer's hibernating mode and automatic updates. I can't say this will completely solve your problems, but I didn't have any issues with ExamSoft by doing the above.

Really sorry you had such a horrible experience. Finals are enough of a torture without computer problems

[pifhib2]

The plural of anecdote is not data.

Asus -> Toshiba -> Sony -> Apple -> Dell -> Lenovo -> Acer -> Gateway -> HP

Source

[suralin]

The plural of anecdote is not data.

Asus -> Toshiba -> Sony -> Apple -> Dell -> Lenovo -> Acer -> Gateway -> HP

Source

Irony galore.

[jess]

.

[pifhib2]

The plural of anecdote is not data.

Asus -> Toshiba -> Sony -> Apple -> Dell -> Lenovo -> Acer -> Gateway -> HP

Source

Irony galore.

I'd take a sample size of 30k over the experiences of a few random law students any day.

[laxbrah420]

All pc companies do is design the outside. Intel makes the chips and a handful make the mobos/hard drives/memory (but the companies all contract with all of them). For the most part Foxconn assembles these. Heat is the enemy in all of these so a shitty design could fuck you up, but it's mostly luck. Just cross your fingers and don't leave it on your bed or the rug. Or buy a Mac
Hope that helps, vote for laxbrah420

[Nova]

Fuck Exam Soft

and

Fuck policies that dont have back up computers readily available.