Taking Your NCCCO Written Exams at a Test Center: How TCT Works

Test Center Testing, or TCT, lets you take CCO written exams on a computer at a dedicated testing center instead of at home or at a training site. Here's how our students use it and what to watch for so you don't lose your exam fee.

What TCT is

TCT is one of the ways CCO delivers its written exams. You sit at a computer in a facility set up for secure testing, with an on-site proctor. CCO describes its network as nearly 600 testing centers. The exam itself is the same as in the other formats: same content, same platform, with load charts and a calculator provided on screen for exams that need them.

It is a good fit if your home internet is unreliable, you don't have a private room for online proctoring, or you simply focus better in a quiet, controlled room.

Applying and booking a seat

1. Create or log in to your myCCO account and submit your written exam application for the exams you need, for example the mobile crane core exam plus a specialty such as telescopic fixed cab or swing cab.
2. Wait for approval. CCO says approved candidates can schedule their test center appointment through myCCO, typically within about two business days of approval.
3. Pick a center and time. Choose the center that is easiest for you to reach, and pick a date near the end of your course, while load chart work is fresh.

Scheduling and rescheduling through the portal don't cost extra, and CCO allows you to switch a TCT booking to online proctored or event online testing without an added fee.

Rules that cost people their fees

CCO's policies are strict, and most problems are avoidable:

• Cancel early. If you need to cancel or reschedule, do it at least 48 hours before your appointment. Missing that window, or not showing up, forfeits the fee.
• Test within six months. Applications that aren't used within six months of submission expire and the fee is lost.
• Bring the right ID. A valid, unexpired, government-issued photo ID that shows your date of birth. The name should match your myCCO account.
• Arrive early. Check-in includes ID verification. Your confirmation tells you how early to show up; treat that as the latest you arrive.

Policies can change, so read the current candidate handbook and your confirmation email before test day.

Accommodations

If you need a testing accommodation for a documented condition, TCT is the route to know about: CCO offers accommodations at test center facilities. Supporting documentation has to reach CCO well in advance (CCO lists four weeks before the test date), so raise it at the very start of your course, not the week of the exam.

Getting ready for a test center exam

Practice in the format you'll test in. CCO offers an online demo of its exam platform; try it so the on-screen load charts and calculator aren't new on test day. Practice reading charts on a screen, which feels different from paper. During the exam you can usually move back and forth between questions, so answer what you know first and flag the rest.

Remember the written exam is half the picture. NCCCO requires you to pass the matching practical exam within 12 months of passing the written. Our yard in Seagoville is an NCCCO practical exam site, including the mobile crane fixed and swing cab practical.

How we prepare you

Our courses spend real classroom time on the material the written exams cover, especially load charts and deductions. Students who already operate and mainly need exam preparation often choose Mobile Crane Operations Fixed/Swing Cab 40 Hours. New operators usually take Mobile Crane Operations Fixed/Swing Cab 120 Hours. For extra seat time before the practical, you can book hourly practice time on our cranes.