CBT Direct FAQ

CBT Direct's Frequently asked questions

The following are general questions frequently asked about CBT Direct’s products and online courses, taking certification exams, online mentoring, your customer account, accessing your training courses and more.

Our FAQs are divided into two sections for easy access to questions specific to your industry. The section listed first is Information Technology and Business Online Courses. To view the second section, click Medical and Automotive Courses.

Information Technology and Business Courses

Question: I receive the error message, “SkillPort has not finished initializing your desktop settings.” What does this mean?
Answer: You will need to update the Microsoft Virtual Machine on your personal computer. To download Java please go to ftp://cbtdirect.com/java/jre-6-windows-i586.exe and follow the prompts to install on your PC.

Question: How do I access my training?
Answer: Login to your training at http://cbtdirect.skillport.com/skillportfe/login/login.cfm Enter your login and password. After signing in, click on the “Catalogue” link located at the top of the Online Community page to see your course modules.

Question: Can I study offline?
Answer: You can study on another PC or laptop as long as you have an internet connection to initially download the course modules. First, install the SkillPort Course Manager (SCM) to your computer: http://library.skillport.com/scm/35SCP6scmdl/web/ClientDownload.htm When you download the course modules, they are loaded typically into the C:\Program Files\skillsoft\client\cbtlib directory. Your course will run normally offline. Progress of each module, test results and updates will be transferred when you next go online to the course.

Question: How do I take my official certification exam?
Answer: Exams can be taken at the exam centers which you can locate at the following links:
http://www.certiport.com/ (for MOS only)
http://www.prometric.com (Microsoft Only)
http://www.vue.com (Cisco Only)

Question: How much do the exams cost?
Answer: The exam costs vary. And are based on pricing from the vendor. However, there are a many promotions from the vendors (such as Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA, etc.), the Prometric and VUE web sites and from the exam centers themselves where discounts and offers reduce your exam fees.

Question: Why is there a fee for the exams?
Answer: The fee associated with the exam is paid to the testing center for administering the tests. This is common with all career certifications including degrees and college certifications. While training in one place, the exam fee is typically separate which gives you the choice as to where and when you sit your exams. But with colleges and universities the exams are usually presumed to be taken at the same place as the classrooms. With true Distance Learning the advantage is that you can study at home or work and take the exams where you want, when you want rather than being tied into term times and locations. When you know you are fully prepared, you can literally book an exam locally to you today and sit the exam tomorrow! No more cramming or panicking as exams loom!

Question: How do I go about registering for and scheduling my exam?
Answer: You will need to register for your exam with the appropriate testing center and arrange a date to attend. It can be as soon as the following day!
http://www.certiport.com/ (for MOS only)
http://www.prometric.com (Microsoft Only)
http://www.vue.com (Cisco Only)

Question: What is the Pass Guarantee? What does it mean really?
Answer: please review the warranties at the link below for the terms on your specific package. Imagine attending a college or university that offers to refund your tuition if you fail your finals! For details of our Pass Guarantee and full Terms and Conditions visit CBT Direct's Guarantee Page.

Question: What can I do if I need help and support with the training?
Answer: Your main point of contact for training support is your Mentor. They can be contacted 24/7 365 days a year by entering the Mentoring chat room where you can “speak” live with a qualified Mentor. You may also simply respond to one of your daily emails sent by your Mentor with any questions or assistance.

Question: Can I speak with a real person if I need help with the course?
Answer: From experience, we know that the best and most efficient way of getting help and support with your training program is by entering the Mentor chat room where you have one to one contact live with a trained and qualified Mentor in the subject matter your are studying. Following years of experience in supporting Students, we have found that this method far surpasses old fashioned telephone support, where questions may not be understood initially, and replies may not written down correctly by the Student. Telephone support fails in many major, proven aspects of training. By having trained and certified professionals available 24/7 365 days a year, your questions are answered speedily and with clarity as we have to write our answers – and not give a glib answer over the telephone! We can ask any further questions which need to be confirmed and respond fully which helps resolve any queries quickly and effectively – first time! Note – Mentors are available for training support only.

Question: How do I access the online Mentoring?
Answer: For information on accessing and utilizing the Mentoring feature, please review the “Access Mentoring Info” link on the left side under Shortcuts at the Online courseware portal.

Question: I am having difficulty understanding a word, term, or skill set in my training. Who can I turn to?
Answer: You may email your Mentor directly or you may go into the Mentor chat room for assistance. As an alternative, the majority of our training includes Selectware which is an invaluable resource for study support.

Question: How long will my course take and how many hours per week should I study?
Answer: Your course curriculum page at our web site lists the Course Duration and the Typical Study Hours. The minimum weekly study time we would recommend is 10 hours per week. This should be spread throughout the week rather than all at once in a day! When you access a course module you will be able to see the Typical Study Hours of that particular module, so you can set a target to complete that module in one study session or more.

Question: I need a break in my studies. Can I delay my course?
Answer: The Course Duration begins from the date of course activation. This is typically one year on most of our training programs. Once your course is activated, it is not possible to postpone or delay the course. However, you are able to download course modules to your computer which will allow you to continue studying after the Course Duration has been completed. One area of your training which can be altered (time wise) is Mentoring. For instructions on altering the speed in which your daily Mentoring emails are sent, go to “Access Mentoring Info” link on the left side under Shortcuts at the Online Virtual University.

Question: I am experiencing technical difficulties launching and/or downloading the course. How do I get help?
Answer: You can also find information at Technical Support FAQ in your Online Virtual University. Most issues are easily resolved by visiting the Technical FAQ or call us directly at 800-313-1630 for assistance.

Question: I have forgotten my login information to access the site. How can I obtain that?
Answer: Simply contact support@cbtdirect.com quoting your Invoice Number and we will inform you of your password. The Login page can be found at http://cbtdirect.skillport.com/skillportfe/login/login.cfm.

Question: Why are my scores and bookmarks not being saved when I have finished a course module and go back to it?
Answer: Is it probable that you have not exited the course properly. Do not click on the top right hand [X] as this closes the course without saving. Always use the Exit button.

Question: When I click the Install Now button for Shockwave, a box appears asking if I want to run an ActiveX control on the page. Whether I click yes or I close the box, either way I always get the error message that IE has encountered and error and needs to close. Is there anything you can suggest?
Answer: This is a common problem. By default, Internet Explorer prohibits downloading and running unsigned ActiveX controls on your computer for security purposes. It's just a matter of relaxing the security settings. To do this, in Internet Explorer, go to View (or Tools) » Internet Options » Security » Trusted Sites » Select Sites and enter the URL from which you are downloading.

Deselect the "Require server verification (https:)" box, if the message "Sites must use https message" pops up.

Select OK to return to the Internet Options, and make sure that the Trusted Sites security level is set to "Low".

If you do not see the slide bar for the level, click the Default Level button.

It could also be your security settings on antivirus, spam or firewall software so the same sort of information applies.

Question: Why am I being asked to install the SCM when attempting to download the course, even though I have previously done this?
Answer: This indicates that SkillPort was unable to detect if your PC has the SkillSoft Course Manager (SCM) installed. This is usually caused by the use of pop-up blocker software, Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection permissions or an unsupported Java Run Time Environment (JRE).

Try disabling your pop-up software tool, check the permissions on your VPN connection or find out if the version of the JRE you are running is supported.

This problem may also occur if the SkillSoft CLASS file has not been written to the appropriate locations within the Java folder on your PC. Search for the files "__skillsoftLoaded.class" and "__skillsoftLoaded.jar" on your PC. If you do not find more than one instance of each file then it is advised that you contact CBT Direct Support for assistance.

Question: I am trying to study offline, but the SCM will not let me enter my password. Can I study offline?
Answer: The SCM will try to “call home” as long as you have a physical internet connection. Simply unplug or turn off your internet connection. For example, unplug the Ethernet cable, turn off your wireless network interface card, or unplug the RJ11 phone modem connection.

The following is the section for Medical and Automotive Online Courses. To view the first section, click Information Technology and Business Courses.

Medical and Automotive Courses

Question: Why can’t I click in the box to enter my username and password a the login page?
Answer: You will need to install a version of Java to access the website. Click the following link to download the java plug-in so you are able to login to the website ftp://cbtdirect.com/java/jre-6-windows-i586.exe.

Question: How do I access my training?
Answer: Login to your training at http://www.interactlearning.net/home, enter your login and password. After signing in, Please select the first course “my courses” header to begin your training.

Question: Can I study my course from multiple computers?
Answer: Yes. Your Software is licensed to you not the machine you are accessing it from. This being the case you can study from work, home or even a friends computer if you have an active internet connection you can study from anywhere at anytime.

Question: How do I take my official certification exam?
Answer: Exams can be taken at the exam centers which you can locate at the following links:
www.ahima.org (Medical Coding)
www.americanccb.org (Medical Billing)
www.ahdionline.org (Medical Transcription)
www.ase.com (Automotive)

Question: How much do the exams cost?
Answer: The exam costs vary and are based on pricing from the vendor:

The medical coding current test registration fee is $255.00
The Fee for medical billing the current fee is $110.00
The Medical Transcription fees are - $195 for AHDI members, $275 for the non-member

Fees for automotive testing Is as follows:

Registration Fee $70 per test administration period (Winter or Summer)
Test Fee $37 per test

Question: Why is there a fee for the exams?
Answer: The fee associated with the exam is paid to the testing centre for administering the tests. This is common with all career certifications including degrees and college certifications.

While training in one place, the exam fee is typically separate which gives you the choice as to where and when you sit your exams. But with colleges and universities the exams are usually presumed to be taken at the same place as the classrooms.

With true Distance Learning the advantage is that you can study at home or work and take the exams where you want, when you want rather than being tied into term times and locations. When you know you are fully prepared, you can literally book an exam locally to you today and sit the exam tomorrow! No more cramming or panicking as exams loom!

Question: How do I go about registering for and scheduling my exam?
Answer: You will need to register for your exam with the appropriate testing center and arrange a date to attend.
www.ahima.org (Medical Coding)
www.americanccb.org (Medical Billing)
www.ase.com (Automotive)

Question: What can I do if I need help and support with the training?
Answer: Your main point of contact for training support is our support division which can be contacted at 1-800-313-1630, Monday thru Friday 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM EST.

Question: I am having difficulty understanding a word, term, or skill set in my training. Who can I turn to?
Answer: if you are working in the medical training there is a link in the lower right had corner of your course that looks like a open book. Click this link to find a summary of terms.

If you working on the Auto course: in the upper right hand corner of the page there is a “G” button for glossary that is fully searchable for terms in the course.

Question: I need a break in my studies. Can I delay my course?
Answer: The Course Duration begins from the date of course activation. This is typically two years on most of our training programs. Once your course is activated, it is not possible to postpone or delay the course.

Question: I am experiencing technical difficulties launching the course. How do I get help?
Answer: Most issues are easily resolved by visiting the Technical Support FAQ or you can contact us directly at 1-800-313-1630 for assistance.