🔐 IT DEPARTMENTS LOVE BLOCKING GOOGLE LINKS (And I love my sanity) so... If you cannot open the Drive folder, Google Form, or this very page, your organization may be blocking:

• Google Drive

• Google Forms

• Google Sites

• Google Meet

• Sometimes all of Google 😅

Please ask your IT department to whitelist Google links so you can access your student materials.

If you don’t, you and I will spend several days in the same conversation:

You: “It says error.”

Me: “It works on my end.”

You: “Still error.”

Me: “Did you talk to IT?”

You: “Oh.” 😂

✔ 1. Figure out your enrollment type 

• Renewal Student

 • Exam Student

(If you're not sure Email or text me and I'll tell you :)

✔ 2. Read the instructions for your enrollment type

✔ 3. Download your Student Guide 

Link in the Resources section

✔ 4. Make sure you can log into your IMSA Profile (below)

Everything—results, certificates, applications—lives there.

✔ 5. Sign the Class Roster on Day 1

Just once. One signature. Believe in yourself.

✔ 6. If a link “doesn’t work,” don’t panic — check the IT section below first

Trust me… 90% of the time it’s not the link 😄

🔵 1. Access Your IMSA Profile

• Go to https://www.imsasafety.org

• Click Your Account → Check Here First

• Search your First + Last Name ONLY (Do Not Put Your Email or Company - TRUST ME :)

  1. • If you don't find yourself - DO NOT create a new profile!! Email or text me!

     • If your email is wrong → Email or text me :)

• Reset password (make sure you click the correct reset link)

• Save username + password

🔵 2. Download Your Student Guide

• Link in Resources below. Each program has its own guide inside its program drive folder.

🔵 3. Certificate Application (ALL Exam & Retests)

• Click the Cert Application D&R button in your IMSA Profile

• Click the + symbol near the arrow up button

• Fill out the application (On employment history, not your resume! Think less is more :)

  • • New certs → select Seminar

    • Retests → select Retake

• Click save when application is complete

• Check the Declaration & Release box

• Click Save at the bottom of the page (or nothing will work)

NOTE: You do NOT need to print or send anything. Checking the box is enough.

🔵 4. Work Zone Equivalent (Level 1 New Certifications ONLY)

In your IMSA profile, under “My Certification Record” if you don’t see a Work Zone or Work Zone Equivalent :

1. Scroll down and Click Work Zone Equivalent

2. Enter the requested info

3. Upload your work zone certificate in PDF FORMAT (very important)

4. Submit

Florida students: Upload FDOT Intermediate TTC or higher.

IMSA reviews uploads once per week — don’t panic if it doesn’t appear in your certificate record immediately.

🔵 5. Online Exam Requirements (IMSA's Integrity Advocate System)

• Chrome, Edge, or Safari ONLY

• Integrated camera is best

• No headphones

• No phones

• No notes

• No getting up

• No off-screen reading

• No wandering cats, spouses, coworkers, toddlers, or raccoons

If IA throws red warnings: Whatever you were doing… stop doing it 😄

If it can’t read your ID: Send Stacey a photo — we’ll handle it.

🔵 6. SUPER IMPORTANT FOR ALL LEVEL 1 STUDENTS

At NOON on exam day, scroll down to Work Zone Equivalent in your course home and click the video link.

• You don’t have to watch it. We already showed you how to upload your Work Zone and that's all that video is about 😊

• Just play it - Or fast-forward it 😁

The exam won’t display until you watch that video!!

🔵 7. Exam Timing

• Your exam window is from noon until midnight on the second day of your program.

• You get 3 hours once you begin

• All IMSA exams are 100 questions

• Closed book (and they've always been that way despite what your buddy Bob said 😂)

🔵 8. After Your Exam

• Results take 2–8 weeks

• Posted in your IMSA Profile → My Courses → Completed Online Courses

• Certificates take up to 8 weeks

• IMSA does not mail hard copies

And most importantly:

🛑 RETEST STUDENTS MUST EMAIL:

dmontes@imsasafety.org or your exam will sit ungraded forever in exam limbo.

Full PDF with images & screenshots is available in the Resources section.

If you actually reviewed and followed these instructions, got through all of it, and are prepared for your program - kudos to you 👏🥳🎈 Click here to let me know you finished 😊

🚨 EXAM STUDENTS – TROUBLESHOOTING & HELP

If something isn’t working, DON"T PANIC — here’s your quick, sanity-saving checklist.

❌ 1. FIREFOX Users — I love you, but…

• FIREFOX does NOT consistently play nicely with the Integrity Advocate system.

• Use Chrome or Edge for your exam.

• Firefox is allowed for CLASS, but not for testing.

⚠️ 2. “Missing Information” Button Won't Go Away

This means one of the following:

✔ You missed something in your Certificate Application (didn't hit save in Cert App window or didn't hit save at bottom of Cert Application D&R Page

OR

✔ You have more than one program scheduled and you need to complete a Cert App for each one.

To fix it:

1. Scroll to Missing Certification Application

2. Look at which certificate app you still owe

3. Complete it

4. Then go back to My Courses → View My Courses
   
   

🔒 3. “View My Courses” Clicks… but Nothing Happens

This is NOT IMSA being dramatic. It’s your pop-up blocker.

👉 You must disable pop-ups for IMSA’s site.

Here’s how:

Chrome

1. Click the three dots at the top of your browser

2. Select Settings

3. Use the Search bar at the top of your setting window to search for Pop-Ups

4. Change to Allow 

5. Refresh the page
   
   

Edge

1. Click the lock icon next to the URL

2. Choose Permissions for this site

3. Scroll to Pop-ups and redirects

4. Set to Allow

5. Refresh
   
   

Safari (Mac)

(NOT recommended for the exam but here are steps anyway)

1. Safari → Settings

2. Click Websites

3. Click Pop-Up Windows

4. Find imsasafety.org

5. Change to Allow
   
   

After you do this, click View My Courses again and it should open immediately.

🎬 4. Exam Won’t Show in My Courses

Most common reason:

✔ You did NOT play the Work Zone Equivalent video. (This is in your course home at NOON on exam day.)

Just click play — you can fast-forward it. The exam unlocks once the system sees it was played.

🆔 5. Integrity Advocate Can’t Read Your ID

Totally normal. Happens all the time.

👉 Just email me a photo of your ID. I will get it cleared with IMSA. 

Then: Ignore all future IA alerts about your ID. If I cleared it, it’s cleared 😁

📸 6. Camera Errors

YOUR CAMERA MUST BE ACTIVE DURING THE ENTIRETY OF YOUR EXAM OR IMSA WILL ISSUE AN AUTOMATIC FAIL!

If you don't see a small window displaying your camera view, something is wrong!!

• Your camera might be used by another app

• Close ALL other tabs/apps

  • External cameras sometimes cause issues with IA

• Integrated cameras behave best

  • If your camera window is BLACK → switch devices

If those things don't fix your camera issue, you're going to need a level of IT support that we can't provide. 

📡 7. Technical Issues During the Exam

If any of the following things happen:

• Lose Wi-Fi

• Lose power

• Your screen freezes

• Your exam crashes

• Integrity Advocate explodes

• Your dog unplugs the router

• A squirrel chews a powerline

👉 TEXT ME IMMEDIATELY. This gives us a paper trail to get things resolved. Do NOT wait until after the exam window closes.

📧 8. Retest Students — PLEASE READ

You MUST email: dmontes@imsasafety.org …after you finish your exam or it will NOT get graded.

Yes, this is the third reminder. Yes, you still need it. 😄

📵 9. IA Flags You for “Suspicious Activity”

Integrity Advocate takes screenshots when it thinks you're doing something odd.

This does NOT mean you failed. It just means:

• Sit still

• Stay centered in the frame

• Stop looking off to the side

• Don’t talk to anyone

• Don’t babysit your cat/dog/children during the exam

• A human review the screenshots and as long as you weren't doing something shady - it will be fine 😊
  
  

If IA gives you alerts: adjust and carry on 😁

🧪 11. If Anything Freezes or Boots You Out

Stay calm. That happens from time to time.

Just log back in. If it won't log you back in from where you are, close all your windows, and then log back in :)

🧍 12. “Can I get up?”

• No. 

• No you cannot. 

• Stay seated until the exam is complete.

🧡 EXAM SURVIVAL SUMMARY

• If anything goes wrong during the exam → TEXT ME.

• If the exam doesn’t appear → play the video.

• If My Courses won’t open → pop-ups.

• If IA hates your ID → send it to me.

• If Safari is involved → stop using Safari.

• If “Missing Information” appears → finish your Cert Apps.

You've got this ❤️

Good news: No exam 😁 Just 16 hours with us - no snoring please 😊🙏

You attend both days, and you’re released early on Day 2 before the exam review.

🔶 1. Access Your IMSA Profile

• Go to https://www.imsasafety.org

• Click Your Account → Check Here First

• Search your First + Last Name ONLY (Do Not Put Your Email or Company - TRUST ME :)

  1. • If you don't find yourself - DO NOT create a new profile!! Email or text me!

     • If your email is wrong → Email or text me :)

• Reset password (make sure you click the correct reset link)

• Save username + password

🔶 2. Complete Your Renewal Form

• Must be completed within 2 business days: https://forms.gle/8MmzNdvPMGB9GvBo6

👉 PLEASE list the certification(s) you are renewing, not the program you attended.

If you’re unsure what’s active → email Stacey. I’d much rather fix it now than fix it later 😄

🔶 3. Fees

You do NOT pay the fee. APA pays your renewal to IMSA International.

⚠️ However… If you send any paperwork directly to IMSA instead of me, I will assume you wanted to pay it yourself 😄

🔶 4. After Your Renewal

You will receive an email that looks like an invoice - IT IS NOT AN INVOICE! Please don't email me all disgruntled thinking you have to pay something else. Read the thing that look like an invoice first. I already paid it for you 😊

That invoice looking document confirms that Stacey paid your fee: “Name on Card: Stacey Mueller” (that's me :)

Certificates take up to 8 weeks to finalize.

Download them from your IMSA profile when ready.

Full Renewal PDF is in the Resources section.

🔔 If you cannot open a link… it’s probably not broken. It’s your IT department.

Many organizations block:

• Google Drive

• Google Forms

• Google Sites

• Google Meet

Anything that looks like a cloud-based tool 🥺

So before assuming the link is bad:

✔ Please ask your IT team to whitelist Google links.

Otherwise, we will spend several days exchanging the same messages:

You: “It says access denied.”

Me: “It works on my end.”

You: “Still not working.”

Me: “Did you talk to IT?”

You: “…Oh.” 😂

📍 Location Notes

Yes, it looks like a storage facility at first glance 😁

• No, your class is NOT in a garage bay 😂

• The classrooms are in the business park portion on the right

• They’re actually pretty nice inside (if I do say so myself)

💻 Devices

• Bring your own device for the exam whenever possible 🙏😊

• Loaners available if necessary, but we have found that familiar devices = calmer test time 😊

🚗 Parking

• We have plenty of parking, but please try to avoid parking directly in front of active suite entrances whenever possible

• Big trucks to the back - especially ones with buckets

• The spot directly in front of the door with my fancy graphics is mine 😄

📁 Student Drive Folder (Program Materials)

Contains your Student Guide + PDFs.

📘 Exam Students 2025 Instructions (PDF)

Exam Students 2025

📘 Renewal Students 2025 Instructions (PDF)

Renewal Students 2025

📝 Sign Class Roster (Day 1 Only)

https://forms.gle/oVmpoUZBRxkiReTL9

Video Instructions

https://aboutphaseacademyllc.arlo.co/w/privateevent/

📚 IMSA Prerequisites - Verify You Meet Prerequisites

Catalog

If you made it this far, you’re already ahead of 95% of students.

We’re excited to have you with us! 🥳