In response to the current high demand for exam slots and feedback from both students and instructors, we have implemented several systemic changes at the PEF Testing Center. The goal of these changes is to make the registration process fairer, reduce unused reservations, and prevent speculation regarding exam slots.
Current situation: capacity at its limit
In some weeks, there is a significant increase in demand, typically toward the end of the exam period. For example, current projected demand is approximately 2,950 reservations per week, while capacity is about 3,350 seats.
The system therefore has sufficient capacity, but the problem arises from the uneven distribution of interest—most students register at the last minute.
Newly implemented measures
1) Blocked for failure to appear
Starting Monday, April 20, 2026, automatic blocking will be enabled:
- If a student fails to show up for a reserved appointment and does not provide an excuse,
- they will be unable to make new reservations for 48 hours after the restriction is imposed.
Any excuses must be submitted exclusively via the form included in the notification of suspension, and the PEF Testing Center does not set (or guarantee) a specific timeframe for their review. We will do our best to review them on an ongoing basis as our schedule permits.
The goal is to reduce the number of “reserved” seats that remain unused.
2) Cooldown period after canceling an appointment
The new rules are as follows:
- After canceling your registration for a test, you cannot immediately register for a different test date (you can re-register for the same test if slots are available—however, we recommend a safer method: changing the test date—see point 4 below),
- the system will enforce a waiting period (currently 10 minutes).
This measure is primarily aimed at preventing students from reserving test dates with the sole intention of holding a spot, without actually planning to take the test.
3) Delayed release of the deadline
Another major change:
- A released time slot does not reappear in the system immediately, but only after a random delay (which can be, for example, approximately 5–30 minutes).
This effectively eliminates the possibility of:
- the coordinated “transfer” of exam dates among students,
- as well as their potential resale.
4) Option to reschedule
The following feature has been added:
- Students can see available dates even if they already have a reservation,
- and can change their appointment directly without having to search elsewhere.
At the same time, the following applies:
- If the change fails (e.g., the spot is filled in the meantime),
- the student retains the original reservation.
Important clarification: “sale of slots”
In response to your suggestions, we would like to note the following:
- The TC system operates solely on the basis of currently available capacity;
- slots cannot be reserved for anyone or transferred.
Furthermore, the newly introduced measures (cooldown + delayed release) make these attempts practically impossible.
Other planned changes
In the future, the logic linking reservations in TC and the number of attempts in Moodle tests will also be adjusted to prevent situations where a student can register for a session even after exhausting their attempts.
Recommendations for Students
- Don’t wait until the last minute to make a reservation—we can only maintain sufficient capacity if reservations are made in a timely manner.
- Take advantage of the option to reschedule your reservation instead of canceling and rebooking.
- Please respect other people’s reservations—unused spots prevent others from booking.
These changes are based on actual operations and are intended to ensure the fairest and most efficient access to the Testing Center’s capacity for all students.
Thank you for your understanding.
On behalf of the TC FEM team
Václav Lohr
Head of Operations, TC FEM