• The Testing Center is able to accommodate students with extended time or low-distraction accommodations.
• All other accommodations must be referred to the Exam Accommodation Center which is managed Student Accessibility Services, and not by the Testing Center.

• Third party exam providers are allowed as long as they are linked through Canvas and are verified by the instructor.
  • Instructors are responsible for ensuring their exam works as intended before an exam opens. Appointments can be scheduled by emailing testcenterhelp@iastate.edu. 
  • Access is currently granted to: Pearson, McGraw-Hill
• Students can access the following applications on Testing Center computers:
  • Microsoft Word
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Windows Calculator
  • Google Chrome (internet site access is extremely restricted)
• If your provider or application is not listed, please contact the Testing Center at testcenterhelp@iastate.edu several weeks prior to the start of a semester to determine if your application or provider can be added to the access list.

• Only high-stakes, summative assessments should be registered.
• Do not register reading quizzes or other low-stakes assessments or assignments.
• We do not proctor paper-based assessments.
• We do not proctor open book or open note exams.
• Assessments must be delivered through Canvas.

• The Testing Center has extended hours, additional locations, and primarily operates on a walk-up registration basis, with some limited pre-scheduled appointments available during Finals Week. Please visit our Finals Week page for more information.
• Instructors are highly encouraged to have their exam available the Saturday and Sunday before finals week.
• Finals week exam requests are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Exam requests may not be approved or Testing Center staff may request you to move the end date of your exam to balance capacity.
• Final exam requests must be submitted by the end of week 10. Exam requests submitted after week 10 will not be approved except for extenuating circumstances. If capacity has been reached by week 10, exam requests may be denied or placed on a waitlist.

• Students have access to the Windows calculator on Testing Center computers. This application is not blocked. The app provides the following options for users:
  • Calculators: Standard, Scientific, Graphing, Programmer, Date calculation
  • Converter: Currency, Volume, Length, Weight and mass, Temperature, Energy, Area, Speed, Time, Power, Data, Pressure, and Angle
• If you prohibit the use of calculators or limit to specific types of calculators, please consider using LockDown Browser.
• If calculators are allowed, students will need to bring their own, unless they plan to use the Windows calculator on the Testing Center computers. Any calculators brought in by a student are subject to inspection at check-in.
• If you prohibit the use of a calculator and a student brings in their own, they will be asked to place it in a locker or bag as they are not allowed to use it for the exam.
• The Testing Center does not provide students with physical calculators.

• If you wish to limit student’s ability to access items in Canvas (notes, presentations, previous assignments, etc.) during an assessment, we recommend using Respondus LockDown Browser.
• Instructors must add the LDB link to the Canvas course navigation page if using LDB for an exam.
• If you are allowing simple or scientific calculators, you must also enable this function in LDB settings.
• It is highly recommended that instructors verify their exam works correctly before an exam opens, especially if using images, links to external content, or other media. Please let us know at testcenterhelp@iastate.edu if you would like to verify an exam works appropriately.

• Multiple-attempt exams are capped at two attempts and students must have two separate appointments.
• Student notes are not allowed to leave the Testing Center. Please make sure students know to have two sets of notes prepared for both of their attempts.
• It is recommended that multiple attempt assessments use New Quizzes and have a one day waiting period enabled between attempts.
• The Testing Center is exploring the impact of multiple attempt assessments on capacity and may restrict multiple attempt exams in future terms.  Any changes will be communicated.

• Open note exams are not proctored by the Testing Center

• A maximum of 2 pages (front and back) of 8.5 x 11 notes are allowed. If instructors want to allow notes, they must specify how many pages and what type (handwritten, typed, or both), but cannot exceed the maximum set by the Testing Center. If type is not specified, the Testing Center will assume any type is permitted.
• Please note that the Testing Center does not allow any notes to leave the facility once a student has accessed their exam. Students will need a second set of notes for their second attempt or if a make-up or retest is granted.
• Notes are not allowed to be stapled, taped, or glued together.

• For assessments being taken in a Testing Center location, the use of IP filtering is required. This limits assessment access to a testing center terminal.
• For assessments being proctored outside of a Testing Center location, the use of a password is required. This password will be provided to a student’s approved proctor.

If a student is engaged in potential academic misconduct during the course of testing, the Testing Center staff will:

• Discuss observations made with the student
• Ask the student to discontinue the behavior
• Remove disallowed materials, if possible
• Submit a report to the instructor of the course

The student can continue their exam session unless they are in violation of the disruptive conduct section above and are dismissed.

Testing Center staff will notify the instructor of the alleged conduct via an incident report and will provide photo or video evidence when applicable. It is the instructor’s responsibility to engage with the student regarding academic misconduct or to file a report with the Office of Student Conduct. Testing Center staff do not make determinations of responsibility regarding academic misconduct.

Students are expected to be considerate to others and be mindful to keep noise and other distractions to a minimum. Students have an obligation to engage with others in a way that does not unreasonably disrupt the educational experiences of their fellow students. Conduct that unreasonably disrupts the ability for students to learn can be prohibited.

Disruptive conduct includes a single serious incident or persistent conduct that unreasonably interrupts, impedes, obstructs, and or interferes with the educational process. Disruptive conduct may be physical and/or expressive in nature and may occur in person or in a virtual setting. Examples may include but are not limited to:

• Using technology, such a phones or computers, without permission
• Creating loud or distracting noises either carelessly or with intent to disrupt
• Performing non-protected malicious, harassing, or bullying speech or actions directed at staff or students
• Demonstrating inappropriate physical contact or threats of inappropriate physical contact directed at staff or students
• Refusing to comply with a request for appropriate conduct

If staff suspect a student of misconduct, students will be approached, informed of the conduct witnessed, and asked to discontinue the behavior. The interaction will be logged for the faculty overseeing the course.  If the behavior persists, the student may be dismissed from a test center location for a particular testing session or for a defined length of time in appropriate cases.  Center staff may also close a test center and ask all students to leave and/or call ISU Police in serious or emergency situations.

Violations of the Student Code of Conduct or any university or Testing Center policy may be reported to the Office of Student Conduct, the instructor of the course, and/or other interested and relevant parties.

• Exam requests are submitted through RegisterBlast.
• Requests are approved on a 1st come, 1st served basis (this includes final exam requests).
  • Some exams may not be approved due to center capacity issues or non-conformity to the instructor use policies.
  • Instructors may be asked to move a requested time period to better align with testing center capacity.
  • The end date of an exam request is weighed heavily in determining capacity issues.
• Assessment length should be no longer than class length, unless otherwise arranged.
• Assessment length should be appropriate for the exam with no added time built in.
• Canvas settings information can be found on our Exam Settings website.
• Assessments must be uploaded or published and ready at least 2 business days before the assessment opens to allow Testing Center staff to complete a settings audit.
• Instructors will not have access to change information (except for student restrictions on pre-release and make-up exams) after an exam has been approved.  Any changes must be sent to testcenterhelp@iastate.edu and will be administratively adjusted.
• Sample syllabus statements are provided.

Exam Window

• Assessments must be open anywhere from 2-5 business days.
• Assessments must be open for the full business day (during Testing Center operating hours).