Testing Center

Students no longer need to fill out an appointment request. However, they will still be responsible for communicating their needs for usage of the testing center with faculty.

The Testing Center is primarily used for students with approved accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services. Students are responsible for following all processes needed by this office, including getting their accommodations signed and approved by each of their professors. The Testing Center can also be used to reschedule a makeup exam, with approval from the professor. In either of these circumstances, students must clearly communicate with their professor their need or desire for the test. The Testing Center will not allow a student to take a test without clear indication and approval from the professor of the exam.

For any appointment, a student is required to bring the following items:

• Photo ID
• Belmont ID
• Pen and #2 Pencil (for Scantron exams)
• Laptop (for online exams)
• Other materials as instructed/approved by your professor (e.g., calculator, Blue Book, or notes for an open-notes test)

Please note that pictures of identification will not be allowed. Scratch paper will be provided by the testing center. Be aware that you will only be allowed to bring in items for your exam into the Testing Center space, all other items will be placed in appropriate storage outside the Testing Center space.

For an appointment with the testing center, your professor will need to have filled out a form for you to deliver to the Testing Center when you show up for your appointment (or provided all relevant information on a note to be delivered). For pencil/paper tests, professors also need to send the test to the Testing Center before 7:30 AM the day of the test so that we can have that prepared for you. Please contact your professor in advance of exams to ensure smooth operation for your test.

When you are ready for your appointment, all you need to do is show up with the Testing Information form provided by your professor to the Testing Center, which is located outside the chapel on the ground floor of the Janet Ayers Academic Center. You will then check-in with a proctor and desk assistant, who will confirm your appointment, and sign into the center at the kiosk provided. You will also be asked to acknowledge the rules of the Testing Center (see Testing Center Policies). Here your 2 forms of ID will be checked, and you will hand over your cell phone to be held onto until your exam is complete (unless otherwise specified in your accommodations). NOTE: if you do not have your cell phone, you will be asked to fill out a secondary form stating as such. If you are then caught with a cell phone, your professor will be notified AND you will be referred to the Academic Misconduct Committee by the Testing Center.

Students will only be let into the center on the :15 and :45 minute mark of every hour. You are encouraged to arrive at least 5 minutes before your time to ensure a smooth check-in process. If you have an online exam, please make sure to sign into Canvas before entering the room (to avoid any issues with 2-Factor Authentication). Once you are in, please show your ID to the proctor in the space to receive your exam (or access code if it is online). After that, please find a seat (preferably not adjacent to another student). Please enter and get situated with as little noise as possible so as not to disturb other test takers.

If you have any questions during your exam, please raise your hand and allow the proctor to come to you. Please note that the proctor will not answer any questions about the content of the exam. They will only be able to assist with getting you access to your exam. If you are having problems with accessing the exam, let the proctor know and they will attempt to contact your professor. Once your exam is complete, if you have a paper exam, please place the paper inside the envelope and hand to the proctor at the front of the room. If you have an online exam, make sure to show the proctor your screen to show that it has been submitted before leaving the space. After leaving, please check-out at our kiosk, at which time the proctor/desk assistant will return your phone, and you can gather your belongings.

Faculty are now responsible for filling out information concerning a student’s exam by using the form provided or by providing similar information on a note directly from you. Students are still responsible for conversing need for the Testing Center with you in advance to any examinations. The Testing Center will not schedule any exam for a student where there is not clear approval by the corresponding faculty member.

Information that the Testing Center needs from the faculty member:

1. Name of student
2. Name of professor
3. Professor email
4. Location of professor’s department
5. Format of exam
6. Normal time for exam
7. Accommodations needed
8. Materials allowed for exam
9. Any passcodes / exam OR note that it has been emailed to the Testing Center already
10. Any other special needs / notes

Professors can also print and fill out the following form for ease: 

Testing Information Sheet

In terms of delivering the actual exams to us to administer, there are several options:

For online exams:

1. Professors can email the Testing Center directly (testing.center@belmont.edu) with any relevant passcodes
2. Professors may provide the passcode with the form that the student brings to the testing center.

For paper/pencil exams:

1. Professors may email us before 7:30 the day that the student is supposed to take the exam, with an approximate timeframe that the student is supposed to take the exam
2. Professors may have the students bring the exam with them. We encourage professors to place the test in a sealed manila folder.

Professors will no longer receive confirmation from the Testing Center immediately upon student completion. However, we will deliver paper/pencil tests to your department. This will be done twice a day, during the 9:00 hour and the 4:00 hour. For any particular questions about a student’s exam, you can contact Brandon Stephens (brandon.stephens@belmont.edu).

This survey is designed for private proctoring requests. Private proctoring is only allowed for those with at least one of the following accommodations: 

The Testing Center arranges alternate test times with a graduate assistant proctor. Here are the exams we can and cannot administer this semester:

To use the Testing Center:

1. We encourage you to have students directly submit their scheduling requests to the Testing Center. (See suggested syllabus language below.) Students are instructed to discuss pre-approval for all make-ups with you first, and no exams will be scheduled without your explicit approval.
2. The Testing Center cannot accommodate requests for appointments given less than a week from required dates. Any requests made without a week's notice will be denied.
3. When an appointment request is made, you will receive an email from a Testing Center representative with a copy of what the student has requested (time allotted for test, materials permitted, accommodations, date of the appointment, etc.). You will be able to confirm or adjust these requested parameters.
4. Once an appointment is confirmed, the assigned proctor will contact you for access to test materials. If the exam is paper/pencil, we will request an emailed copy of the exam for us to print out. If the exam is online, we encourage you to adjust Test Availability for the student (Availability Instructions), and setting an Access Code (Access Instructions) you provide to the proctor to give the student access at the testing appointment.
5. Paper Exams- The Testing Center will print out your test for the student, but you must pick it up from Inman 141 during our open hours within 2 business days. Tests will be sealed by the student on test day and kept in a securely locked file cabinet.

Suggested syllabus language:

An alternative exam date, due to a Provost-excused absence or university-approved accommodation, must be discussed with me at least one week prior to the exam. All alternative exams will be given through the Testing Center. The Testing Center is available Monday-Friday 8am-8pm, with additional hours on Saturday from 9am-12pm. Please come to me with an alternative date and time already in mind. After discussing an alternative date with me, submit a request form to the Testing Center here.

New Policies

Testers must give their phone over to the proctor to be stored until the end of testing. Students are able to see their phones, but they can not access them during exams. This policy is non- negotiable unless two criteria are met:
     1) Cell phone use is mandated as an accommodation or as some element of an accommodation.
     2) The professor informs the Testing Center that a cell phone is a MANDATORY element of testing.

To ensure academic honesty, there is now a camera in the Testing Center that allows us to see all students testing. Proctors may walk around the room at their discretion.

Check-In and Late Arrival

Students are expected to arrive at least 5 minutes before their start time so that they can be checked in.

Students must provide photo ID and BUID to proctor before testing

End times for students who arrive late (or at time) will not be changed. For instance, if a student arrives at 9:10AM for a 50 minute 9:00AM appointment, the test period will still end at 9:50AM.

Students arriving more than 15 minutes after their start time will not be permitted to test and must reschedule with professor.

Please use the restroom before you come to the Testing Center. Once testing begins, you will not be allowed to leave the room until the test is completed.

Attire

The following items are not permitted while testing:

• Hoodies (with hood up)
• Brimmed Hats
• Caps
• Smart Watches
• Any writing on the hands or arms
• Sunglasses

Food and Drink

Unless otherwise specified by accommodation, there is no food or drink of any kind permitted in the testing center once testing has begun. This includes bottles of water, gum and candy. Water bottles can be left at front desk with proctor until end of test.

Scratch Paper

The only scratch paper allowed in the Testing Center will be provided by the proctor. All scratch paper must be given back to the proctor at the end of the exam.

Electronic Devices and Personal Belongings

All electronic devices, including cellular phones and smart watches, are to be turned off and put away. They may not be turned on again until you leave the Testing Center at the end of the test. Phones are given to the proctor for storage at the start of the test and returned upon completion. Any use of a non-approved electronic device during testing will result in an immediate end to the test and removal from the testing center. If a phone rings during test time and disturbs other testers, you will be asked to leave.

Only authorized materials are allowed on the desktop while testing. Personal belongings such as backpacks, bags, books, notes, calculators, head phones, cell phones, tablets, MP3 players, computing devices or any device capable of recording audio, photographic, or video content, or capable of viewing or playing back such content will not be allowed on the testing surface and will be left at the front of the Testing Center. 

Noise and Plagiarism

Plagiarism and disruptive behavior is prohibited in the Testing Center. The following is a general list of misconduct and disruptive behaviors; however, it is not exhaustive. The Testing Center reserves the right to dismiss a tester for misconduct and/or disruptive behavior, as well as to refuse to administer an exam for the same reasons.

• Causing a disturbance of any kind
• Failure to follow instructions
• Giving or receiving assistance of any kind
• Attempting to take an exam for someone else
• Taking or attempting to take the same exam more than once during a testing session
• Using any prohibited aids (this includes Internet sites)
• Removing or attempting to remove test questions, responses, or notes
• Attempting to remove scratch paper
• Tampering with the computer
• Attempting to use the computer for any reason other than testing
• Speaking with other testers

In the event of encountered misconduct and/or disruptive behavior, the Testing Center staff will take one or more of the following actions:

• Confiscate unauthorized materials
• Notify instructor
• End the test period immediately
• Call the university police to attend
• Dismiss the tester from the testing center

To ensure academic honesty, a camera has been installed at the back of the Testing Center that can see each tester. Proctors may walk around the center at their discretion.

Appointments may be booked starting September 2! We encourage students to book all foreseen alternate testing appointments as early in the semester as possible, as slots may fill up, particularly toward final exams.

Yes. For this reason, you should discuss arrangements with your professor before requesting an appointment. The Testing Center is not a substitute for communication between professor and student, but an aid to their partnership in accurately and fairly assessing student learning.

An email is sent to both the professor and student, outlining the requested date/time and testing conditions. Once both parties have confirmed agreement, a confirmation email will be sent to you with further instructions on what to do on test day.

No. The Testing Center provides proctored space to make alternate exams easier for faculty and students. However, the student and professor may make other arrangements that suit their needs. The Testing Center is an option, not a requirement.

• Photo ID
• Belmont ID
• Pen and #2 Pencil (for Scantron exams)
• Other materials as instructed/approved by your professor (e.g., calculator, Blue Book or notes for an open-notes test)

Appointments have a clear start and end time. If you arrive late, the test will still end as scheduled. If you arrive fifteen minutes late or more, you will not be permitted to test. If you miss your appointment, it is akin to missing class on the day of an exam. Permission to reschedule will be determined by your professor, and space may not be available in the center for alternative dates.

Testing center dates must be scheduled at least one week in advance. If faculty need to schedule an alternate testing time with less than a week’s notice, they may use the “On Demand” testing rooms. Faculty can book a testing room in real-time on EMS. EMS will show you what rooms are available across campus for the purposes of individual or small group testing. (Tutorial here.) Please note, no proctor is provided through this process.

At this time, we are only able to provide proctoring for traditional pencil/paper exams and Canvas exams. Other formats of testing are not available at this time, but there is a plan to offer additional formats as expansion of testing center services occurs in future semesters. If there is a particular type of testing format you would like to see included in the future, please submit that suggestion here.

For pencil/paper tests, Testing Center proctors will arrange the exchange of materials with the professor. For Blackboard tests, we highly encourage the use of passwords/access codes and test availability constraints (Original/Ultra). Exam passwords/access codes will be entered directly by the proctor in the Testing Center. The proctor will note any abnormalities with the testing process and communicate those to the professor (e.g., Internet disruption, academic integrity concerns, late arrival, etc.).

For concerns about accommodations, please contact the Office of Accessibility Services at accessibility.services@belmont.edu. For scheduling concerns, please contact Brandon Stephens at brandon.stephens@belmont.edu.