Student Testing Procedures

General Policies

Students cannot schedule an exam through the SDS Office without the Alternative Testing Agreement/Contract being completed by faculty in the Students Accessing Miami system (SAM).  

In the Alternative Testing Agreement, Faculty should inform students and the SDS Office of what materials are allowed to be brought into the examination room (i.e. calculators, notes, books, computers). Generally, the SDS Office does not allow students to take any items into the exam room beyond writing utensils and the exam.

Students are encouraged to schedule their exams with the SDS Office at the same time as the normal class testing time. If the student cannot take the exam at that time due to extended time accommodations and class conflicts, the student will be encouraged to schedule the exam as close to the normal testing time as possible.

In order for us to serve students effectively, exams must be received by 12pm (noon) the day before the scheduled exam. If the exam is not received by this time, it may be necessary to reschedule the exam for a different day or time.

Exam rooms are monitored and recorded via camera at all times. If our staff observes any potentially dishonest behavior, we will note the behavior on the exam return envelope. We do not evaluate student behavior, only document and report any potentially dishonest behavior to the faculty. Additionally, if we observe any materials that the student is not allowed to have in the exam, we will return these in the envelope with the exam if possible. Faculty members are also allowed to view the tape of the student taking the exam if he/she suspects academic dishonesty.

Before Student Schedules an Exam

Please inform your students that they are required to schedule exams through the Students Accessing Miami system (SAM) at least two full business days prior to taking the exam. 

Exam Submission

Exams must be received by 12 pm (noon) the day before the scheduled exam. If the exam is not received by this time, it may be necessary to reschedule the exam for a different day or time. The new guidelines for when exams must be received by the SDS Office are intended to decrease the stress and anxiety of students who show up to take an exam at the testing center when the exam has not yet been received and to improve the student’s performance on the exam by reduced stress and anxiety. Additionally, to appropriately proctor the number and types of exams the SDS Office administers each semester, the staff needs ample time to print the exam and to prep the testing space to meet ADA sanctioned accommodations and faculty special instructions.

After Student Schedules an Exam

After a student schedules an exam, the SAM system will generate an email to the faculty to obtain the exam. You will receive a separate email for each student and require that you submit your exam separately for each student that uses our services. The email will contain a link to upload the exam into the SAM system. You can also (if you choose) submit the exam to the Testing Center email MUHODS@miamioh.edu. By uploading the exam into SAM or sending the exam via email, you are verifying that the student has your permission to take the exam through the SDS Office.  In addition to submitting the exam, we will also need the following information from you: 

• Any special instructions for this exam (outside of the information provided in the Alternative Testing Agreement/Contract already submitted in SAM).
• Special instructions could include open-book or open-note, special files needed for the exam, computer or calculator access needed, etc.

Once we receive the exam, we will be able to proctor your student’s exam. As noted above, faculty are expected to pick up the exam from the SDS Office.

Faculty members are required to send exams to the SDS office by 12:00 PM the day before the student is scheduled to take an exam. If the exam is not received by this time, the exam may need to be rescheduled for a different day or time.

Rescheduling

If a student contacts us to reschedule an exam, we ask them for confirmation that they have cleared this change with you. You will also receive an email from SAM alerting you that the exam scheduled has changed.

After Student Takes the Exam

Students will return the exam to you in the manner which you specified in the Alternative Testing Agreement/Contract (or additional information provided when you submitted the exam to us). We strongly recommend that the student returns the exam to you in our sealed, tamper-evident and confidential envelope. As noted above, we cannot be responsible for personally delivering or mailing completed exams.