Online Student Help

 

Blackboard - Exam Tips

Before you Begin -- Browser Settings and other stuff

Blackboard recommends Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. DO NOT use America Online or other proprietary browser to take an exam. Learn more about known issues with proprietary browsers here.

1. Check your browser and Internet connection before you start the exam.
   
   When deciding an a time to take your test, think about times when your connection seems to slow down or lose connectivity. These issues can cause your exam to disconnect and/or lose your work.
   
   
2. Take your test as soon as you are ready. DO NOT wait until the last day to take an exam. If you have technical difficulties, there may not be enough time for you to resolve the problem before the test is due.
   
   
3. Do not enter an exam until you are ready to take it. Once you click OK to enter the test, Blackboard counts this as an attempt at the test, even if you don't answer a single question. Your instructor is the ONLY person who can clear an attempt from your record.
   
   
4. Close all other programs running on your computer before you start an exam
   
   
5. Disable pop-up blockers | Learn how here
   (if you have more than one, disable them all)
   
   
6. Time constraints/considerations
   1. If your test is timed, enable your browser's status bar
      
      View -> Status Bar
      (This enables a time that displays at the bottom of the page)
      
      
   2. Blackboard assessments time out after a couple of hours of inactivity. Your ISP might time out sooner with no activity. Save your answers or the exam frequently. Saving resets the inactivity clock but not the exam clock
      
      
   3. Dial-up users
      If you use dial-up to connect to the Internet, disable call waiting, turn off Instant Messenger, and email notification. These processes may interrupt your Internet connection.
      
      
      1. America Online (AOL) Users
         If you use AOL to connect to the Internet, please be aware of compatibility issues with the AOL browser. We recommend using AOL to connect, then using another browser to complete your exam.
         
         IMPORTANT: AOL does not consider activity in an external browser as online activity and might terminate your connection after a certain amount of inactivity.
         

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Taking an Exam

• Know you instructor's policy. What happens if you experience technical difficulties during a test? Are you exams timed? Are you allowed multiple attempts? Understand these policies before beginning an exam.
  
  
• Read the exam instructions carefully.
  
  
• Click the Quiz/Exam ONCE (not twice) and wait until the test has fully loaded before you start answering questions.
  
  
• DO NOT resize or refresh the window during a test. Make sure to set the window size to display the way you want before beginning your assessment.
  
  (Most browsers refresh the page when you resize the screen--this means Blackboard will try to reload your exam. This may prevent you from taking/finishing the exam or terminate it)
  
  
• DO NOT click anywhere outside the test area during an exam. This includes Blackboard navigation buttons like Announcements, for example. Clicking outside the test area will cause Blackboard to kick you out of the test before you have completed it.
  
  
• NEVER click the back button in the web browser while you are taking a test. Navigate using only the arrow keys within the Blackboard exam. Using the back button can kick you out of the exam before you are finished.
  
  
• DO NOT click the Submit, Next or Arrow keys more than once. It make take a few minutes for you to receive a confirmation or move to the next question but if you begin scrolling or answering questions before the page loads completely, it might not load all of the questions and they might go unanswered. Clicking more than one does not make things happen more quickly; it actually slows down the system and causes test errors.

 

Thanks to Las Positas College for their contributions on this topic