Guest Students and Technical Readiness
Here’s how to prepare if your school administers AP Exams, PSAT-related assessments, and SAT School Day to homeschooled and other guest students. Important: This content does not apply to SAT Weekend test centers.
Technology Considerations
If you’re wondering whether your school’s Wi-Fi and power can support guest students as well as your own, keep these facts in mind:
An internet connection is required at the start and end of the test, but students can keep testing if their connection drops momentarily.
Demands on the network are greatest at the beginning and end of testing.
You don’t have to provide every student with access to power throughout the test, but you can set up an extra desk near an electrical outlet in each room.
You can give students access to the internet without giving them access to your main network. Talk to school or district technology staff about using guest Wi-Fi.
Communicate with Students
Let students know whether they must bring a testing device, whether they must use a device you provide them, or if the choice is theirs. They can learn what else to bring by visiting the Bluebook website for students.
If you’re providing a device, find out if assistive technology needs to be installed or configured to fulfill a College Board–approved accommodation.
If the student is bringing a device, send them to Approved Testing Devices for Bluebook requirements.
Tell them to ask for help at their home school if they’re bringing a device managed by their school. They can direct their school technology staff to Device Readiness.
FAQ
Do guest students need access to my school’s network?
Schools and SAT Weekend test centers must provide internet access to all students who take tests on Bluebook, but you can use guest Wi-Fi to give students access to the internet without giving them access to your main network. Talk to your school or district technology staff about guest Wi-Fi and all Bluebook network readiness steps.
How can school and district technology staff help me?
You’ll need help choosing testing rooms with good Wi-Fi, configuring the network to meet Bluebook requirements, and preparing devices (if your students are testing on school-managed devices).
Reach out to technology staff who have the expertise and permissions to configure the network and install Bluebook on managed devices. To learn more, go to the Technical Readiness Checklist.
I’m not confident about our internet—what can I do to avoid test day issues?
If you’re concerned about internet reliability and speed on test day, there’s a lot you can do to avoid test day issues.
First, make sure you understand Bluebook network requirements:
Bluebook is designed to minimize bandwidth needs.
Students can keep testing if their connection drops momentarily.
Demands on the network are greatest at the beginning and end of testing.
Because each student starts their test when they enter a code, their start and stop times are never perfectly simultaneous, even if they hear the start code at the same time.
Next, ask school or district technology staff for help as soon as possible:
Work with them to run speed tests.
Ask for their advice when selecting testing rooms.
Make sure they understand the configuration requirements.
Let them know if students need to connect to school Wi-Fi on personal devices. Important: This is required for SAT Weekend test centers.
Show them the complete Network Readiness Checklist.
How can I use one room to administer an AP Exam to students who attend different schools?
Test day is simpler if all students in a room attend the same school. If that’s not possible, use these best practices to administer AP Exams to students who attend different schools:
Each school’s AP coordinator needs to use Test Day Toolkit to add the room and assign a proctor before test day.
We recommend staffing the room with one proctor per school, each with their own device. That’s because each school’s students are listed on a different Test Day Toolkit roster, and only one can be viewed at a time.
One proctor can read the script, but each proctor needs Test Day Toolkit so they can provide their own students with their room and start codes, take attendance, and monitor their students’ progress.