Large Digital Test Administrations
Giving digital tests to large groups of students in the same room or on the same network can pose challenges, but you can lower the chance of test day disruptions by working closely with school or district technology staff.
Room Choice
It’s not enough to measure the total network bandwidth in your building. To make sure every testing room has strong, consistent Wi-Fi, do the following:
Choose rooms where digital testing was successful before.
Run a speed test in every testing room.
Ask your technology staff to compare the expected number of test takers to the device capacity of wireless access points (WAPs) within range of each room. To learn more, go to Check Testing Room Capacity.
Best Practices for Large Rooms
If you’re planning to use gyms and other large spaces, it helps to divide students into groups and assign each group to a different area:
Run speed tests in each area to determine how many test takers the area can support.
Make sure each area is within range of a WAP that can support the expected number of test takers.
In each area, set up charging stations by placing extra desks near an electrical outlet. Reserve their use for students whose batteries are running low and ask students to return to their assigned seat after 15 minutes of charging.
Assign a room monitor to each area.
Provide the proctor with a microphone.
Network Traffic
Here are a few ways to avoid test day delays:
Stagger start times slightly. Because demands on the network are greatest at the beginning and end of testing, you can balance the network load by telling some proctors to wait an extra 5 minutes before reading the script and sharing the start code.
Make sure Bluebook is up to date. Ask students to open Bluebook shortly before test day in case it needs to auto-update.
Minimize competing network activity. Ask technology staff to throttle or delay scheduled backups.
FAQ
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.
How do I check network readiness for Bluebook test administration?
Shortly before test day, connect to the internet in every testing room:
Connect the same ways your students will, including guest Wi-Fi and the main network.
Use the same device options your students will, including one of your school’s shared testing devices and a device that’s not managed by your school. If you have backup devices set aside for test day, check those as well.
Go to collegeboard.org to make sure the network is configured to allow the necessary traffic.
Get the complete Technical Readiness Checklist.
What happens if students lose their internet connection?
An internet connection is required at the start and end of Bluebook testing, but students can keep testing if their connection drops momentarily. If students can’t get started or can’t submit their answers because they don’t have a connection, proctors and technology monitors should follow instructions in the Technical Troubleshooting Guide.
Learn more about network readiness for Bluebook test administrations.
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 do I get the most accurate speed test results?
For the most accurate results, run a speed test:
- When competing network activity approximates test day
- In the same rooms used on test day
- On the same network test takers will use
To account for normal fluctuation, run the test several times in each room. For complete instructions, go to Measure Network Speed in Your Building.
Example: SAT School Day, PSAT-related assessments, and AP Exams
A school will administer an exam to 200 of their 500 students in the gym on a Monday at 12 noon. Their results could vary depending on when and where they run the test.
Most accurate: When the speed test is run in the gym on a typical Monday at 12 noon, the results show that 275 students can test in the building simultaneously.
Overestimate: When the speed test is run in the library (which has better Wi-Fi) over the weekend, the results show that 350 students can test in the building simultaneously.
Underestimate: When the speed test is run in the annex on the same Monday at 12 noon, the results show that only 100 students can test in the building simultaneously.
Example: SAT Weekend
Staff at a test center with the physical space to test 500 students want to check their network bandwidth. Their results could vary depending on when and where they run the test.
Most accurate: When the speed test is run in a classroom on a typical Saturday at 8 a.m., the results show that 600 students can test in the building simultaneously.
Overestimate: When the speed test is run in the library (which has better Wi-Fi) on a Saturday during summer vacation, the results show that 800 students can test in the building simultaneously.
Underestimate: If the speed test is run in the annex on a typical fall Monday at 1 p.m., the results might suggest that only 400 students can test in the building simultaneously.