Secure Testing Policy

This policy applies to COM medical students and faculty proctors.  This policy pertains to the following exams: 

     

4.1.1 All exams (excluding quizzes) toward grade are administered on downview, ethernet-linked COM computers in the USACOM Testing Center located on the 3rd floor of the Baugh Medical Library; make-up exams are administered on identical setups in the Testing Room of the Medical Education Suite in 2015MSB. These venues meet the specifications for delivering secure NBME exams.

4.1.2 Every student testing in the Testing Center has assigned seating indicated on a laminate map located near the entrance to the Center. Seating assignments in the Testing Room are at the Chief Proctor's discretion.

4.1.3 Computers are turned on before you arrive.

4.1.4 For NBME exams you will click on the NBME icon on the desktop and follow the prompts for login. An accession number will be provided on the overhead screens. You are prompted to log onto a secure NBME browser platform to take their tests online. Student progress and exam activity is monitored individually in the Chief Proctor station and in real time at the NBME in Philadelphia.

4.1.5 A brief tutorial precedes every NBME exam. Follow the Chief Proctor's direction to proceed through this and wait for the Chief Proctor to start the actual exam. DO NOT LAUNCH AN NBME EXAM UNTIL EXPLICITLY STARTED BY THE CHIEF PROCTOR.

4.1.6 For Biweekly exams, you will click on the EXAMPLIFY icon on the desktop and follow the prompts to log into the exam. These exams are already downloaded onto your computer as encrypted files. You will be given an accession key on the overhead screen to de-encrypt your exam during login.

 

4.2.1 Every exam is administered by a Chief Proctor and staffed with an IT person. For preclerkship exams, the Chief Proctor is Shannon Brown, the Assessment Specialist in the Division of Medical Education. For Clerkship NBME exams Dr. Ron Balczon, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology, serves as Chief Proctor. IT support is provided for all exams delivered in the Testing Center by Glenn Davis. Proctors are authorized to deliver exams by an Executive Chief Proctor designated for the NBME (Dr. Gard, Assistant Dean for Medical Education) who will advise the Chief Proctor or consult the NBME should problems arise. In addition, each exam requires a hall proctor stationed outside the testing room to monitor security for students on break.

 

4.3.1 The following items are prohibited from the USACOM Testing Center:

4.3.1.1 Electronic devices of any kind, including cell phones; personal digital assistants;

pagers; watches with alarms, computer, image capture or memory capability; calculators

4.3.1.2 Recording and film devices

4.3.1.3 Reference materials, including texts, notes, notebooks

4.3.1.4 Non-essential apparel, e.g. headwear, coats, sunglasses (pullovers are acceptable)

4.3.1.5 Bags, purses, or backpacks

4.3.1.6 Beverages or food of any type

4.3.1.7 Writing devices of any kind

 

4.4.1 Phones that are turned off can be deposited in a cell phone basket, which will be kept secure by the hall proctor or the Chief Proctor depending on prior arrangement.

 

4.5.1 Any prescription medication that a student might require during an exam is to be kept with the Chief Proctor. Any predisposing medical condition that might require a student to leave the testing facility on short notice must be disclosed to the Chief Proctor.

 

4.6.1 One erasable white board and marker are provided for every student entering the Testing Center or Test Room. These items are not to be used until the exam has started. The student is responsible for cleaning the board after completing the exam.

 

4.7.1 Only foam earplugs are acceptable. They must be disconnected (cut if necessary) from each other. Headphones and ear buds of any type are not allowed. Foam earplugs are provided at the proctor’s station and must be reused by students on multiple exams.

 

4.8.1 Secure NBME exams require a monitoring system. The Testing Center and Testing Room in 2015MSB have high resolution proctor-driven security cameras that provide pan and zoom views fed into the proctor's station of the Testing Center and Med Ed offices in 2015MSB. Additional security measures incorporated into assessments include scrambled questions and scrambled answer choices.

 

4.9.1 Examinees arriving late will not be given extra time for biweekly exams or NBME exams. The NBME will be notified if an examinee arrives more than 30 minutes late for an NBME exam, and can be refused admission to the exam by the Chief Proctor.

 

4.10.1 In the event that a student experiences an interruption of internet service during an NBME exam the student will notify the Chief Proctor, who will authorize the student to launch a restart protocol. After the restart, the student you may resume the exam without loss of time allowed or questions answered. Spare computers will be available if needed. All computers used for testing at USAMC belong to the Division of Medical Education and are connected by ethernet in the Testing Center located in the Baugh Medical Library or the small Testing Room in 2015MSB.

 

4.11.1 NBME exams are self-timed according to the student’s precise start time and download rate of the student’s computer. The results of NBME exams are automatically uploaded if the student runs out of time. The student's individual countdown clock for an NBME exam is located in the upper right corner of the screen.    

 

4.11.2 For institutionally authored exams, aka "biweeklies", the overhead monitors will display the stop time for everyone and indicate when 10 minutes remains in the exam. Students who finish after the 10-minute mark are not allowed to leave the Testing Center until the stop time in order to minimize activity that might disturb late finishers. Students may exit the Testing Center only through the door by the proctor’s station.

4.12.1 Your upload is successful when you see the green screen. If you have any difficulty or experience a freeze, see Glenn Davis for assistance in the proctors' station.

 

4.13.1 After finishing an exam, students are required to sign an Honor Pledge outside the Testing Center and Testing Room indicating they have neither cheated nor witnessed anyone else cheating during the assessment. Students who do not sign the Pledge will be contacted to investigate the reason.

 

4.14.1 Students are allowed to leave the testing center one at a time by gender to use the restroom or break for snack. In other words, one male and one female can leave at the same time. The Chief Proctor may allow more than one student to leave if that student discloses a qualifying medical condition. Students must sign out and sign back in of the testing center at the designated table outside the Testing Center. The overhead monitors indicate the open restroom status for each gender. Students must use the restroom proximal to the Testing Center in the Biomedical Library. Students testing in the Medical Education Testing Room must use the restrooms located next to the MedEd bulletin board. Leave you snacks on one of the tables outside the designated room for storing backpacks etc.

4.15 Disruptions per NBME policy     

 

4.15.1 If the conduct of a student interferes with the testing conditions for others, the student will be warned once by the Chief Proctor. If the disruptive student fails to respond to the warning, that student’s test session will be ended electronically by the Chief Proctor, and the student will be escorted from the testing center.

     

4.15.2 Copying, giving or receiving information. If two proctors observe or are made aware of behavior that indicates a student is copying answers from another student, permitting his/her answers to be copied, or providing or receiving unauthorized information about the content of the examination, the misconduct will be referred to the Honor Council and Office of Student Affairs for further action. If only one Chief Proctor is present during the exam, the validating faculty person can review the tape recorded by the security cameras in the test facilities.     

4.15.3 If misconduct occurs during an NBME exam, the institution is required to report the incident, including the names of any examinees involved, to the NBME. This includes any violation of the policy on items forbidden in the test site, e.g. cell phones, or an exam irregularity of any kind. The Executive Chief Proctor is the liaison to the NBME for reporting any such incident.

 

4.16.1 These are scheduled in the SGLC for biweekly exams but not for NBME exams. Students must sign-in and sign-out of the SGLC for these reviews. Sign-in attests to the student not bringing into the SGLC any equipment (computers, tablets, cell phones or other gadgets) that could be used to photograph or transcribe exam questions, or reference materials. Sign-out attests to not copying or witnessing anyone else photographing or transcribing test questions. Post-exam reviews last 60 minutes. Attendance is not required. For the review, students receive a printout of the answers they chose to compare with the exam key. This sheet must be returned to the instructors' desk on sign-out.     

4.16.2 ***Before entering and leaving the Testing Center, please respect others using the library (students and library staff on 3rd floor) by not congregating for noisy discussions before and after exams. Decompress outside the library.***