The test feature in Blackboard is quite reliable. The three main suggestions to avoid possible problems are to:
Know the settings for each test
Use a computer with reliable internet connection
Immediately confirm that your test was submitted
If your have a technical problem while taking a test, you need to immediately contact your instructor who can either reset your exam or give you an alternative assessment task.
Note: A survey in Blackboard uses the same types of questions and has the same availability options as a test. The difference is that a survey is anonymous. The instructor sees a checkmark indicating that you completed the survey, but he or she cannot see individual answers that you (or anyone else) gave. You will also just see a checkmark in My Grades when you have completed the survey.
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Not all tests in Blackboard are the same. In addition to number of questions on the test, the types of questions, and the value of each question, your instructor has other options that may apply to your current test.
Make sure you understand the options the instructor has selected prior to taking every test.
The number of attempts
The default setting is to allow only one attempt, so many instructors choose that option. There are some situations (described below) where the test will be submitted automatically, so be sure to know the other settings, too.
If you must complete the test in one sitting ("force completion")
If the instructor chooses to force completion, you cannot leave the test and come back.
The test will automatically be submitted if you close it - even if you are not finished. This is a problem, especially if you are only allowed one attempt.
If you go to a new tab or window in the middle of taking a test, that may also cause the test to auto submit.
It is important to know if the instructor has selected force completion before you start the test.
If there will be a time limit
Many instructors set time limits.
They may choose to have the test auto-submit when the time is up, which will do just that. You will only be given credit for the questions you completed up to that time; all other will be counted as wrong.
Another option is to allow the student to continue the test after that time, but the instructor can see how long the student took and may penalize the student for going over the time limit.
Ask your instructor which option applies prior to taking the test.
If the questions will be given all at once or displayed one-at-a-time
If you can only see the questions one at a time, the instructor can also choose to prohibit backtracking. This means that you cannot go back to an earlier question to change your answer.
Date availability / Due date
The instructor can set the dates when the test will be available. He or she can choose a date when the test will appear and/or a date when the test will no longer be visible.
Instructors can also assign a due date to the test. If they do that, they can also choose to "not allow students to start the Test if the due date has passed." The test may be visible, but it will not allow you to start it.
Many instructors make an announcement when the test becomes available (or announce when it will disappear) and these dates are usually included on the class schedule, but it is your responsibility to be sure you know when the test will be available.
Occasionally, technical problems do occur, but they are very rare. The two main reasons they might occur is that a student attempts to take a test on a hand-held device or with an unreliable wireless internet connection.
Suggestions:
Use a computer or laptop computer to take your test.
Avoid iPad or other tablets, and remember that a smart phone is not a computer.
Use a standard browser, such as Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome.
Close other programs on your computer - they can compete with Blackboard for internet bandwidth.
Be sure you have a strong, reliable internet connection so your service will not get interrupted.
Avoid unreliable public access connections (at off-campus coffee shops, bookstores, etc)
Even when using on-campus wireless internet access, do not move your computer while taking the test.
There are computer labs on all the USC campuses and at public libraries across the state. Most of those have computers with hard-wired internet connections - your best option.
A test is not submitted correctly until you click on the [Save and Submit] button.
Get in the habit of going to My Grades immediately after submitting your test to make sure that your test has been submitted correctly.
When you submit a test correctly, one of the following will appear in My Grades
a grade if the types of questions are automatically scored, such as multiple choice and true/false
a "Needs Grading" icon (an exclamation point in a circle) if there are questions that need to be scored, such as essay or short answer questions.
If you do not have a grade for the test or the Needs Grading icon, the test was not submitted correctly.
Go back to the test to make sure you did not click the [Save All Answers] button - you must click the [Save and Submit] button.
Immediately report any problems with a test to your instructor.
Instructors have the ability to make exceptions to the availability and deployment options for an individual student or group. This feature is often used when a student has a test-taking accommodation through Student Disability Services (SDS) or when the availability dates are altered for a student athlete. In both of these examples, the exceptions are done through communication with SDS or the Athletic Department. Talk with your instructor far in advance of a test if you have concerns about the test options or exceptions.
If a test has multiple attempts, the score that appears in My Grades can be set to be the first or last graded attempt, highest or lowest grade, or an average of the attempts. The default is the last graded attempt.
Be aware that the instructor can run a variety of reports that log things such as when you were in Blackboard, how long you were in different areas, what time you took a test and the amount of time you spent on it.
Instructors can randomize questions for each person taking the test, which means that each student gets questions in a different order (and if you take a test more than once, the questions will be in a different order each time you take it.) Blackboard can also randomly choose a certain number of questions from a pool of a larger number of questions. It can also randomize the order of the options in an individual multiple choice question!
The default for what feedback you get and when you get it is to show the score you got for each question after you submit your test, but the instructor can also show other items (such as written feedback and answers for either/or the correct and incorrect questions). They can also delay showing the scores or feedback until a later time, such as after the due date or after all the students tests have been scored, or choose to never show this information.
A seldom used option is that an instructor can set a password that you must enter to be able to take the test. This is sometimes used in a proctored test where only students who are physically present in the room are given the password.
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