How to create an exam

Follow the steps below to create an exam that uses PrairieTest to handle the logistics of scheduling and delivering exams.

Add students to your course space

Go to the Students tab from the top menu bar.
Click "Add students".
Paste your student roster.
Confirm by clicking "Add students".

Enter special accommodations

You may have students in your course that are allowed to have different time to complete the exams. You can enter these accommodations from the Students tab, which will be applied to all future exams:

Go to the Students tab from the top menu bar.
Click the edit button in the "Accommodations" column, next to the student you want to have the modified exam duration.
Enter the % time (compared to the exam duration). For example, if the exam duration is 60 minutes, and a student is supposed to get 90 minutes, you should enter 150% time. Click "Save".

It is recommended that you enter the accommodations first, before setting up any exams. However, you may receive requests for special accommodations after the beginning of the semester, once you have already create some of your exams. Note that accommodations entered later at the "Students" tab will not be applied to existing reservations. These will need to be modified for each exam (see section "Updating Student Reservation").

Add course staff

Course owners can add other staff members to their courses. Course owners are the only ones that can make change to the staff list. A course can have more than one owner. Below is a list of the other roles, and what are the actions allowed to each one of them:

Action	Proctor	Editor	Owner
View exams and sessions	✓	✓	✓
Edit Zoom link	(Lead)	✓	✓
Edit exams and sessions	⋅	✓	✓
Edit student list	⋅	✓	✓
Assign students to sessions	⋅	✓	✓
Edit staff list	⋅	⋅	✓

Note that proctors can only edit Zoom links for sessions in which they are a Lead proctor.

To add staff members:

Go to the Staff tab from the top menu bar.
Click "Add staff". Enter the staff UID.
Select the appropriate role.
Confirm by clicking "Add staff".

Create an exam in PrairieTest

From your course homepage, click Add exam.
Enter the Exam Name and the Exam Duration (in minutes). Note that Exam Duration is the time students are given to complete the exam. Click "Add exam" to confirm.
You will be automatically taken to the Exam settings page.

Link the exam with a PrairieLearn assessment

Go to your PrairieLearn course space, and open the infoAssessment.json corresponding to this exam.
From the Exam Settings tab in PrairieTest, copy the PrairieLearn access rule, which has the following format.

{
  "mode": "Exam",
  "examUuid": "41330c3e-8ffa-4ce2-bd8e-73b3029a717b",
  "credit": 100
}

Paste this block of code into allowAccess inside the infoAssessment.json and click "Save and sync".
Go back to PrairieTest and refresh the page. You should see the link to the PrairieLearn assessment.

Add customized instructions

From the Exam Setting page you can:

Edit "Student instructions": students will be able to read this text as soon as they have a reservation for this exam.
Edit "Start text": this text will appear to students once they have permission to start an exam

Create sessions

Exams can be offered in three formats: in-person, online proctored and online unproctored. One exam can have multiple sessions with different formats, or just have one session with one format.

When creating a session, you must decide on the session duration, which is the total amount of time the exam will be available in PrairieLearn. By default, a session duration will have additional 10 minutes when compared to exam duration. This allows for flexibility in case a proctor starts the session a few minutes late. If a session includes students with special accommodations, make sure to adjust the session duration accordingly. Regardless of the session duration time, students will only have access to the exam as defined by the exam duration.

Exams with self-scheduling

Instructors can also decide if students can make their own reservation into one of the sessions, or if the reservations are pre-assigned by the instructor. Select Allow students to self-reserve into this session if you want students to make their own selection. In this option, you will also need to select:

self-reserve limit: this is the time (in minutes) prior to the session start time when students can still make their first reservation for that exam. For example, if a session starts at 9am, and you set self-reserve limit to 0 minutes, then students can make their first exam reservation for that session until 9am.
self-change limit: this is the time (in minutes) prior to the session start time when students can still make changes to their reservation for that session. For example, if a student is registered for a session that starts at 9am, and you set self-change limit to 30 minutes, then students can change their reservation for that session until 8:30am.

1) In-person exams

These exams can happen in the classroom, with students expected to bring their own laptops, or in a computer-based testing center. There are two options for the check-in process:

Required check-in for access: In this format, students are checked-in by proctors as they enter the exam room. Proctors will "start the exam" once all students are checked-in, at the exam start time. Check-in process can continue after the start of the exam, for the students that arrive late. However, they will have their exams closed at the same time as all the other students, defined by the start time plus the exam duration.

NOT required check-in for access: In this format, proctors will let students into the exam room without checking them in. Proctors will "start the exam" at the start time. As students begin the exam, proctors circulate the room and confirm students' check-ins.

To create an exam following one of these formats, use the following steps:

Go to Exams tab from the top menu bar and select the exam. This will take you to the session page.
Click "Add session":
- enter the session name
- select the session type: "In-person"
- use the checkbox "require check-in for access" to determine the check-in process for this session
- enter the location of the exam
- select the data and time
- select the session duration
- select if you want to students to self-reserve into this selection
- select the session capacity (~90% classroom capacity)
- click "add session" to confirm your changes

2) Online exams with Zoom proctoring

The exams offered online with Zoom proctoring can also have two options for the check-in process:

Required check-in for access: In this format, proctors will open the Zoom link to students a few minutes before the exam start time. Once students start to join the Zoom meeting, proctors will check-in the students, and only "start the exam" once all students are checked-in, at the exam start time. Check-in process can continue after the start of the exam, for the students that arrive late. However, they will have their exams closed at the same time as all the other students, defined by the start time plus the exam duration. This may not be the best option if you have a large group of students per session.

NOT required check-in for access: In this format, proctors will open the Zoom link to students a few minutes before the exam start time. Proctors will "start the exam" at the start time. As students begin the exam, proctors confirm the check-ins from students who are in the Zoom meeting.

Go to Exams tab from the top menu bar and select the exam. This will take you to the session page.
Click "Add session":
- enter the session name
- select the session type: "Online"
- use the checkbox "require check-in for access" to determine the check-in process for this session
- select the data and time
- select the session duration
- select if you want to students to self-reserve into this selection
- select the session capacity (we recommend 40-50 students)
- click "add session" to confirm your changes

3) Online exams unproctored

Unproctored exams do not require check-in. Students get access to the exam at the exam start time.

Go to Exams tab from the top menu bar and select the exam. This will take you to the session page.
Click "Add session":
- enter the session name
- select the session type: "Unproctored"
- select the session duration.
- select if you want to students to self-reserve into this selection
- select the session capacity
- click "add session" to confirm your changes

Assign proctors to sessions

If you are using online or in-person session format, you will need to assign at least one proctor to each session.

Go to the session you want to assign a proctor (either "in-person" or "online" format)
From the session settings panel, click the edit button next to Proctors
Select the proctor from the list. Assign them as "Lead" or "Assistant" proctor. Note that only the "Lead proctor" can edit the Zoom link. Editors and Owners can also edit the Zoom link.
Click "Save assignment"

Edit the Zoom link

If you are using the online session format, you must ask the assigned lead proctor to create a Zoom meeting for the exam, and add the Zoom link in the Session setting panel. By asking them to create the Zoom link, you can make sure they have host permissions, and complete control over the meeting.

Assign students to sessions

Instructor pre-assigned reservation:

Course editors and owners can assign students to existing exam sessions.

From the Exam main page, click the "Reservations" tab. You will see the list of all students.
From the "Actions for all students" button, select one of the two options:
- Import reservations: you can create a master document with the session assignment for each student, and import this file here.
- Randomly assign reservations: you can assign students at random to the existing sessions. It is recommended to assign the students with accommodations first, to make sure they are all in the same session.
Instructions can also assign students one-at-a-time to sessions, by clicking the Edit button in the Session column for a specific students in the Reservation tab.

By default, pre-assigned reservations are all "locked", which prevents students from making changes to their own reservations.

Student self-reservation:

Sessions with the option Allow students to self-reserve into this session will be visible to students based on the following settings:

Students who are not pre-assigned to a session will be able to select a session of their choice (among the ones that allow self-reservation). Their reservations will be unlocked by default, so they can make modifications later.
Students who are pre-assigned to a session, but have their reservation unlocked, will be able to modify their reservation. They will be able to delete or select another session of their choice.
Students who are pre-assigned to a session, and have their reservation locked, do not have the option to change their reservation. They can only see their current pre-assigned reservation.
Instructors are able to lock or unlock reservations at any time.

Make the exam reservation visible to students in PrairieTest

Once you have completed setting up the exam, you can click the "Make visible" button in the Exam settings page. This will allow students to see their reservation.

Documentation for course staff