Testing Information FAQs
- What is a proctored exam?
- How do I know if I need a proctored exam?
- What must I do to take a proctored exam?
- If my instructor does not use ProctorU, how do I find an approved proctor?
- What is the fee for a proctor's services?
- Who can be approved to serve as a proctor?
- What technology must a proctor have access to at the proposed testing site?
- How do I schedule my exam(s)?
- What are the proctor's responsibilities?
- How does the proctor receive exams and return them to Ole Miss Online?
- A proctored exam is one that is overseen by an impartial individual (called a proctor) who monitors or supervises a student while he or she is taking an exam. The proctor ensures the security and integrity of the exam process.
How do I know if I need a proctored exam?
- Check your course syllabus as soon as you can access your online course. The need to take proctored exams and your exam dates should be contained there. If the instructor requires no exams, that should be clearly stated in the syllabus. If you cannot make a determination from the syllabus, contact your instructor immediately for an answer.
What must I do to take a proctored exam?
- Find an appropriate proctor, if not testing on the Oxford campus or one of the regional campuses, within the first two weeks of the semester.
- Provide your exam schedule to your proctor.
- Schedule your exam date and time with the proctor well in advance of the testing window provided by your instructor.
- Submit your Off-Campus Examination Request Form or make an appointment with ProctorU.
- Comply with any payment schedule that may be required by your approved proctor or testing center.
- Take your exam within the timeframe outlined in your course syllabus.
Note: Failure on the part of the student to assume these responsibilities will be a matter to resolve with the instructor and could result in a failing grade on the exam in question.
If my instructor does not use ProctorU, how do I find an approved proctor?
- Check the Examination Centers in Mississippi document for proctors in Mississippi. Check the Examination Centers in other states document for proctors outside Mississippi. You may also check the Consortium of Testing Centers for proctors.
- If there is no other option listed in the above links near you, try contacting a community college or university or a public library. If you are in the military, contact your Learning Center or Education Officer. Many of these facilities have experience in proctoring exams from various institutions.
What is the fee for a proctor's services?
- Fees vary for the use of a testing facility and the proctor's time to receive, monitor, and return your exam. Please be sure to determine if there is a fee, what it is, and when it must be paid. Testing centers often require prepayment, and your receipt for payment may serve as your ticket to the proctored exam session. These practices vary among libraries, schools, colleges, universities, and private testing centers.
- ProctorU charges $22.50 for exams that are up to two hours long. There is an additional $8.75 per hour if the exam is over two hours. Payment may be made with a credit card at scheduling time.
Who can be approved to serve as a proctor?
An acceptable proctor is someone with no conflict of interest in upholding The University of Mississippi's Academic Policy. Relatives, friends, spouses, neighbors, and co-workers are not acceptable proctors. Your proctor may be from one of the following categories:
- A testing center for an institution of higher education
- A private testing center
- Administrators at an institution of higher education
- Librarians at a public library or institutions of higher education
- If in the military, the head of a base's Learning Center or an Education Officer
What technology must a proctor have access to at the proposed testing site?
Each proctor must have:
- A valid work e-mail address
- Internet access for students taking internet-based exams
- A printer
- Check your course syllabus for all exam dates and times.
- Contact your proctor with the entire exam schedule as it appears in your course syllabus as soon as possible. Note: You will be responsible for paying any fees required by the proctoring site.
- Schedule a day and a time within the testing window to take the exam with the proctor. Note: Failure on the part of the student to assume these responsibilities will be a matter to resolve with the instructor and could result in a failing grade on the exam in question.
- Submit your Off-Campus Examination Request Form and wait for confirmation from Ole Miss Online.
- If your instructor uses ProctorU, visit ProctorU page to schedule an appointment.
What are the proctor's responsibilities?
- The proctor must ensure that all necessary technologies are available and working.
- Only the proctor may handle the actual exam prior to and following its completion.
- No copies of the exam other than the copy used for test-taking are to be made at any time.
- No person other than the proctor and the student may view the exam. (The student may have access to the exam only during the time period allowed by the instructor.)
- The proctor must follow all instructions for administering the exam. These may include a time limit and specific allowable equipment such as a calculator and inclusion or exclusion of books, notes, etc.
- The proctor must return testing materials in an envelope provided by the student addressed to the instructor after the student completes the exam.
How does the proctor receive exams and return them to Ole Miss Online?
- For exams given on Angel or Blackboard, the instructor will inform the proctors of the location, password, and any additional information just prior to the exam window.
- For exams that professors wish students to take via paper and pencil, the exam will be emailed to the proctor just prior to the exam window. The proctor will print the exam and administer it to the student according to the instructions provided. The proctor will then return the exam and any additional testing materials to the instructor immediately after the student completes it.
