Exam Accommodations

EXAM REQUEST FORM

An exam accommodation refers to any approved accommodations which relate to the way a student takes his/her exam. This includes but is not limited to: extended time on exams, a reduced distraction testing location, use of scribe/readers, and use of assistive technology during an exam. ODS defines an exam as any quiz, test, or final for a course.

All students wishing to utilize exam accommodations need to be registered with the ODS, and have requested their Letter of Accommodations.

For each course the student would like to utilize their exam accommodations, they must contact their professor privately to:

Submit their Letter of Accommodations.
Discuss all exam accommodations for the entire semester.
Leave the meeting with an understanding of whether the professor will administer your exams or ODS Exam Services will administer your exams.

Once a student has submitted their LOA a student and professor can:

Work out the details directly, with no involvement from our office, or
Students can submit an exam request form to ODS no later than 1 week prior to the exam, and our office can assist in setting up the exam accommodations. For those students submitting an exam request form, we email a confirmation to both the student and faculty approximately 1 week prior to the exam with information about what accommodations are needed.

EXTENDED TIME ON EXAMS

The most commonly used online learning platforms allow faculty to extend the time of their exam for students who have accommodations. You can find more information about how to extend the time on an exam at: https://radr.rutgers.edu/resource/extended-time-exams

Please note that for an 80-minute exam, a student with 50% extended time should be given 120 minutes while a student with 100% extended time would get 160 minutes. Providing extra time on an exam may cause the exam to run over your typical class period and create a conflict for the student with another class. The student or ODS will notify faculty if a time conflict will occur, and will work with them to make appropriate arrangements.

For help calculating extended time, please use our exam calculator.

REDUCED DISTRACTION TESTING LOCATION

If a student is taking an exam online, the student is responsible for finding an environment that will work best for them. If a student is in a busy household they may wish to contact their faculty for permission to take the exam at a time of day when their house is quieter.

USE OF A READER AND/OR SCRIBE FOR EXAMS

If a student needs to use a reader or a scribe for their exams, ODS can assist with setting up those arrangements. Students should connect with the coordinator listed on their Letter of Accommodation, or the exam unit on their campus to coordinate arrangements.

BREAKS DURING EXAMS WITHOUT TIME PENALTY

If a student has this accommodation on their LOA the student is permitted an extension to their exam time to account for breaks. Students are allowed to walk, stretch, use the restroom, stand up, etc., outside of the exam room. For online exams, students may move off camera. The student will be given 10 minutes of break time per hour of testing time (see table below). During a break, if testing in person, students are not permitted to leave the room with their cellphone or any belongings not specified on their LOA. For students taking exams online, they are not permitted to access technology while on a break.

Please note, that this time should be applied in addition to any other accommodation. So for example, if the class has 80 minutes for an exam, and a student is approved for breaks and 50% extended time, then they should get 120 minutes for the extended time and 20 minutes for the breaks for a total of 140 minutes.

EXAM TIME	ADDITIONAL TIME TO ACCOUNT FOR BREAKS
0 - 60 min	10 minutes
61 - 120 min	20 minutes
121 - 180 min	30 minutes

USE OF A CALCULATOR

If a student needs to use a calculator for their exams, faculty are asked to consider setting up their exam in a way that does not prevent a calculator on their work surface.

Faculty

For more information on implementing accommodations online please visit our Providing Accommodations Online page.

Guidelines for Exam Accommodations:

Using Duo in Exam Rooms

Students should review the information for using Duo in exam rooms or other locations in which the use of a mobile device may not be allowed. You may choose to use one-time code at times when you don’t have access to your authentication devices, such as in the ODS Test Center. Please follow these instructions to obtain 10 passcodes.

Time Conflicts

Providing extra time on an exam may cause the exam to run over a students typical class period and create a conflict for the student with another class. The student or ODS will notify faculty if a time conflict will occur, and will work with them to make appropriate arrangements.

Rescheduling

If a student has submitted an exam request and the exam has been rescheduled or canceled by the professor please notify the office by contacting ods.exams@echo.rutgers.edu

Student Portal

The ODS Student Portal is where you can find out if you have submitted your requests for this semester and their status. Although you cannot submit requests or changes through the Portal, you can see the latest updates to your requests in real time.