1.
Preparing for the Test

Make
sure
your
browser
is
up
to
date
–
The
Internet
browsers
supported
by
Blackboard
are
Mozilla
Firefox,
Safari
and
Internet
Explorer.
The
Mozilla
Firefox
browser
has
provided
the
most
stable
and
stress-­‐free
Blackboard
experience
since
the
upgrade
to
Blackboard
9.
You
can
download
the
most
recent
versions
of
browsers
at
http://help.asu.edu/node/1360.
Additionally,
good
places
to
check
your
current
computer
configuration
include:
• http://asuonline.asu.edu/student-­‐resources/computer-­‐requirements
• http://libweb.uoregon.edu/dc/blackboard/plugin/

Make
sure
your
computer
is
up-­‐to-­‐date
–
Mac
users,
run
Software
Update.
PC
users,
be
sure
you
are
getting
automatic
updates.
It’s
a
good
idea
to
make
sure
your
antivirus
software
is
up
to
date
as
well,
since
spyware
might
interfere
with
your
taking
the
test.
For
more
information,
go
to
http://help.asu.edu/anti-­‐virus.

Make
sure
you
have
a
reliable
and
fast
Internet
connection
–
If
you
lose
your
Internet
connection
you’ll
be
booted
out
of
the
test.
If
you
must
dial
in,
make
sure
call
waiting
is
disabled
on
your
phone.
If
you’re
on
campus,
your
best
bet
is
a
wired
network
connection,
since
WiFi
can
be
unstable.
Consider
using
a
lab
or
library
computer
to
take
your
test.

Minimize
interruptions
–
Turn
off
any
browser
pop-­‐up
blockers,
instant
messaging,
social
networking
sites
(Facebook),
email
notification
or
other
programs
that
may
distract
you
from
the
test
or
interfere
with
it.
To
turn
off
the
pop-­‐up
blocker
on
a
PC:
• Internet
Explorer:
Click
Tools
|
Internet
Options
|
Privacy
• Firefox:
Click
Tools
|
Options
|
Web
Features
|
uncheck
Block
Popup
Windows
• Safari:
Click
Safari
|
click
Block
Pop-­‐Up
Windows
(to
remove
the
checkmark)
To
turn
off
the
pop-­‐up
blocker
on
a
MAC:
• Firefox:
Click
Firefox
|
Preferences
|
Content
|
uncheck
Block
Popup
Windows
• Safari:
Click
Safari
|
click
Block
Pop-­‐Up
Windows
(to
remove
the
checkmark)

Plan
your
time –
Give
yourself
time
to
take
the
test,
accounting
for
any
technical
problems
that
may
occur.
Once
you
enter
a
test,
do
not
leave
the
test
or
do
anything
else
until
you’re
finished.
Commit
your
full
attention
to
the
test
and
don’t
try
to
multitask.
1

2.
Starting the Test

Start
the
test —The
test
will
be
located
in
a
Content
Area
of
your
Blackboard
course
and
will
have
an
icon
similar
to
the
example
at
the
right.
When
you
single-­‐click
the
name,
you’ll
be
prompted
to
Begin
the
test.
Once
you
do
so,
your
attempt
will
be
noted
by
the
following
icon,
which
means
your
attempt
is
in
progress.

Read
the
instructions
carefully
–
Since
online
tests
may
have
a
variety
of
features,
it's
important
to
read
the
instructions
to
determine
how
your
instructor
has
structured
the
test.
Some
features
your
instructor
may
use
include:
• Force
Completion:
If
Force
Completion
is
set,
you
must
complete
the
test
before
exiting.
If
you
leave
the
test
without
completing
it,
you
will
not
be
able
to
come
back
and
finish
it.
If
Force
Completion
is
disabled,
you
can
use
the
Save
button
inside
the
test
to
save
your
answers,
exit
from
the
test,
then
reenter
the
test
and
continue
from
where
you
left
off.
Please
note
that
if
the
timer
is
set,
the
timer
will
continue
once
you
launch
the
test,
so
be
aware
of
the
time
allowed.
• Multiple
Attempts:
You
may
be
allowed
to
take
the
test
more
than
once,
usually
so
that
you
can
meet
a
minimum
score.
The
instructor
might
have
Blackboard
set
to
count
the
lowest,
highest,
or
last
score,
or
may
simply
average
all
attempts.
Sometimes
an
instructor
may
use
this
setting
so
that
if
you
are
accidentally
bumped
from
the
quiz,
you
can
get
back
into
it
without
instructor
intervention.
Be
careful
not
to
go
back
into
the
test
unless
you
truly
want
to
start
over
and
take
it
again
because
each
attempt
is
recorded.
• Timed
Test:
The
instructor
may
set
a
time
limit.
The
elapsed
time
appears
above
the
questions
in
the
browser
window,
and
you
will
receive
a
1-­‐minute
warning
when
time
is
up
in
the
form
of
a
pop-­‐up
window.
If
you
exceed
the
time
limit
your
test
will
be
accepted,
but
marked
as
late
and
not
automatically
graded
until
the
instructor
accepts
it
per
his/her
late
submission
policy.
This
is
typically
stated
in
the
syllabus.
• Password
Protected:
Your
instructor
may
safeguard
the
test
with
a
password.
2

3.
• All
at
Once
/
One
at
a
Time:
All
of
the
questions
may
appear
on
one
Web
page;
each
question
has
a
Save
Answer
button
so
you
can
save
as
you
go.
Doing
so
should
help
protect
you
in
case
of
technical
difficulties.
Alternatively,
questions
appear
one
by
one
as
you
click
a
forward
arrow.
Clicking
the
arrow
automatically
saves
each
question
as
you
go.
• Backtracking
Prohibited:
Some
tests
prevent
you
from
going
back
to
any
of
the
questions
once
you’ve
answered
(or
skipped)
them.
This
feature
is
becoming
more
and
more
popular.
Wait
for
questions
to
load
–
After
you
first
click
to
begin
a
test
where
all
questions
appear
on
one
page,
let
all
the
questions
load.
Do
not
start
using
the
Save
button
until
a
minute
or
two
has
passed,
so
that
Bb
has
time
to
let
all
the
questions
flow
in
from
the
server.
Taking the Test

Avoid
multitasking
–
Don’t
try
to
do
several
things
in
different
browser
windows
while
you’re
taking
a
quiz.
You
might
accidentally
close
the
window
that
contains
the
test,
and
if
you
try
to
interact
with
your
Blackboard
course
in
a
different
window
of
the
same
browser
while
the
test
is
in
progress
you
will
have
problems.
Also,
turn
off
Facebook,
instant
messenger
and
other
distractions
before
you
start
the
test.

Click,
don’t
double-­‐click
–
Click
only
once
on
each
of
the
links
throughout
a
test
including
the
link
to
take
the
test,
the
Begin
button,
navigation
buttons
inside
the
exam,
the
Save
button,
the
Save
and
Submit
button
at
the
end
of
the
test,
and
the
OK
button
to
see
your
results.
Double-­‐clicking
may
be
the
single
most
common
error
made
by
students
when
taking
a
Blackboard
quiz.

Save
frequently
–
You
can
save
an
individual
question
or
(if
the
test
is
presented
all
at
once)
all
of
your
answers.
Saving
is
not
the
same
as
submitting
the
test,
but
it
does
mean
that
if
your
session
is
interrupted
you
may
be
able
to
resume
where
you
left
off.
This,
of
course,
is
only
a
possibility
if
Force
Completion
is
not
enabled.

Avoid
the
Back
button
and
delete
key
–
Don’t
use
the
browser’s
Back
and
Forward
buttons.
Use
the
small
arrows
(single
click)
to
move
between
questions
in
a
test
that
displays
the
questions
One-­‐at-­‐a-­‐Time.
Don’t
click
the
main
Blackboard
menu
or
the
breadcrumb
trail
while
you’re
in
the
test.
It
is
best
to
avoid
the
browser’s
Refresh
command.
Also
do
not
resize
your
browser
window.

Stay
active
in
the
test
window
–
The
assessment
feature
in
Blackboard
is
set
to
time-­‐out
after
periods
of
inactivity.
You
must
do
more
than
just
type
or
click
answers
to
keep
the
test
active.
Save
the
assessment
or
individual
questions
periodically
to
reset
the
activity
clock.

Keep
your
computer
on
and
awake
–
If
you
have
a
laptop
and
close
it,
or
even
if
you
just
take
a
break
while
taking
the
test,
the
laptop
may
go
to
sleep
and
lose
its
network
connection.
In
some
cases
the
result
will
be
that
when
you
open
it
you
won’t
be
able
to
continue
the
test.
3

4.

If
you
get
disconnected,
immediately
resume
–
If
you’re
booted
out
of
the
test
or
get
disconnected,
you’ll
likely
have
to
log
back
into
Blackboard.
Immediately
return
to
your
course
site
and
click
the
link
to
resume
the
test,
without
exiting
your
Browser.
Depending
upon
how
your
Instructor
set-­‐up
the
test,
you
may
not
be
able
to
resume
your
test.
In
those
cases,
you
must
contact
the
instructor.

Note
the
type
of
question
–
There
are
many
kinds
of
questions.
Some
common
types
include
•
Essay
(type
a
few
paragraphs
into
a
text
box)
•
File
response
(upload
a
file,
perhaps
an
essay
written
in
Word)
•
Fill
in
the
blank
(with
a
word
or
phrase)
•
Multiple
choice
(one
correct
answer)
•
Multiple
answer
(you
must
select
all
of
the
correct
answers)
•
…
and
a
dozen
or
so
more
Don’t
turn
off
the
visual
editor
–
If
a
question
requires
an
essay
answer,
you’ll
have
a
“visual
editor”
available
that
allows
you
to
format
your
answer.
Don’t
turn
the
editor
on
or
off
during
the
test;
use
it
in
the
current
state.
Don’t
copy
and
paste
from
Word
–
Even
if
a
question
expects
an
essay
answer,
don’t
write
it
in
Word
and
copy/paste.
Doing
so
is
very
likely
to
also
copy
bogus
HTML
code
that
will
break
your
browser.
Thus,
compose
your
response
in
Notepad
or
Wordpad
and
copy/paste
your
answer
into
the
Blackboard
exam
text
box.
Save
a
copy
of
your
Notepad/Wordpad
responses
in
case
a
submission
error
occurs.

Use
simple
file
names
–
If
a
test
includes
a
file
response
question,
the
name
of
the
file
on
your
hard
disk
MUST
NOT
contain
special
characters.
Use
only
letters,
numbers,
“-­‐”
(dash),
and
“_”
(underscore),
and
be
sure
the
file
has
an
appropriate
extension
(doc,
txt,
rtf,
etc.).
Submitting the test

Click
the
Save
and
Submit
button
–
You
will
not
get
credit
for
your
answers
until
you
have
clicked
Submit
at
the
end
of
the
test.
You
should
see
a
confirmation
and/or
feedback
for
the
test.
4

5.

Don’t
ignore
warning
messages
–
you
may
receive
a
warning
message
that
some
questions
are
incomplete,
even
if
you’ve
answered
all
the
questions.
If
you
get
that
message:
• Click
CANCEL
to
make
the
warning
box
go
away
• Review
your
test
and
make
sure
all
questions
were
completed
(if
your
test
prohibits
backtracking,
you
will
receive
the
warning
of
a
missing
answer
on
each
page)
• Scroll
down
to
the
bottom
of
the
screen
and
click
Save
• When
you
are
sure
you
are
done,
click
Save
and
Submit

Instructor
feedback
–
Click
OK
to
view
feedback.
Different
tests
may
show
you:
(a)
Your
score;
(b)
The
answers
you
gave;
(c)
The
correct
answers;
and/or
(d)
Instructor
Feedback.
Many
instructors
will
show
score
only
until
everyone
finishes
the
test.
After
completing
grading,
some
may
choose
to
enable
additional
results
like
your
submitted
answers
and
feedback.
This
will
vary
for
each
instructor.
Confirming Test Submission
You
can
access
your
submission
confirmation
by
going
to
My
Grades.
Look
in
the
Grade
Column
to
see
either
a
score
or
a
special
symbol
indicating
its
status.
A
green
exclamation
means
that
the
test
was
submitted
successfully,
but
that
the
instructor
needs
to
grade
it
(i.e.
-­‐
because
there
was
an
essay
question).
An
icon
resembling
a
page
with
a
pencil
means
that
you
are
still
taking
the
exam.
If
so,
try
going
back
to
the
test
and
continuing
where
you
left
off.
If
you
cannot
gain
access
again,
email
the
instructor
that
you
are
locked
out
of
your
test.
A Few More Helpful Hints…
Blackboard
uses
Java
for
almost
everything
so
verify
your
Java
is
current
at:
http://www.java.com/en/download/installed.jsp.
Occasionally,
clear
your
browser
cache
(how-­‐to
directions)
at:
http://help.asu.edu/search/node/clearing%20browser%20cache
Also
clear
your
Java
cache,
which
is
explained
at:
http://www.java.com/en/download/help/plugin_cache.xml
(PCs);
http://www.nau.edu/d-­‐elearn/support/tutorials/java/mac/cache.php
(Macs)
Credits
This
document
is
largely
based
on
ones
developed
by
Northwest
Nazarene
University:
E-­‐Learning
Services
Blackboard:
Test-­‐Taking
Guide,
September
3,
2009
and
the
University
of
Oregon’s
Test-­‐Taking
in
Blackboard,
A
Guide
for
UO
Students,
January
2010.
5