Purdue Testing Services Student Success Programs

Please note: Accommodated testing services provided through PTS are only available for courses taught at the West Lafayette location.

Instructor Resources for Accommodated Testing

At Purdue University, it’s our shared responsibility to ensure students have access to usable, equitable, inclusive and sustainable learning environments.

To ensure this accessibility, it is the responsibility of students to request accommodations, the responsibility of instructors to fulfill accommodations and Purdue Testing Service’s responsibility to be a resource for both parties.

Testing accommodations are granted by the Disability Resource Center to students whose condition may impact their equal access to learning assessments. Instructors can find approved accommodations listed on a student’s Course Accessibility Letter (CAL).

Disability Accommodations & Final Exam Town Hall

The following is a video recording from a Town Hall event held by Purdue Testing Services and Disability Resource Center in Fall 2024.

How to arrange for the exam to be administered through Purdue Testing Services.

Students may take accommodated exams and quizzes through Purdue Testing Services. However, if an exam falls under one of the following categories, instructors will need to consult with PTS ahead of time:

  • Contains audio or video components
  • Contains digital images or interactive presentations
  • Computer-based or online exam
  • Administered on a student’s computer
  • Requires specific software
  • Student requires specific formats to access information (e.g., Braille, digital text, etc.)

When any of the above characteristics apply, instructors are encouraged to inform Purdue Testing Services as early as possible. Without adequate lead time, PTS reserves the right to alter the date the exam is given.

Additionally, there are times when PTS’s space reaches capacity. When that occurs, instructors are responsible for providing the appropriate testing conditions outlined in a student’s CAL.

Utilizing Purdue Testing Services

If instructors are unable to provide testing accommodations to students in their department, they can facilitate accommodations with Purdue Testing Services using the following steps:

Step 1: Instructors must add RegisterBlast as an external link in their Brightspace course and submit a Testing Instruction Form (TIF) for each exam PTS will be administering.
Step 2: Students have to submit their exam request four (4) days prior to the exam date. This is not business days and will include weekends.  We cannot accept late requests. If the student does not meet the deadline, the instructor will need to administer the exam and provide accommodations.
Step 3: Instructors must provide a copy of the exam or the password for the online exam to PTS no later than 12 p.m. one (1) business day before the exam is to be administered.
Step 4: Purdue Testing Services administers the exam at the date and time requested by the student.
Step 5: Purdue Testing Services returns completed exams within 24 business hours after testing according to the return method outlined in the TIF.

Delivering Exams to Accommodated Testing

Instructors must provide a copy of the exam or password for online exams to Purdue Testing Services no later than 12 p.m. one (1) business day before an exam is to be administered.

  • Copies can be submitted via RegisterBlast or hand delivered to STEW G39.
  • We cannot accept late submissions. Not submitting an exam or password by the deadline means PTS will be unable to administer the exam. As a result, the student’s appointment will be canceled, and it becomes the instructor’s responsibility to administer the exam and provide accommodations.

Exam Returns

Completed exams may be returned by three methods. Instructors identify their preferred return format when approving exam requests.

  • Pickup: The hard copy of the exam will be collected directly from Purdue Testing Services at Stewart Center, Room G39. We ask those picking up exams to present an ID for security purposes.
  • Scanned copy uploaded to Instructor Portal: A scanned digital copy of the exam will be uploaded to the Instructor's RegisterBlast Portal. Please allow 24 business hours for this return method.

    • Steps for accessing the completed exam file:

      1. Click the RegisterBlast link in your Brightspace course
      2. Click “History” tab in the top right corner
      3. Find the student’s exam registration you are trying to access (note: you may need to expand the date filter and click “Apply”)
      4. On the far right column in the row of the student’s exam registration, you should see a post-it note looking icon. Click on this icon.
      5. Click on the file of the exam
  • Deliver to Institutional Data Processing (IDP) for grading: The instructor will need to make sure they inform IDP that they will have some exams coming over from PTS.

Additional Guidelines

  • Purdue Testing Services is unable to make modifications to an exam after it has been submitted due to the time it takes to process and prepare materials.
  • PTS is not able to administer webcam-monitored exams. If this format is required, it will be the instructor’s responsibility to administer the exam and provide accommodations.
  • PTS is not able to support cohort testing — also known as simultaneous test administration — which requires all students with accommodations from a single class to be tested at the same time. If cohort testing is required, it will be the instructor’s responsibility to administer the exam and provide accommodations.
  • Students cannot schedule with PTS until a TIF is submitted by their instructor. If a TIF is not submitted in time for the student to schedule their exam, it becomes the instructor's responsibility to administer the exam and provide accommodations.
  • Exams must be properly categorized as in-person or online in TIFs. Due to PTS’s high volume of online exams, computer seats cannot be guaranteed without this categorization. Adjustments can be made to the TIF up to two (2) weeks prior to the exam date if formats change.
  • Purdue Testing Services schedules exams on a first-come, first-served basis. There may be times we are unable to administer exams, even if a request is received prior to the scheduling deadline. If PTS is unable to administer an exam, the instructor and student will be notified immediately. It will then become the instructor’s responsibility to provide accommodations or offer an alternate date and time for the student to take the exam with PTS.

In addition to these guidelines, Purdue Testing Services asks that instructors provide as broad of testing windows as possible. We ask that testing windows be more than five (5) hours. This increases the probability that PTS is able to assist with accommodations.

  • Example: If a class exam is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Monday, the instructor can indicate in the TIF that students with accommodations are allowed to take the exam any time on Monday or Tuesday.