Testing

COVID Health & Safety During Finals

The Disability Resource Center values the health and safety of all students and staff.

If you are feeling unwell as your final exams approach, please contact your instructor and let them know that you will need to reschedule your final exams. The Policy: Makeup Work for Legitimate Absences: Twin Cities, Crookston, Morris, Rochester applies to all course requirements including final examinations when a student has a legitimate absence due to, among other things, illness such as COVID-19.

If you have been exposed to COVID-19

Please visit and follow the Minnesota Department of Heath's COVID-19 guidelines (PDF). Several factors including COVID history, vaccination status, and timing will determine your best next steps.

If you’ve tested positive for COVID-19

Cancel any exams you have scheduled in the DRC for five days including the first full day after your test or after your symptoms started. Contact your instructor to make alternative exam arrangements.

Information on where to test and when to test is available on the University’s MTest/Safe Campus website. You should contact your instructor(s) and cancel any exams scheduled with the DRC until you receive your COVID test results. You should then work with your instructor to reschedule your exam depending on the results of your COVID test, your vaccination status and current University and public health guidance.  

If you start to have any symptoms per MDH guidelines, stay home and away from others immediately (isolate), get tested, and follow the other recommendations on If You Are Sick or Test Positive.

Testing Accommodations in the Disability Resource Center

What we do

DRC Testing prepares and administers exams as specified by a student’s individualized accommodation letter. 

To the extent possible, we encourage instructors to administer accommodated exams requiring extended time and/or a reduced distraction environment in a space and time available to them. This allows students greater access to their instructors if they have questions during the exam and it is often closer to the experience of their classmates. 

Instructors may also use Canvas Quiz functionality to administer exams. This reduces the need for exams to be taken in the DRC. The Office of Measurement Services can help convert exams into Canvas format.

​​Instructors who do not have access to space or are not using Canvas Quiz functionality are invited to refer their students registered with the DRC to complete their exams in the DRC as space allows. If space is not available for accommodated testing at the time the class is testing, the DRC will look for the next available time for the student to complete the exam in the DRC.  

Scheduling an accommodated exam

Students must schedule their exams through the OneDRC portal at least seven days in advance or as soon as they can. Please view a video and read about exam request before submitting your request.

When a student schedules an exam, instructors are automatically notified and sent instructions for uploading exam documents and submitting exam-related details. 

Common testing accommodations

Extended testing time 

The most common accommodation utilized by students registered with testing accommodations. If exams are designed to be taken online (e.g Canvas), many students with exam accommodations could take their exams with their classmates, eliminating the need to coordinate with the DRC.

Reduced distraction environment

A room in which a student may take their exam with few or no other students. This may be an empty office, a conference room, or another suitable space. 

Adaptive technology

  • CCTV: Allows student to zoom in or out on a page, as well as change the text and background color to best work with their visual acuity.
  • A computer may be utilized to:
    • Type instead of hand-write answers,
    • Use a screen-reader program such as Kurzweil or JAWS,
    • Use a Voice-to-Text program such as Google Voice to record answers
    • Use a screen magnifier such as ZoomText

Alternate formats

Exams may need to be provided in one of the following alternate format for access purposes:

  • Large Print: enlarged text such as 18 point with bold font
  • Kurzweil: A Text-to-Speech software program that uses a synthesized voice so the student can hear the exam as well as read it.
  • Braille: Tactile text used by students who are blind or have low vision.
  • RTF: This Microsoft Word-based format is compatible with most screen reader programs.

Computer applications we support

  • Kurzweil
  • Dragon Naturally Speaking
  • JAWS
  • Voiceover
  • Zoomtext

Reader/Scribe

This accommodation is available for students that need assistance reading and/or writing during exams. This may be provided in-person or remotely depending on the exam expectations.

Testing materials available in the Disability Resource Center:

Scantrons

The Testing Center orders its Scantrons from the Office of Measurement Services. We have several scantrons available (shown below). If you or your department needs a different type of scantron, please send them to the DRC with a note that identifies for which exam(s) they are to be used.

  • 1/2 Blue
  • 1/2 Red
  • X500 A-J
  • X500 A-E
  • Chemistry A-J
  • Chemistry A-E

Blue Books

The DRC Testing does not utilize blue books for exams. We provide students with lined paper.

Other items provided include: 

  • Pens and pencils
  • Ear plugs
  • Noise cancelling headphones
  • Scratch paper (lined and unlined)
  • White noise machines (provided per accommodation letter)
  • Other items as necessary (If there’s ever a question about appropriateness of making an item available to a student for an exam, we will check with the ​​instructor first.)

Students need to be registered with the Disability Resource Center and have a current accommodation letter that includes testing accommodations to schedule exams within our office. Please visit our How to Register page for more information.

Instructors, please see our Department Resources for assistance in providing exam accommodations to students within your department.

DRC Testing Contact

Spring Finals 2024

Finals will take place in both the Disability Resource Center and the Ground Level of Folwell Hall.

Students must submit their Final Exam Requests on the OneDRC Portal by 4:00pm on April 15th, 2024.

Fall and Spring semester Testing hours:

Mon-Thu 8:00am - 6:00pm
Fri 8:00am - 5:00pm

Summer and Break Hours

Mon-Fri 8:00am-4:00pm

Contact us:

Location:

McNamara Alumni Center, Suite 180
200 Oak St SE, Minneapolis, 55455