See our Hours and Schedule for service and campus availability.

Testing Center Closures and Reduced Hours (Fall 2024)

Closed All Day

Reduced Hours
August 31 – September 2
(Labor Day)		 September 20
(10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.)
October 15
(S.E.E.D. Day)		 October 3
(8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.)
November 27 – December 1
(Thanksgiving)		 October 4
(12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.)
December 21 – January 5, 2025
(Winter Break)		 November 7
(8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.)
  December 6
(12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.)
  December 19
(8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.)

Essential Forms for Faculty

Can my class use the Testing Center?

We administer exams for faculty teaching courses in all credit instructional areas, with any of the following instructional formats:

  • In-person and Hybrid/Hyflex classes
  • Make-up tests for individual or small groups of students
  • Online, Synchronous, Asynchronous and other Remote formats
  • Weekend and Evening, during our opening hours

The Testing Center does not allow blank, scratch, or essay paper.

  • Blank scratch or essay paper also may not be included with exams. Blank pages or notebook paper included with paper exams will be removed before being issued to students.
  • We suggest leaving the back sides of your paper exams blank, or including significant space beneath exam questions for paper exams.
  • Instructors using specialized worksheets may continue using them, as long as you supply the Testing Center with enough for all expected students.
  • Students may use the lower and back sections of the Academic Integrity Affirmation form as scratch paper.
  • Exemptions for students due to a disability will need to be approved by the Director of the Testing Center and a Disability Support Services coordinator prior to the exam.

For exams requiring extensive scratch work, faculty should include scratch space within the body of the text (between questions, on the back of pages, etc.). Loose scratch paper or essay paper is not allowed in the Center. Also, do not append blank pages to the end of tests, as staff cannot determine whether all pages are accounted for when the test is submitted.

As replacements for scratch paper, we suggest including approved worksheets, Blue Books, specialized scantron forms or other tools with your exams that are easily identified and difficult to forge.

Any necessary test aids, such as formulas or notes, must be included in the body of the test. Students are not permitted to have any notes, books or any other reference materials. The only materials allowed besides the test (if it is on paper) or the Academic Integrity Affirmation Form, are Math Worksheets, scantrons, and Blue Books. Any exception to this policy must be approved in advance by the director.

The Test Control Form

The Test Control Form for submitting exams to the center is a PDF with indicated areas for you to complete. Simply complete the fields, print two (2) copies, and submit them to the Testing Center with your Academic Integrity Affirmation forms for your exams. Please complete all information on this form, as it will be used to track your exam and the students who take it. We require the following:

  • Instructor Name: The full name of the instructor who will assume responsibility for the exam(s) in the center for the indicated classes.
  • Course: The short name of the class (ex: BIO-1010) is required. There is room for a longer, more familiar name (DVM-0071: Introductory Algebra).
  • Office Phone and Other Phone: All instructors must submit at least two different, working phone numbers. We need these to contact you to resolve any problems and notify you of incidents.
  • Test Format: Check only one to indicate the nature of the exam itself. Paper-based means we issue an exam package to each student which we collect. The other options indicate online services wherein we only collect the Academic Integrity Affirmation forms or a worksheet.
  • Password: If you are using an online service, this is where you must type your password. Please refer to the guidelines below for help with passwords.
  • Test Name, Number or Chapter(s): Here, you indicate exactly what the test is called. Use short, but descriptive words like "Chapter 3.6 - 5.2", "Midterm", and "Skeleton Exam" instead of "Test 3"; unless you actually number your exams "Test 1", "Test 2", etc. Whatever you call your exam should be exactly the same as what the students expect.
  • Start Date and Closing Date: Students will be able to take your exam from the opening of business on the Start Date, until the close of business on the Closing Date. Refer to our hours to determine our open and close times for your chosen dates.
  • Number of Students and Number of Copies: The number of students is your estimate of how many total students will come in to take your exam. The number of copies is for paper-based exams, only. It must be the exact number of exam copies you provide us for the students.
  • Makeup Test: If one or more students take an exam separately from the rest of the class, for any reason, we consider the exam a makeup test.
  • Worksheet, Calculator, and Scantron: These indicate whether the student is allowed to use an approved worksheet for online exams, a calculator (provided by the Testing Center), or a scantron form to record answers for paper-based exams.
  • Section(s): Use either the 5-digit Synonym number, or the 2-letter and 2-digit section code for the class(es) who will be taking this exam. Only sections who will take exams on the same dates can be listed together on one form.
  • Special Instructions: These are additional guidelines for the Testing Center staff when giving your exam. All special instructions must be approved by a Supervisor or the Director before you submit your exam.

The Academic Integrity Affirmation Form

Students are required to sign an Academic Integrity Affirmation Form for each exam they take in the Testing Center. Faculty giving paper tests must use this form as the cover sheet of their exams, when you submit a test to the center. The form is a PDF with indicated areas for you to type in the required. These required fields must be completed by instructors on the forms before we will accept your paper-based tests.

If the test is on paper, the form must be attached to the exam as its cover sheet. If the test uses an online service, the Testing Center will supply copies of the form for each student. Faculty giving online exams are still required to pick up Academic Integrity Affirmation Forms in a timely manner.

Guidelines for Online Exams

  • All online exams submitted to the center must be password protected.
    • Passwords should be difficult to guess and not too short (example: do not use your last name as your password).
    • Passwords should not be excessively long, nor obfuscated; a 25-letter password with 13 special characters is extremely difficult to type quickly and accurately.
    • Passwords must be typed on the Test Control Form with exact punctuation, spacing, symbols, and capitalization.
    • Any difference between the password written on the form and what your preferred online service expects will result in inconvenience and wasted time for students, Testing Center staff, and you.
    • We strongly recommend that passwords should be between six and 12 characters long.
  • For exams that use Canvas, we ask instructors to disable forcing completion or multiple attempts.
    • This will allow your exam to be resumed if interrupted by a computer or network error.
    • Students must finish all exams in one sitting, unless there is an emergency.
    • Exams will only be resumed in the event of a computer error or emergency.
    • Any exam not completed in one session is considered invalid. We ask instructors to be vigilant.
  • Instructors submitting online exams to the center will have Academic Integrity Affirmation forms supplied by the Center.

Please understand that the Testing Center cannot guarantee a satisfactory experience for students taking online exams. Please leave updated contact information with the Center and leave a backup plan, in case students encounter computer-related difficulties. While most students are successful, enough aren't that precautions are necessary.

Students are required to use PGCC Photo IDs to enter the Testing Center.

Students taking academic tests (any test or exam required by a course in which a student is enrolled at PGCC) are required to have their PGCC Student ID card, which must be presented to Testing Center staff when checking in. Any student who does not present his/her valid PGCC Student ID card will not be allowed to take any academic tests. We encourage students to obtain a PGCC ID card as soon as possible after they have registered for classes and carry it with them on any PGCC campus.

Faculty are expected to pick up all exam materials from the center in a timely manner.

After tests conclude or close, there are almost always remaining exam materials. For paper tests, this is obvious, but there are materials for online exams as well. Worksheets and Academic Integrity Affirmation forms are often the only physical evidence faculty have of students arriving for online exams. Moreover, students may use the extra space on these materials to leave comments or questions for instructors. Therefore, it is important that faculty (or a faculty representative) retrieve all closed exam materials from the center as soon as reasonably possible.

The Testing Center does not forward or mail exam materials to instructors.

Summary of Other Guidelines for Instructors

  • Calculators are solely provided by the Testing Center. Personal calculators must be secured in the lockers.
  • Testing periods should not end on Friday or Saturday, except for Hybrid, Online and Weekend courses.
  • Midterm and Final examinations are NOT permitted, except for Hybrid, Online and Weekend courses.
  • Open-book examinations are NOT permitted.
  • Deliver your tests to the Testing Center the day before testing is scheduled to begin or earlier.
  • For paper exams, deliver enough test copies and/or scantrons to accommodate the number of students in your class(es).
  • Please print the instructor's name on each test.
  • Students may only take one test at a time. A test must be submitted to Testing Center staff and checked out, before a student may begin another test.
  • Make sure all information you supply to us is accurate and complete.

Please inform your students of the rules and regulations of the Testing Center before you expect them to take their exams.

Students must begin an academic test before the posted closing time.

Please refer to the hours and schedule to find out the latest possible times students may begin your exam. Please advise your students to arrive early enough to successfully complete their exams.

Saturday hours are effective only during Fall, Spring, and Summer Sessions. During breaks between semesters, the Testing Center follows Summer Session hours of operation Monday through Friday, but is closed on Saturdays.

Questions? Contact Us

Phone: 301-546-0147 | 301-546-0090 

Email: testingcenter@pgcc.edu

Prince George's Community College
Bladen Hall, Room 100
301 Largo Road
Largo, MD 20774

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