Guide to Online Exams Contents Questionmark Secure................... 2 Logging In and Exam Access............. 4 MSN Messenger Users.................. 6 Exam Introductory Screen................ 7 Question Presentation...................8 Flagging Questions for Review............ 9 Proceeding to Next Section.............. 10 Completing the Exam...................11 Exam Results......................... 12 Test Taking Suggestions................ 13 Frequently Asked Questions............. 14 Guide to Online Exams 1
Questionmark Secure Candidates taking exams online must first Install Questionmark Secure on the computer that will be used for testing. This is a free program that provides a secure environment for internet testing and helps maintain the integrity of our academic and certification programs. The download is quick and needs to be performed only once on any computer that will be used for the delivery of online tests. Access the Questionmark Secure Participant Guide here (right click and select Open Weblink in Browser ). Download Questionmark Secure here. Verify installation by trying a secure assessment here. Guide to Online Exams 2
What You Can t Do When a participant uses Questionmark Secure, most key-presses and mouse-clicks (except those appropriate to answering questions) are not permitted. In particular, the following actions are disabled: Navigation Tabbing forward or backwards Moving backwards Control functions Escape Screen Refresh Print whole screen or active window System Key Combinations Exit and close window Start menu Next Window and cycle windows Shutdown Guide to Online Exams 3
Logging In Click here to view the exam login page. Only your proctor has the ID and password needed to access your exam. enter your ID and password and click the Login button Guide to Online Exams 4
Accessing your exam after login, you ll see the exam you are scheduled to take click Start to launch your exam be sure to close other applications running at this time Guide to Online Exams 5
MSN Messenger Users highlight msmsgs.exe Some versions of MSN Messenger do not close completely when exited from the desktop. To turn of completely, click Ctrl+Alt+Delete and select Task Manager. In the Processes tab, highlight msmsgs.exe in the Image Name list and click End Process. click end process Guide to Online Exams 6
Agreement Forms Be sure to complete the Proctor and Candidate Agreement Forms. The questions and timer will appear once these forms have been read and completed. enter name in text box and click Continue Guide to Online Exams 7
One Question at a Time Once you start, the questions appear one at a time. Answers save automatically every 5 minutes. Click the Save button at anytime to save responses. saves answers in case internet connection is lost use scrollbar to view all of the questions proceed to next question jump to any question by clicking on the number Guide to Online Exams 8
Flagging Questions answered questions are shaded blue Flag questions you might want to review later if you have the time flagged question Guide to Online Exams 9
Moving Right Along Remember to answer all questions in each section before proceeding. Questions from previous sections are no longer accessible and cannot be answered or changed. make sure you have answered all questions before moving to the next section - unanswered questions will be scored as wrong answers Guide to Online Exams 10
Completing Your Exam Attempt every question before submitting the exam. click here to score exam and receive results Guide to Online Exams 11
How Did You Do? close secure browser by clicking here An email will be sent containing your pass/fail status for the exam. Guide to Online Exams 12
A Few Suggestions... Prepare your computer prior to your exam session Make sure to install Questionmark Secure and try the sample secure exam in advance of your scheduled test date. Waiting until the last minute can add to the stress that accompanies exams. Attempt to answer every question Unanswered questions are scored as incorrect and, unlike some exams, there is no additional penalty for answering a question incorrectly. If you are unsure of the answer, guess at the answer and flag the question for later review. Remember the 60 second rule Initially, try to limit the time spent on each question to 1 minute. Time permitting, give flagged questions a second look once you have answered all of the questions in the section. Choose the BEST answer Although some distracters might seem correct under certain circumstances, each question has only one best answer. Additionally, do not read more into the question than what is stated. Answer each question based on the information stated. Save your answers Exam answers are saved automatically at 5-minute intervals and upon completion of a section. You might want to click the Save button after answering several questions. If you lose your internet connection, you ll be able to resume your exam at the point from when answers were last saved. Also, be sure to save your answers if you are about to run out of time. Unsaved answers are scored as incorrect once the time limit is reached. Guide to Online Exams 13
Frequently Asked Questions What do I need to use Perception? In order to use Perception you will need: A computer with an internet connection - This includes Macs A web browser - Internet Explorer or Firefox are recommended but any browser should work Javascript enabled in the "internet settings What happens if I lose my connection to the internet? If you lose your connection, you ll need to press Alt +F4 in order to close Questionmark Secure. Once a connection to the internet has been reestablished, access the login screen and enter the I.D. and password. By checking the Show list of any unfinished assessments box, candidates will be able to resume the exam at the point from when answers were last saved. The timer continues to run so be sure to resume your exam as quickly as possible. I keep getting 'Access denied' messages when I try to open Questionmark Secure... When opening Questionmark Secure, the date/time settings on your machine must be roughly correct. If they are more than 12 hours fast or slow, you will encounter an 'Access denied' (or similar) error message. You should correct your date/time settings and try to open Questionmark Secure again. Why do I get a.qmsb - unknown file type error when I open a secure assessment? When security on a computer is set to a high level, the Questionmark Secure installation process may not be able to configure all of the necessary files. This link will take you through the steps required to manually configure the file associations so that Questionmark Secure opens up secure assessments when required. How do I close MSN Messenger? This issue is addressed on page 6. What if I need help? If you have any questions or problems regarding your online exam, please contact HFTP s Director of Certification and Board Relations, Bryan Wood, at Certification@hftp.org or by phone at 1-800-646-4387 x 29. Guide to Online Exams 14