Exam Administration Policies

On This Page: General Exam Administration ♦ Security and Integrity ♦ Personnel Policies ♦ Exam Environment and Materials

Exam Sites should follow the Exam Administration Procedure Checklist, observe the recommended timeframes, and contact Biotility early with any questions. If an issue arises during a testing event that could affect fair or secure testing, or compromise exam validity, the Site Coordinator must immediately contact Biotility Client Services for direction and resolution.

LImitations for Exam Sites

Exam Sites must adhere to two critical limitations to ensure the integrity of the exam administration:

• Teacher/Student Conflict-of-Interest: Teachers may not serve as Site Coordinator or Proctors for their own students.

• Restrictions on Administration: Exam Sites may not administer the exam to their own personnel or educators; these individuals must test directly through Biotility.

Policy Highlights

• Candidate ID Requirement: All candidates must show a school, state, or federal photo ID.
• Academic Honesty: No access to materials, phones, or internet sites. Violations are reported and scores invalidated.
• Exam Monitoring: Active, in-room observation is required throughout the session.
• Retakes: Must wait 20 days between attempts. Maximum of 3 attempts per academic year.
• Accommodations: Must be approved by Biotility prior to the exam; Non-Disclosure Agreements required for interpreters, readers, and scribes.

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General Exam Administration

Candidate Identification Policy

All candidates must be identified with a school ID, or state- or federal government-issued ID prior to distribution of Exam Materials. Teachers or Exam Site Personnel may NOT vouch for any candidate without an appropriate form of identification.

Exam Attempts and Retake Policy

The Site Coordinator orders all exams and retakes through the Order Form, available via the Exam Site Support Hub. Please refer to the Exam Site Ordering and Scheduling Process for details.

Candidates are permitted to take the exam a maximum of three times per academic year. All first attempt exam orders for an academic year must be placed by May and used by the end of the academic year. Candidates are permitted one free retake, as well as a third attempt at a reduced rate, prior to the end of the calendar year. All exam retake orders for an academic year must be placed by July used by the end of the academic year.

 

Exam Accommodations Policy

Biotility must preapprove exam accommodations for individuals with disabilities or an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The candidate must have a documented disability or IEP through their school to qualify for exam accommodations. If exam accommodations are needed, Exam Site Personnel submit a request through the Exam Site Support Hub. Examples of exam accommodations that may be required include:

• A reader or screen-reading technology
• Scribes to transfer answers to bubble sheets or record dictated notes and essays
• Extended time
• Wheelchair-accessible exam stations
• Distraction-free rooms
• Physical prompts (such as for individuals with hearing impairments)
• Permission to bring and take medications during the exam (for example, for individuals with diabetes who must monitor their blood sugar and administer insulin)

Use the ADA laws and/or the school’s policies to guide exam accommodation requests. The effect of the ADA is that accommodations be mutually agreeable and that they do not change the assessment process. Accommodations should not draw undue attention to the candidate’s disability. For example, a candidate with dyslexia or a visual impairment may require a reader, and the candidate will need to be tested separately to avoid distracting others.

Readers and Scribes should not be knowledgeable about the subject being tested, and must not provide any hints or help during the session. Since they require access to Exam Materials to perform their job, they must complete a Non-Disclosure Agreement.

Exam Scoring and Results Policy

Candidates earn a credential when they achieve an overall score of 80% or above. Candidates may retake the exam after 20 (calendar) days. All reports obtained through Biotility, including individual score reports, should be treated as confidential.

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Security and Integrity

Candidate Confidentiality Policy

It is Biotility’s policy to adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local regulations regarding student data privacy, including, but not limited to, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA). Additionally, with most participating sites, Biotility enters into a Data Privacy Agreement and completes a risk assessment and/or a HECVAT.

Biotility maintains strict confidentiality and security measures to protect candidate data. All records containing candidate information are secured physically and electronically, with access restricted to authorized personnel only. Data shared with Exam Site Personnel is limited to what is necessary for the certification process and is handled in accordance with confidentiality agreements, ensuring the privacy of all candidates.

Biotility does not share any other confidential information without the candidate’s explicit consent. This policy ensures that all data is handled with the utmost care and security, respecting the candidate’s privacy at all times.

Digital Exam Materials Policy

Online exam content is protected within the secure UF e-Learning portal. Neither UF nor Biotility have access to your password and we never ask for your password online, in email, or over the phone. Exam Site Personnel and Candidates must protect their Usernames and Passwords by:

• Never sharing their password
• Never saving their password in the web browser
• Always logging out AND closing the browser before leaving the computer station

Academic Honesty Policy

Candidates and site personnel are expected to behave ethically and honorably. Academic dishonesty includes anything that gives a candidate an unfair advantage on the exam. Violations of the following standards will result in the invalidation of candidate scores.

 

Procedures for Managing Violations

If you witness any violation that compromises the integrity of our exam, you should report it on the Exam Administration Form and directly to Biotility. Reports may be submitted via webform, by phone at 386.462.3181 (Option 1), or by email to Client Services.

If an administrator witnesses a candidate engaged in academic dishonesty, they should:

1. Document it on the Exam Administration Report and report the incident to Biotility.
2. Follow school’s internal procedures for interacting with the candidate.
3. Report the candidate to their school’s academic honesty/honor code committee.
4. Retrieve any compromised exam material.
5. Dismiss the candidate.

If an administrator witnesses another administrator engaged in academic dishonesty, they should:

1. Document it on the Exam Administration Report, and report the incident to Biotility.
2. Report the administrator to their school’s academic honesty/honor code committee.

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Exam Site Personnel Policies

Teacher/Student Conflict-of-Interest Policy

A teacher may not serve as a Site Coordinator or an Exam Proctor for their own student.

Exam Site Personnel/Candidate Preparation Policy

Personnel are not permitted to teach to the exam. It is imperative that the Site Coordinator ensures no one breaks, or appears to break, Biotility’s Academic Honesty Policy.

Exam Monitoring Policy

Exam Site Personnel are responsible for ensuring candidates are monitored during the exam. Monitoring is defined as constant observation of candidates taking the exam. Monitoring the exam is an active process. Administrators are not permitted to work on other projects while monitoring. Specifically:

1. Exam Site Personnel must be in the Exam Room at all times.
2. Exam Site Personnel/Exam Monitors must circulate through the Exam Room.
3. Exam Site Personnel/Exam Monitors must actively scan for prohibited items.
4. Exam Site Personnel/Exam Monitors must document any irregularities that occur.
5. Report any abnormalities (such as a fire drill, equipment breakdown, power outage, or if any Exam Site Personnel left the Exam Room) to the Site Coordinator and on the Exam Administration Report.

Because Biotility-Certified Exam Site Personnel must continuously monitor candidates during the exam, sites may need to plan to certify additional staff to ensure that proctors have the option to take a restroom break.

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Exam Environment and Materials

Exam Environment Standards

Exam Rooms must comply with the following standards:

• Adequate lighting and comfortable temperature
• Isolated from noisy areas (close the door to the Exam Room)
• Have a clock where candidates can see it
• Desks/computer stations set up Exam Room style, with room for proctor(s) to walk between rows
• Posters, charts, and other educational materials removed to avoid distractions
• If using tables, set a maximum of two candidates per six-foot table or three candidates per eight-foot table

Optimum Layout for On-site Testing

This exam room floor plan represents the optimum layout for administering the exam.

Following these best practices enhances test security and reduces the likelihood of technical issues.

1. Use a dedicated computer lab for administering the exam.
2. Position the Proctor Station so that all candidates are visible during testing, ideally at the back of the room with candidates facing away.
3. Arrange candidate seating so that all candidates face the same direction and/or toward the wall.

Computer and Internet Specifications

Because UFEL is built using web standards, it runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, or any other device with a modern web browser. Refer to the Technical Guide for UF e-Learning for technical requirements.

Permitted and Prohibited Items Policy

All exams are closed book. Candidates are not permitted

to access any external source (such as a book or the internet) during the exam. The Exam Site Personnel will provide all permitted exam materials.

Candidate Restroom Break Policy

Proctors are to allow one candidate at a time to use the restroom. Restroom Break Rules:

• Only one candidate is allowed to take a restroom break at a time
• A candidate is permitted to take multiple restroom breaks if needed
• A candidate's exam materials must be examined before they take a restroom break
• A candidate may NOT take their cell phone or any exam materials on a restroom break

Procedures for Processing a Break

Proctors must perform a checkout process prior to the candidate leaving the testing room and a check-in process when they return.

Checkout Process:

1. Collect all testing materials (exam booklet, answer sheet, scratch paper, pencil and calculator), and verify all items are present.

2. Inform candidates before the break that their allotted test time will continue to count down while they are away and the lost time cannot be recovered.

3. Document the candidate’s name on the Exam Administration Report, noting the time they left.

Check-in Process:

1. Visually verify the candidate’s identity.

2. Return all collected testing materials (exam booklet, answer sheet, scratch paper, pencil, and calculator).

3. Document the candidate’s name on the Exam Administration Report, noting the time they returned.

 

Last Updated: 09/18/2026