BYU Testing Center
From Free net encyclopedia
Current revision
The BYU Testing Center, the largest college testing center in the nation, is located in the Heber J. Grant Building at Brigham Young University. It serves the purpose of administering tests to students. Tests are often administered in the Testing Center instead of during class time. By doing this, instructors allow students to take as much time as they need for the test, do not waste class time on testing, and allow students to take tests at their convenience.
The main portion of the Testing Center is a large main testing room, which originally served as BYU's library, and now is filled with approximately 649 desks. The testing center also includes an administration area where tests are handed out for free (except many departments make the last day the test is available a late day which requires a fee), a few smaller rooms with even more desks (one of which, the music room, has soft instrumental music playing on the PA system), study hall rooms downstairs for test preparation, and faculty offices. When students exit the testing center, they can see their scores immediately on TV screens on the bottom floor (for multiple-choice tests). Earlier, those taking multiple-choice tests waited for a moment or two in the administration area to receive a printout of their results, which usually resulted in the exit area being crowded.
In September 2005, the Testing Center administered more than 5,500 tests in one day, a record for the center.
The BYU Testing Center has developed software for administering tests that is used by many other universities across the country.
The testing center is known for ridiculously long lines during Finals and Mid-Terms, so it is highly recommended that those wishing to take a test on time during these periods take their tests as early in the testing period as possible. Lines are usually shortest before 11:00 AM, in the early afternoon, and after 8:00 PM.
Incidentally, the Testing Center serves as BYU's main method of enforcing its dress and grooming standards. While students are required to have their bishops or other ecclesiastical authorities sign off on their compliance with the BYU Honor Code, including the dress and grooming standards, only once a year, the Testing Center will not admit a student in to take a test if the student is not in compliance with the dress and grooming standards, and so enforces the dress and grooming standards every time a student must take a test.