Online Exam Readiness Checklist

Older devices might not be compatible with the required proctoring software your test may be using. Use the information below to determine ahead of time if you need a different device!
Requirements listed as of 6/4/2025, check publisher’s site for most up-to-date info.

If your device does not meet the requirements, try reaching out to your local library to see if they have computers you can use or borrow! If you’re on or near the University of Arkansas campus, the Student Technology Center on the 3rd Floor of the Union building will have computers as well. It’s first-come-first-served, however, so make sure to reserve a device ahead of time!

Make sure you know how to reach out to your instructor before the exam and have these ready in the event of an error, outage, or emergency:

For other 3rd party testing integrations, reach out to the corresponding publisher’s support or contact your instructor for assistance.

• Clear the room and ensure you will have a quiet space without distractions.
• Check to see if you can reserve a room a your local library. You can reserve a Study Room for free at the the Mullins Library or at the Fayetteville Public Library (up to 4 hours). The Student Technology Center may also have space and devices you can use and borrow as well.
• Try to use a computer that is wired (also known as a LAN connection) into a good internet service. Make sure you have a stable connection with both good download and upload speeds. You can use various online SpeedTest services to check your internet connection speeds or check with your internet provider. If the test requires a proctoring service, run a practice test as close to your exam date as possible with the service to test if performance may be stable.

Important: Most public and work networks will have certain ports blocked that are necessary for exam proctoring services such as Respondus LockDown Browser. You will need to work with the administrative team that manages your work network if planning to test while connected to their network or reschedule to a time when you can be connected to a school or home network.

• Gather any allowed or necessary materials for the test such as calculators, notes, Blackboard test Access Codes, and emergency contacts. Have these ready to take with you before the day of your test!

Best practice is to give your computer a full restart so that you’re in a fresh session with any extra programs closed. Try not to open anything other than the testing software or browser needed to launch the test.

If the Blackboard test requires an Access Code, you’ll need to enter a 6-digit code in order to open the exam in your browser.

• • For tests that require Respondus LockDown Browser, make sure to click on the name of the test and launch from your regular browser FIRST. If Respondus is installed, you’ll receive a pop-up requesting permission to open the program. Learn more here on getting starting with Respondus.
  • For tests that will use Honorlock, open the Chrome browser and click on the name of the test to open. If the Honorlock extension is not already installed, you’ll be prompted to install it. Learn more here on how to use Honorlock.

If the test early-exits or crashes, check to see if you can reopen the test. Make sure to contact your instructor to let them know what happened, especially if the test is already closed or you are unable to find or open it again. Blackboard Support can help to verify an incident occurred but cannot reopen the test on their behalf with direct instructor contact. If there is a timer on the test, reach out ASAP to both your instructor and us at Blackboard Support at BBHelp@uark.edu!

When reaching out to Blackboard Support, make sure to provide us with your student username or ID, the Course ID the test is in, and the name of the test, and let us know what was happening when the error occurred!

If time runs out and your submission is auto-submitted, you’ll need to reach out to your instructor to see if you can reschedule to re-take your test.