Centralized Accommodated Testing Spaces

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TCU is piloting Centralized Accommodated Testing Spaces to provide additional support to undergraduate and graduate students who are registered with Student Access and Accommodation and have a documented need for accommodated testing.

Please Note: The Centralized Accommodated Testing Spaces are to be used only for students who are registered with Student Access and Accommodation and for who you have received a Faculty Notification of Accommodation. Reservations will be reviewed and any reservation made for a student without approved testing accommodations will be cancelled. Faculty will receive a notification 48 hours prior in order to make alternate arrangements. For more information, please email accommodatedtesting@tcu.edu.

The Centralized Accommodated Testing Spaces are located in Sadler Hall, rooms 122 and 123, and are open Monday, Tuesday, and Friday: 8:30am-4pm and Wednesday and Thursday: 8:30am-6pm. All reservations must be made more than 2 business days prior to scheduled exam.

The Centralized Accommodated Testing Spaces are available for use during the fall and spring semesters only. The Testing Spaces are not available for use during summer sessions.

The Centralized Accommodated Testing Spaces for Fall 2025 are available beginning September 2, 2025.

Please Remember: The Centralized Accommodated Testing Spaces are to be used only for students who are registered with Student Access and Accommodation and for who you have received a Faculty Notification of Accommodation. Reservations will be reviewed and any reservation made for a student without approved testing accommodations will be cancelled. Faculty will receive a notification 48 hours prior in order to make alternate arrangements. For more information, please email accommodatedtesting@tcu.edu

Faculty: How to Make a Reservation for the Centralized Accommodated Testing Spaces

Tests can only be scheduled through the online reservation system.

Complete the online form, https://reserve.tcu.edu/TestCenters, also available on the Provost’s website under Faculty Resources.
Reserve a specific start time with no more than five students at a time per section of a course, due to limited seating. You may need to stagger reservation times or schedule students at an alternate time to prevent overlaps.
If accommodated testing involves an online test, choose that option at the top of the “Special Instructions” in the reservation system. Otherwise, the default is a paper test.
For students who require small group accommodations, please make that choice in the dropdown below for Small Group testing: Tuesday 9:30am - 3:00pm, Wednesday 12:00pm - 5:00pm, Thursday 9:30am - 3:00pm. Use of the small group space is reserved only for students who have been approved for this accommodation (as noted on their Faculty Notification of Accommodation).
You will receive a calendar invitation as confirmation.
Forward the calendar invitation to the student(s) to confirm the date, time and location of their reservation as well as outlined accommodations. It is the faculty member’s responsibility to communicate with the student the date, time, location and requirements for testing, such as timely arrival and the TCU photo ID requirement.
Hand deliver exams and the PDF cover sheet from your calendar reservation to the Dean’s office (of your respective college/school) for pick up by 8:15 a.m., at least two days prior to the test date. There are no exceptions to this policy.
Completed tests will be delivered to the Dean’s office (of your respective college/school) the day after the test is administered.
- Each exam should include the student’s name, class, and section.
- Include the PDF cover sheet from your calendar reservation.
- Materials for Testing: Centralized Accommodated Testing provides word processors, headphones for text-to-speech, and noise-cancelling headphones. Any other materials required for an exam must be provided by the faculty member, such as scratch paper, graphing paper, drafting paper, etc.
NOTE: There will be no exceptions, last-minute changes or additions to the accommodated testing schedule. Faculty may not interact with proctors nor enter the test spaces. Any questions should be directed to accommodatedtesting@tcu.edu.

Centralized Accommodated Testing Spaces FAQs

Why do faculty need to fill out the students’ accommodations, and why is it important to do so accurately?

The Centralized Accommodated Testing Spaces (CATS) staff relies on faculty to indicate in the reservation system what accommodations are required. We cannot verify the accommodations that you and your student have individually discussed and determined are required for each exam. Filling things out carefully up-front helps everything run smoothly for both you and your students. We really appreciate your help with this!

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Why must exam reservations and materials be submitted at least two business days in advance?

Preparing exam packets and materials takes time, and each exam packet is customized to meet the student’s unique accommodations. This timeframe also allows the CATS staff the opportunity to ensure the appropriate number of proctors are available, based on the number of students reserved. Submitting materials early gives us the time we need to make sure every detail is correct and ready to go!

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What if my exam isn’t ready two business days early?

We require your tests to be submitted two business days before the test is proctored so we have ample time to prepare our individual testing packets. Full-time staff do this work, as no student workers ever see tests, for test security purposes. However, if for some unexpected reason you are not able to submit your tests in the two business day lead time, you will receive an email from the CATS staff notifying you of your missing exam. You have until 4pm the day before the exam is scheduled to drop it in Sadler 128. Please make sure that you are dropping it off with full-time staff. Student proctors are not allowed to receive exams. We do need it be that deadline at the latest to make sure we can get it in to the student’s exam packet. For Monday exams, that does mean we’ll still need it by Friday afternoon.

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Can I submit exams electronically?

Unfortunately, we can’t accept electronic submissions. We need a physical copy to include with the student’s exam packet. Thanks for understanding!

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My exam is in D2L (TCU Online). How will this work—is there anything special I should take into account?

Yes, there are a few important details to keep in mind:

Students must bring their own device (laptop or iPad) for online exams.
When reserving, please allow a little extra time for setup and any technical hiccups.
Please remember to include in your reservation the password required to access the exam (if applicable).
Please stay reachable by e-mail or phone while the student is testing if possible. If your student can’t access the exam, the student will email you with a staff member present to resolve it; if we can’t reach you within 15 minutes, we’ll need to stop the exam and work with you to reschedule, based on availability.
Students using D2L receive a printout of their reservation confirmation, which they can also use as scratch paper. If you don’t allow scratch paper-or if you’d like that page returned to you afterward- just include that note when submitting your reservation.

How does the exam proctoring work—who are the proctors, and what do they do?

Our proctors are trained undergraduate students who help monitor exams. Their role is to hand out materials, oversee the testing environment, and ensure academic integrity-they don’t make policy decisions, handle the exam themselves, or troubleshoot technical issues. Proctors are stationed throughout the room, including behind students, to maintain multiple lines of sight.

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How is exam integrity monitored and any concerns handled?

If the student proctor observes something concerning regarding test integrity, they will notify the Testing Coordinator immediately, who will then intervene as necessary. When this occurs, faculty will be provided a written summary of the incident from a CATS staff member within 24 hours. It is faculty’s responsibility to determine how they want to proceed.

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Students Responsibilities

Students must follow the rules below or the test will not be administered.

Bring a confirmed reservation showing date, time and place. The calendar invitation serves as confirmation.
Bring TCU photo ID for identification.
Students should bring all approved materials required to take their exam (pens/pencils, calculator, etc.)
Arrive promptly. Students who arrive more than 15 minutes late will not be allowed to take their test and must reschedule via their faculty member. Students who do not show up for their test must be rescheduled with their faculty member.
Sign an honor code statement of agreement before the test is administered.
Behave ethically. A student may be dismissed from the testing space for inappropriate behavior such as evidence of cheating, disrespecting the proctor or violating testing space policy. If a student is dismissed from the testing space, the faculty member and the Dean’s office will be notified when the test is returned.

Direct questions to accommodatedtesting@tcu.edu.