As the semester begins, students scramble to remember their class number, teachers names, test and believe or not, even the class subject they are enrolled in. The first weeks of school seem to be, at times, so stressful that students are walking into the Testing Center not knowing what they are even there for, report test proctors. Robert Chacon, a Testing Center proctor and a senior in accounting from Phoenix, Ariz., said, “Students come in not knowing which professor or class they are taking a test for….We have 20-plus tests scheduled for the day and make-up tests, and it’s hard to find the exam they are looking for.”Chacon explained how they probe with questions to try and figure out which test the student is schedule to take. “I tried to help them by asking, ‘Who is your professor? What subject is it?’ Yet some students don’t have a clue… All they know is that they have to take a test,” said Chacon. “Students get upset at us for not knowing what test they have to take and that makes our job more difficult.” Gentry Bailey, a freshman from the Big Island and majoring in education, said, “The first time I went to the Testing Center, I didn’t know what to do, and I didn’t bring a pencil and they wanted me to pay 25 cents for one. But I didn’t have 25 cents because I used it for the gumball machine… but other than that, when I came back with a pencil, the Testing Center worked great.” Proctors are able to scan a student’s I.D. to find the necessary information. They are then able to pull up the student’s schedule to find the test. Sometimes, a student’s schedule is unavailable and ultimately, student is still responsible for knowing their test information upfront. Carson Bailey, a freshman majoring in biology from the Big Island, said, “I had to make three trips today because the first time I forgot my I.D., and the second time a pencil, and the third time I brought both.” Another Testing Center proctor, Gillian Soane, a senior from Bothell, Wash., said, “At minimal, a student is supposed to bring a photo I.D. and if you can’t find your school I.D., a driver’s license or PCC I.D. is fine and then some kind of writing tool. That’s minimal. On top of that, please know what test you are taking. A lot of people come in nervous and they forget what test they are taking and the name of the teacher.” Soane encouraged students to come prepared mentally for the stress of the test. “We have had some people come really stressed, hyperventilate and pass out while taking a test. They just get really scared. I don’t know why. There is nothing to be scared about.” The BYU-Hawaii Testing Services Website, http://testing.byuh.edu, provides students with answers to their most frequently asked questions such as hours of operation, rules, and tips to overcome test anxiety, how to study effectively and much more.
Writer: Jennifer Herrera~Multimedia Journalist
