While the Test Make-Up Center is a necessary resource that allows students to complete missed assessments, the operating hours of 7:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. make it difficult for many students to complete an exam in one sitting. Students may have to sacrifice one or more lunch blocks to make up a test, but skipping lunch should not be an option students resort to as doing so may lead to inadequate focus. It is also difficult to find time to make up an exam if students are busy before or after school or do not have an SRT.

“I had to make up an essay for [Comparative Global Issues], so I would need the full 90 minutes,” said sophomore Jack Sloan. “I don’t have an SRT, so I figured I could go after school one day, but [the center] is only open for an hour after school.”

Sloan’s experience is not unique. Other students also expressed frustration regarding the inability to take a 90-minute test in one sitting in the testing center without an SRT. Breaking up an exam throughout the day or even over multiple days is not ideal and does not replicate the test-taking environment of a classroom. 

Students also say that the check-in process is distracting for other test takers in the room who cannot help but notice those checking in with the supervisor or asking questions regarding their tests.

The chatter between student and supervisor, unzipping of backpacks and creak of file cabinets are all disruptions for test takers. Those already anxious about an exam may feel even more stressed because unnecessary interruptions make it harder for them to focus. 

Students deserve to make up exams in a distraction-free environment that mimics a traditional classroom. To address these concerns and improve the Test Make-Up Center, we suggest two modifications below.

I. Increase the center’s hours twice a week after school so students can complete a 90-minute exam in one sitting.

II. Move the center’s check-in process outside of the test-taking room to allow for less distractions. Assign two staff members to oversee the center with one inside the test-taking room to supervise and another outside to check in students.

Many students appreciatethe supervisors who administer the center. The Editorial Board hopes these suggestions can improve the Test Make-Up Center.