Sittings

Sittings are used to define which students take which tests, and when these tests are taken. Once a sitting has been created and started, each student will be able to log into the Test Lobby and take their tests.

For a quick summary of the main functions within the Sittings area, you can watch the Sittings video.

The above screenshot shows a sitting entitled 'Sitting 4', which has allocated the 'CAT4 Level D Group' test to 3 students (Ella Moore, Matthew Taylor, Joshua Evans), with a Test Start Period of 10am to 11am on 24 May 2016. This means that 3 students will be able to log into the Test Lobby between the times of 10am and 10:59am on 24 May 2016 and begin the CAT4 Level D Group test.

In terms of how much time each student is given to complete the CAT4 Level D Group test, this is defined within the test itself and cannot be changed within Testwise. The duration of a test can be found within the Teacher Guidance Pack for the selected test. The duration for the CAT4 Level D Group test is 112 minutes. Each student will have to wait until the full 112 minutes has elapsed before the system will accept that they have completed their CAT4 Level D Group test.

Sittings Process

The Sitting Process can be summarised as follows:

1 Check student(s) who need to be tested are contained within the Student List, by viewing students. If the students are not in the Student List, then you should add students or import students to ensure they do appear in the Student List.

2 Create a sitting, using the Sittings Wizard, which prompts you to enter all the information required to create a sitting.

3 Distribute Student Login Details and Test Taking Instructions to each student.

4 Each student logs into the Test Lobby and waits until the test starts. Test can start automatically or can be manually started, depending upon the Test Start Mode that was selected within the Sittings Wizard.

Note: A Teacher may log into the Test Lobby on behalf of some students if it is inappropriate or not possible for them to do it themselves.

5 Each student completes the tests allocated to them. Using our example:

Ella Moore could log into the Test Lobby at 10am on 24 May 2016, spend 62 minutes completing her tests and then log out of the Test Lobby at 11:02am.
Matthew Taylor could log into the Test Lobby at 10:58am on 24 May 2016, spend 62 minutes completing his tests and then log out of the Test Lobby at 12pm.
Joshua Evans could log into the Test Lobby at 10:30am on 24 May 2016 and log out at 11:15am. In order to complete the CAT4 Level D test, he will have to return to the Test Lobby for another 17 minutes, which is the amount of time remaining on the CAT4 Level D test. Since he started the test within the Test Start Period, he can log into the Test Lobby on multiple occasions to complete the remaining tests allocated to him. Completing tests in multiple stages like this, is possible, but is not recommended. If tests are completed by logging into the Test Lobby on multiple occasions, students should ensure that they end each test session at the end of a test section, as this is when test responses are saved by the system.

The Sitting Process can be completed by a number of different users and at different times. There is no need to complete the whole sittings process all at once, as each step is a succinct stand-alone area, which can be completed and saved as and when required.