PVAMU Testing Services – Test Integrity Policy

The Office of Testing Services will NOT tolerate test violations or cheating by any tester, test taker, or test candidate. Without exception, those suspected of cheating will not be allowed to test with our office until the cheating case against them has been resolved. If you are found or caught cheating, your punishment will be decided by the Testing Services office.

Part I

Non-Permitted Items – the following items cannot be used in the test lab and must be stored away in a tester’s assigned locker:

  • Backpacks, Handbags, Briefcases, Purses.
  • Calculators of any kind.
  • Candidate-Provided Keyboards.
  • Electronics and Electronic Devices: this includes, but is not limited to, cell phones, Air Pods, headphones, headsets, tablets, smartphones, pagers, beepers, non-medical electronic devices, personal and laptop computers, digital assistants, flash drives, thumb drives, recording or photographic devices, iPods, media players, fitness trackers, wristwatch cameras, copying devices, transmission or receiving devices, electronic timers, and other portable electronic storage devices.
  • Food and Beverages.
  • Head Coverings (unless worn for religious purposes): this includes hats, hoods, bonnets, durags, scarves, etc.
  • Highlighters and Colored Pens.
  • Language Translators, Books, Dictionaries, Thesauruses, and any other reference materials.
  • Pencils (including mechanical) and Paper of any kind – if permitted for your test, a writing instrument and scratch paper will be provided to you by test staff.
  • Slide Rules, Protractors, Compasses, Rulers.
  • Sunglasses and Electronic Eyewear (including cases): This includes any eyewear that takes photos, records, make or takes calls, or accesses the internet.
  • Tobacco Products and Electronic Cigarettes.
  • Wallets and Keys of any kind.
  • Watches: this includes alarm watches, analog watches, beeping watches, calculator watches, digital watches, and smartwatches.
  • Any Unauthorized Test Aids.

 Prohibited Items – the following items are not allowed in the test lab:

  • Weapons/Firearms.

Part II

PVAMU has set forth a policy regarding academic dishonesty.

The university and its official representatives may initiate disciplinary proceedings against a student accused of any form of academic dishonesty including, but not limited to, cheating, plagiarism and collusion. Cheating or plagiarism in any degree will not be tolerated by Prairie View A&M University and will result in NO LESS that immediate dismissal from the examination in question. Further proceedings to have the violator suspended from class and/or from the college may be initiated through the current policy of the university on grievances.

Cheating includes:

  1. Copying from another student’s test paper, laboratory report or other report, or computer files, data listings and/or programs.
  2. Using materials during a test that are not authorized by the test administrator.
  3. Collaborating with another person or persons during an examination or in preparing academic work without authorization.
  4. Knowingly, and without authorization, using, buying, selling, stealing, soliciting, copying or possessing, in whole or in part, the contents of an un-administered test.
  5. Substituting for another student, permitting any other person, or otherwise assisting any other person to substitute for oneself or for another student in the taking of an examination or the preparation of academic work to be submitted for academic credit.
  6. Purchasing or otherwise acquiring and submitting as one’s work any research paper or writing assignment prepared by an individual or firm.
  7. Accessing “other” data files during exams, quizzes or other computerized testing programs.

Anyone who knowingly falsifies, or is a party to the falsifying of, any official university record (including, but not limited to, electronic test scores, Texas Success Initiative score reports, admission documents, or transcript information) will be subject to any or all of the following penalties:

  1. Withdrawal from all classes with no refund
  2. Dismissal from the institution
  3. Loss of credit earned while they were using documents to falsify their records

Part III

The PVAMU Testing Center is monitored by two-way surveillance mirrors and proctors who periodically roam the room while testing. In addition to this security, all computer exams administered are remotely monitored from a central location where student desktops are available for viewing at all times. Your verbal and nonverbal actions, regardless of intention, will be observed and may be reported while present at the Testing Center.

You will be required to put all miscellaneous items including, but not limited to, purses, backpacks, notebooks, coats, hats, cell phones, pagers and textbooks in a pre-assigned locker. You may not access these items while taking your test. Cell phones, pagers and other electronic communication devices must be turned off prior to placing them in the locker. No baseball caps or “hoodies” may be worn in the testing center. If you need to take a jacket/sweater into the testing room, it must be inspected by testing personnel prior to entry into the testing center.

The PVAMU Testing Center will NOT tolerate cheating. Without exception, those suspected of cheating will be immediately dismissed from the Testing Center and the student will not be allowed to test until the cheating case against them has been resolved.

Part IV

If you are caught cheating, your punishment will be decided by the Associate Director of University College. You will be notified via e-mail once the decision has been made. You may appeal the decision to the Director of University College within ten (10) business days from the receipt of the letter.

Please note that your case may be forwarded to the office of your specific major and the Office of Student Conduct for further review.