Create Sittings

A sitting is an allocation of a test for a set time period to a chosen student or group of students. It selects the specific test and level, the date (or date range) and the students who require access codes to complete the assigned sitting.

When you create a sitting, it is added to the Sittings list, so you can view its details at a future date or make changes to it, if required.

When creating a sitting, you will be prompted to enter relevant details using the Sittings wizard. You will be asked to provide the following information:

• Sitting Name - The name you assign to the sitting. 

• Select Product - The test you want students to take. Depending on the product you have selected, additional information may also be required such as the product level and the part of the test you want the student(s) to sit. For example, Exact (Product), Form A (Product Level), Reading Comprehension (Test Part).

• Test Duration – Whether the sitting will be timed or untimed. This is not applicable to all products.  

• Test Start Period (From Date and To Date) - The earliest and latest date and time by which a student can begin their test.

• Students - The names of the students who will be sitting the test. They will be sent access codes in order to complete the assigned sitting.

• Test Start Mode - The manner in which the test will start.

1. Click Sittings on the Testwise home screen. All existing sittings will be visible within the Sittings list. If no sittings are displayed, it is either because no sittings have been created, or because existing sittings have been archived.

2. Click Add Sitting to display the Add Sitting page. This is where you provide the information required to create your sitting.

3. Provide a ‘Sitting Name’. This will identify the sitting throughout the system, including within the Sittings list. Ensure that the sitting name entered is clear and recognisable by colleagues also using Testwise and note that this will be printed on the access code slips provided to students. 

Note: A sitting name must not match one already used by the same account. The unique name will be used to identify the sitting within Testwise.

4. Click on the drop-down in the field labelled 'Select Product' to display all products available for a sitting and select the required product.

5. Click on the drop-down in the field labelled 'Select Product Level' to display all the tests available for the selected product. Select the required test(s).

Note: An additional field labelled 'Select Test Part(s)' may also be required for some products.

Once a product has been selected, information on the recommended age group for the selected test will appear on the right hand side of the screen.

More information about each test (within a product) can be found by clicking on the right side of the page.

The Test Start Period for the sitting defines the earliest and latest date/time a student can start their assigned test in the Test Lobby.

For example, a one-hour time period to log into the Test Lobby starting 08/12/2020 4 pm; the 'From Date' would be defined as 08 Dec 2020 16:00, and the 'To Date' would be 08 Dec 2020 17:00.

Students can log into the Test Lobby at any time (using their Access Code), however, they will not be able to complete tests unless they have logged in within the Test Start Period.

Note: Each Sitting Time Period cannot be greater than the maximum sitting duration, which is defined by the System Administrator. If your sitting is for longer than the permitted number of days, a red warning outline will appear on the field in which the date was inputted. Red text will also appear under the field stating the required date range for the sitting. Adjust the dates accordingly. The maximum sitting duration is usually set to 30 days.

6. Select whether the test is to be timed or untimed by clicking the drop down in the Test Duration field (if applicable).

7. Click the Calendar icon in the 'From' field to define the earliest date a student can start their test.

8. Click the Clock icon in the 'Time' field next to the 'From' field to define the earliest time a student can start their test.

9. Click the Calendar icon in the 'To' field to define the latest date a student can start their test.

10. Click the Clock icon in the 'Time' field next to the 'To' field to define the latest time a student can start their test.

Note: There is a limit of 30 calendar days for a sitting period. 

11. Click Add Student(s) to display the Students list.

Determine which students will be participating in the sitting.

The Search Bar and the Filter can be used to refine the search for specific students. You can also use the ascending/descending order arrows in the column headings to sort the list.

Use the arrows at the bottom of the list to navigate the pages or choose the number of students displayed on a single page using the Items per page drop-down field.

Ensure there are enough available credits to add each student to the sitting. You will need one credit for each student user taking the test. The number of available credits is displayed at the top of the page. If you do not have enough credits you should contact the Testwise Renewals Team, their contact information can be found here.

Note: The number of available credits at the top of the page will reduce by one for every individual student that you add to the sitting.

12. Add the required student(s) to the sitting by selecting the checkbox on the left of the student's name. If a large group is being selected for the sitting, a whole list can be selected at once by clicking the 'Select All' box on the left hand side of the table headings.

Note: A checkbox will turn purple with a tick when selected.

13. Click Add Student(s) once the required students have been selected. The number of selected students will now be visible on the Add Sitting page.

14. The Test Start Mode defines the way in which tests are started. You can choose between two different types of Test Start Modes:

• Manual Test Start - Students can log into the Test Lobby within the Test Start Period. However, tests are locked until a User (Teacher or School Administrator) manually starts the test by clicking the Start Test button in the Sittings area on their screen. Please refer to Manually Start Tests for details about how to find the Start Test button.

• Automatic Test Start - Students can log into the Test Lobby and start their tests any time within the Test Start Period. They gain access using a code given to them by a User. Please refer to the Automatically Start Tests for additional details about how this feature works.

15. Once all information in the Add Sitting wizard has been populated, check that all the details of the sitting you just created are correct, and make any required changes.

16. Click Save to save all the information you entered in the Sittings Wizard, you will need to click either the Save Draft button or the Save button. 

• Clicking on the Save Draft button means that the sitting details are saved without reducing the number of credits in your total number of credits. The number of credits for this sitting will only be deducted when you change sitting details and then click on the Save button.

• Clicking on the Save button means that the sitting details are saved and the number of credits in your total number of credits is reduced by the number of students taking tests in the sitting.

Note: A sitting cannot be created if there is an insufficient credit balance.

17. The sitting you have just created will now be displayed in the Sittings list.

Note: Sitting details cannot be changed if one or more students have begun the test.