Testing systems

We use different systems for online and offline tests and examinations:  

• Paper-based 
• Ans  
• SOWISO
• OnCourse  
• STEP 
• Proctoring  

For each course, you can find the way of testing in Osiris. Be aware that you will need your student ID card for all your exams.  

During a paper-based exam you work out the answers of your exam on paper. If your exam is an Ans on-paper one, watch the video below about how to take an Ans on-paper exam. 

If you will be taking a digital exam, it is very likely that you will be doing this via Ans, the general testing system at TU/e. The program is fairly intuitive to use. Once you have logged in, you will see an overview of the courses that you need to take exams for. Once you have taken an exam via Ans – whether online or offline – you can easily inspect it afterwards. As soon as your exam has been graded, you will receive a message from your lecturer.

The other two testing systems used at TU/e are SOWISO and OnCourse. These systems are primarily used for math exams.

A STEPstick turns your laptop into a digital testing environment with special testing software and online access to the key application. It is important to check the compatibility of your laptop with the STEPstick. Are you taking a STEP exam this quartile? For some STEP exams, it is important to have your notebook checked. You will receive an e-mail when you can have your notebook checked at IMS Services/Student, you do not need an appointment for this. For some exams you do not need to check your laptop at IMS, you will receive an e-mail if this is the case.

There are also notebook exams without STEPstick. For these exams, you may use your notebook to look things up or you may need the notebook to take the exam. This will be communicated by your lecturer. 

Authentic Assessment is assessment whereby students are able to use (offline) digital documents and/or tools, such as those included in the curriculum and/or learning process (e.g., MATLAB, CAD, PDFs with course material), in addition to that in which the assessment takes place (e.g., ANS), all within a secure testing environment.

To continue with our goal of offering an Authentic Assessment solution, new pilot projects are being conducted. 

We advise you to be well-prepared beforehand. Taking a practice exam enables you to check that the software is working and considerably decreases the chance of problems during the exam itself. When you take a practice exam you can also install the Proctorio plugin. Then you will have done this already before you take your real exam. The instructions speak for themselves. You can find the practice exams in Ans under ‘Proctoring’. The practice exams in Cirrus and OnCourse are only available if you must take an exam in these systems. As preparation you can also watch the video or see the checklist. 

Are things not going according to plan because of a technical problem? For example, is there a technical error in the exam or are you having a problem with a power outage? Report this within 24 hours after your exam to the Examination Committee using this web form. Once you have submitted this form you will receive an automatic reply explaining how we will deal with your ‘complaint’. 

Want to know more? Contact IMS Services at 040 - 247 2000 or via the contact form below.