Exam4 > FAQ & User Guide
Getting Started
> What is
Exam4?
> Who gets to use it? Do I have to pay? What does it cost?
> How do I download and install? Is it a hassle?
> Where's my receipt?
> What is your refund policy?
Taking Exams
> What
are these startup screens about?
>
How do
I take a practice exam?
> Does
the word processor have a _____ function?
> Why
no spelling checker?
> What do
I do if my computer freezes or crashes?
> Why
is cut/copy/paste and/or the mouse disabled? (some
institutions)
Saving and Submitting Exams
> Where's
a backup copy of my exam? Can I look at it?
> How can I save another copy of my exam to a floppy disk?
> How can I make a backup copy of all of my exams?
> How
can I e-mail a copy of my exam to an administrator?
Technical Info
> Hardware and
operating system requirements.
> Compatibility with Apple Boot Camp Beta?
> Firewall
preventing download?
> Why does the
software say "expired"?
Contact User/Tech Support
> Look through the list of questions above to see if we've
already answered yours.
> If you still have questions,
click
here to contact User/Tech Support.
Getting Started
What is
Exam4?
Exam4 is like an
armored word processor. While you are taking an exam, nothing else
can get in or out. Exam4 turns your computer into a dedicated essay
exam-taking machine, like so:
- First, enter information about your exam via a short start-up sequence.
- Next, a blank word processor screen where you type your exam. No frills - one typeface (Courier), basic editing functions, and a timer and word counter. You won't be able to copy-and-paste from any other files on your computer.
- Exam4 auto-saves every 10 seconds plus an additional failsafe backup every 2 minutes, so you never have to worry. Just type your exam, with no distractions.
- When you're done, submit your exam electronically, or save to a USB flash drive or other designated location and hand it in. That's it.
Who gets to use it? Do I have to
pay? What does it cost?
It depends:
- If your institution has arranged to use and support Exam4 you'll be notified about those details.
- If not, you can still try out a free evaluation version. If you like it, contact us and we'll talk to your exam administrators.
How do I download and install? Is
it a hassle?
Extegrity has worked hard to make
Exam4 not only the easiest exam software to install, but possibly
the easiest software of any kind you'll ever install. You download directly
from a special web page for your institution. It should take only a
few seconds over a high-speed connection. To download, click on your
institution type at left and follow the instructions.
For Mac users, please download Exam4 using the Safari browser.
Where's my receipt?
Extegrity does not issue receipts
for payments made through this website; you get them directly from PayPal.
Most people set their PayPal account preferences to automatically e-mail
them a receipt. To view the receipt, go to www.paypal.com and log back
in to your account. The first or second screen will be your "Personal
Account Overview." The transaction regarding Extegrity will appear on
the list. Click the "Completed" link to pull up your receipt and print
it out. If you don't have a PayPal account, and paid without opening one,
let us know and we may be able to assist further.
What is your refund policy?
Extegrity User Support will make all reasonable efforts to assist with installation and operation of software when timely requested, and accordingly we have a strict "no refund" policy. Verified overpayments will be corrected.
Taking Exams
What are
these startup screens about?
Extegrity has carefully
designed these screens to be stepwise and self-explanatory. If you have an
area of the slightest confusion, or a suggestion for further improvement,
please contact us.
How do I take a practice exam?
Taking a practice exam is about making sure Exam4 runs as expected on your computer, and it gives you a chance to become familiar with the interface. Launch Exam4 and follow the on-screen instructions. There is no "practice exam question", just a blank page where you type your exam answer. For the Exam ID, use any two- or three-digit number. For the Exam Mode, enter CLOSED. The exam file will be encrypted and you will not be able to open it. If you have typed a lengthy practice exam and would like a printout, see your exam administrator.
Does the word processor have a
_____ function?
Exam4's word processor provides
the basic functions you need to take an exam. All functions are in the
menus.
Why no spelling checker? (some
institutions)
The decision whether or not to allow use of the spelling checker is made
by your institution.
What do I do if my computer
freezes or crashes?
First, take a deep
breath, it'll be OK. Then:
- Leave the computer in its crashed or frozen state so you can show it to your instructor/proctor. This means: don't force-quit (Alt-Ctrl-Del) the application; don't shut down or restart your computer.
- Call your instructor/proctor over immediately so they can restart you.
Why is cut/copy/paste and/or
the mouse disabled? (some institutions)
A few institutions require cut/copy/paste to be disabled.
This makes it so the mouse does not control the cursor within the text
window. Use the arrow keys to move the cursor in the text window.
Sometimes, such as after a popup box appears during an exam, you may need
to click the Tab key to get the cursor to reappear in the text window.
Saving and Submitting Exams
Where's
a backup copy of my exam? Can I look at it?
Exam4 saves backup copies on your hard drive that can be retreived if
your submitted exam is damaged or lost. CLOSED and OPEN Exam Modes save
only encrypted copies of your exam answer - your exam administrators can
read it, but you won't be able to.
How can
I save another copy of my exam?
Launch Exam4 - select the exam from the list - click the "Save as" button.
How can I make a backup copy of all of my exams?
Browse to the folder C:\Exam40 (Windows) or Documents\Exam4 (Mac) on your hard drive. Make a zipped/compressed copy of that folder and save it to a flash drive, burn it to a CD, email it to yourself, or duplicate by any other method you like.
How can I
e-mail a copy of my exam to an administrator?
Compose your e-mail message, then click
the button or select the menu item that allows you to insert or attach a
file. Browse to the folder C:\Exam40 (Windows) or Documents\Exam4 (Mac) on your hard drive. All your exams are
there, with long filenames that will make it easy to find the one you are
looking for. Attach both the exam file AND the backup
folder that has the same name as the exam.
Technical Info
Computer hardware and
operating system requirements
Exam4 requires a laptop or desktop computer
with:
- Supported operating systems:
- Microsoft Windows Vista
- Microsoft Windows 7
- Apple Macintosh OS X 10.5 Leopard
- Apple Macintosh OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
- Apple Macintosh OS X 10.7 Lion
- 10 MB free hard
disk space (a very small amount).
- Network connection and/or working USB port (as required by your institution).
- Minimum 800x600 screen resolution.
- Virtual operating systems are not supported.
Firewall preventing download?
If you have a
firewall that prevents download of [ .exe ] files, right-click on the
Exam4 download link, then click on "Save Target As..."
Why does the
software say "expired"?
Have you downloaded recently? If not, re-register and re-download as before. When you install the new copy of Exam4 it will overwrite the old copy automatically. If you still get an "expired" message, check your Date and Time settings to make sure your computer's clock is set correctly. If it still comes up "expired" contact User/Tech Support via the form at the bottom of this page.
Contact User/Tech Support
Do you have phone
support?
No. E-mail support is
the standard for customer service in all but the largest companies. E-mail
is quick, orderly and easy to track. We know we can count on our users to
write concise, detailed queries and we are usually able to respond within
24 hours, often much faster. In the very rare case you have an issue that
would be more easily handled by phone, we will be able to determine that
after a couple of e-mail exchanges. Please use the form below.
All information is required. This information will never be made available to third-parties. It may be used to verify your status as a qualifying examinee, and we reserve the right to do so.