Rules and Responsibilities

Testing Center Dates with Closed or Reduced Hours for Spring 2024

See our Hours and Schedule for service and campus availability.

Masks are Recommended in the Testing Center

All PGCC Testing Center locations encourage everyone to wear a face mask to reduce the spread of disease.

Bring Your PGCC Student ID Number

After applying to the school and paying your application fee, you will be assigned a student ID number to be used for placement tests, registration, and exams. You may find this number on your bill, on your schedule, in your Owl Link, and in your PGCC Navigate account. Your student ID number is also encoded in the bar code of your PGCC ID card, if you have one.

Bring One Quarter for the Locker Room

At the Largo campus Testing Center, students are only allowed to have the following items at their desks: photo ID, pen or pencil, and a testing center locker key (if a locker is used). All other possessions brought into the center must be secured in a locker, which requires a quarter. The locker will return this quarter after a student reopens it to retrieve their possessions. Change is not available from our staff.

The Placement Test Requires a Photo ID

Students must present one of these forms of photo ID for placement tests, waivers, and exemptions.

• PGCC student ID or employee ID card (with name and photo).
• State-issued driver's license.
• Maryland state (MVA) ID card.
• Employer's ID (with name and photo).
• Valid passport.
• U.S. Uniformed Service ID Card (military ID).
• U.S. DoD Common Access Card.
• Permanent Resident Card (Green Card/Form I-551).
• Employment Authorization Document (work permit).

Rules for Placement Testing

Please complete all tests on your own using appropriate resources, such as a pencil and blank scratch paper.

• Math tests provide a built-in calculator resource only for questions that require them.
• Inappropriate resources include, but are not limited to, the following: other people, books, notes, the internet, phones, calculators, computers, etc.
• If the College finds evidence that a student used an inappropriate resource while taking a placement test, their test scores will be invalidated and removed from their student record. Then, the student must take all future placement tests with an in-person proctor.
• Incoming students must follow the College's Code of Conduct and other Testing Center rules.

A PGCC Photo ID is Required for Academic Tests

Students taking academic tests (any test or exam required by a course in which a student is enrolled at Prince George's Community College (PGCC)) are required to have their PGCC Student ID card, which must be presented to Testing Center staff when checking in. Any student who does not present his/her valid PGCC Student ID card will not be allowed to take any academic tests. We encourage students to obtain a PGCC ID card as soon as possible after they have registered for classes and carry it with them at any PGCC location.

Prospective students without PGCC ID cards who want to take the placement test should refer to the placement test instructions.

Food and Personal Property Must be Secured in Lockers

No personal property (including, but not limited to books, notes, purses, bags, phones, pagers, PDAs) is allowed at the testing stations. All other possessions brought into the center must be secured in a locker, which requires a quarter. The quarter is returned when the locker is reopened. Change is not available from college staff.

Examinees may not bring food, drink, chewing gum or candy into the center.

Any other item or material which the Testing Center staff determines to be a security risk, potentially disruptive or distracting for any reason is not allowed.

Monitoring, Academic Integrity, and Violations of the Rules

Students using the Testing Center must consent to observation and surveillance during the time they are in the Testing Center, which may include both audio and video recording. Any violation of Testing Center rules, the Code of Conduct, or the Academic Integrity Policy will be documented and reported to your instructor and the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards. Any notes or other unauthorized materials will be collected by Testing Center staff and made available to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards, the instructor (for course-related tests), or other appropriate Academic Affairs or Student Services personnel.

The Testing Center's rules have been established to insure fairness in the reporting of examination results and to protect the integrity of the examination process. Failure to comply with any of these rules may result in the denial of access to, or expulsion from, the Testing Center. Instances of suspected academic dishonesty will result in the initiation of disciplinary proceedings as outlined in the College's Code of Conduct. All such occurrences will be documented and reported to the instructor and/or responsible administrator. Breaking any Testing Center rules is considered a violation of the College's Code of Conduct.

Special Needs Testing Accommodations

Special needs students should contact Disability Support Services to obtain permission to test under exceptional circumstances. Any testing accommodation which conflicts with any Testing Center rule must be approved in advance by their director. The main telephone numbers for Disability Support Services are 301-546-0838, and TDD: 301-546-0122.

Only Examinees are Allowed in the Center

Friends, family, children, spouses, etc. are not permitted.

Conduct While in the Testing Center

• Students are only allowed to have the following items at their desks: PGCC ID, pen or pencil, a testing center locker key (if a locker is used), and a calculator provided by the testing center (if permitted on the test). All other possessions brought into the center must be secured in a locker, which requires a quarter. The quarter is returned when the locker is reopened. Change is not available from Testing Center staff. Change machines are located in vending areas around the campus.
• Any other item or material which the Testing Center staff determines to be a security risk or potentially disruptive or distracting will not be allowed.
• Mobile phones, smartphones, and all electronic communication, data storage, or recording devices are prohibited and cannot be used as calculators or for any other purpose. Possession of these devices is a violation of academic integrity and is prohibited.
• Communication with other students while testing is a violation of academic integrity and is prohibited.
• Copying, retaining, or distributing examination questions is a violation of academic integrity and is prohibited.
• Unauthorized use of computers, notes, books, or other study aids is a violation of academic integrity and is prohibited.
• Once testing has begun, students cannot leave the Center until their test is submitted to the Testing Center staff. Once submitted (or abandoned by unauthorized departure) a test cannot be resumed.
• Food, drink, etc. are prohibited.
• No children, family members, or friends are allowed in the testing center. No childcare is provided at the Center.
• Disability accommodations must be requested through and approved by the Disability Support Services Office.
• Students in the Testing Center are subject to strict proctoring and observation at all times.
• Disruptive behavior is prohibited and may result in permanent expulsion from the Center and other student disciplinary measures. Examples of disruptive behavior include the following:
• Talking in the testing area
• Use of loud language
• Use of profane or vulgar language
• Abusive language directed toward staff or other student
• Fighting
• Loud laughing or screaming
• Deliberately persistent annoying or distracting behavior quirks
• Any other behavior which the Testing Center staff determines to be disruptive

Limitations on Use

• No entry to the Testing Center is permitted at the posted closing time
• Students must finish and submit their tests no more than 30 minutes after closing time.
• Students may only take one test at a time. A test must be submitted to Testing Center staff and checked out, before a student may begin another test.
• The Testing Center at PGCC does not administer exams for other institutions
• The Testing Center does not offer keyboarding or typing tests

Contact the Testing Center

Email: testingcenter@pgcc.edu
Phone number: 301-546-0147