10 Tips for Successful End of Rotation™ Exam Administration

This past year marked the 10 th anniversary of PAEA End of Rotation exams. Throughout this milestone year several things have also changed for PAEA Assessment in general, including publication of a new Surgery End of Rotation exam blueprint and release of new End of Rotation exam forms. New End of Rotation exam forms were released on August 23, 2023, which was also the launch date of PAEA’s Assessment Center platform.

This platform change was understandably a big adjustment for everyone involved, and some challenges were anticipated while others were not. We are now a few months post-launch and recognize the need to continue educating our members on the platform to ensure successful exam administrations. This article will provide 10 tips based on frequently asked questions or issues we’ve seen programs encounter.

  1. Before scheduling, verify the exam credit balance is enough to cover the exam event. If your program uses Student Exam Boxes, please check the Manage Student Exam Boxes page in the Hub to verify each student for the event has credits available.
  2. Internally discuss the delivery method being used before scheduling, and ensure the program is prepared to use that delivery method.
  3. Determine which method proctors will use to start an In Person exam. The Networker article here discusses the two different ways to start an exam.
  4. Exam proctors should familiarize themselves with navigating the Assessment Center prior to the exam date, and ensure their account grants them access to the necessary areas of the platform.
  5. Ensure students are scheduled with the correct exam details before the scheduled exam date, especially those using time-based accommodations., Proctors can check the accuracy of time-based accommodations in the Duration column of the Monitor Exam page in the Exam Delivery Platform. Check out this article in the PAEA Knowledge Base for more details.
  6. Communicate with students about what they are expected to do and when they are allowed to enter their keycode. PAEA has student communication templates available here, which programs can download, edit, and send to students to relay important exam information.
  7. Print or download the invigilation pack before the exam, and more importantly, before removing the PIN. The Knowledge Base article here further explains why having that information is important for success.
  8. Ensure that SecureClient is up-to-date to allow for a smooth exam event. If using university devices, have the IT staff make sure SecureClient is updated before the exam and successfully opens to the keycode page. If students are using personal devices, communicate in your pre-exam outreach they should check for updates and ensure it opens the night before. You may also want to have backup devices on hand in case of any issues.
  9. Make sure students are patient after they finish their exam. If they do not get an immediate confirmation that their score is uploaded, it’s important they wait 5-10 minutes until SecureClient returns to the keycode screen before closing the app. If students receive an error message after finishing the exam, please have them complete the steps outlined in this Knowledge Base article.
  10. Bookmark the Knowledge Base and the Tips and FAQs page for quick reference. Many of the common questions and issues programs have had thus far will be explained within these resources. Also download the updated Assessment Center User Guide for instructions to Assessment Center procedures.

We hope these tips can help prevent additional issues and set programs up for success going forward. As always, the PAEA Exam Support team is available by email at exams@PAEAonline.org should you have any issues with your exam administration, feedback, or general questions.

Simone Stewart

Simone Stewart, Coordinator, Member Engagement, has been with PAEA since 2022