Exam Software Info
See which software various schools use for exams and how they treat Mac users.
As far as I know, there are four law school exam packages:
Electronic Blue Book by CompuTest
CompuTest has created a Mac version of their Electronic Blue Book (EBB) exam software. CompuTest was very responsive to my queries, and told me that they are “seeing a bigger Mac presence at law schools.” One advantage of EBB, according to CompuTest, is that “tests typed with EBB for Macs can be printed out through a Windows-based machine with our system, which most importantly means that schools do not have to go out and purchase a Mac machine just to print out Mac exams.”
MacBook and MacBook Pro users who have installed Windows XP on their machines using Boot Camp may have the option of using their Macs to take exams with EBB, even if the school does not have the Mac EBB client. According to CompuTest, EBB for Mac is now compatible with any version of Mac OS X. [27 March 08]
Exam4 by Extegrity
Extegrity offers a Mac-native version of Exam4, which runs on OS X 10.4 or greater. It is a Universal Binary, which means it will run on older PowerBooks and iBooks as well as MacBooks and MacBook Pros. Extegrity has been very responsive to my queries. Recently they informed me that after testing last semester, Exam4 now fully supports Leopard. [27 March 08]
Securexam by Software Secure
Software Secure makes an OS X client for their Securexam software that runs on OS X 10.3 and above. Securexam is used by over 50 law schools, and according to Software Secure, at least half of those schools use the Macintosh client. The Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, and New York bar exams also utilize Securexam.
Software Secure has been very responsive to my queries. Here’s an exerpt from a message they sent in September, 2006 to each of the schools that use Securexam:
The fact that we are providing a secure environment means that we are restricting certain events from happening. Most of these restrictions are completely transparent to the user and happen in the background. Others are more obvious as Securexam will not run when the computer is engaged in certain activities.
Specifically, Securexam for Apple will not run in conjunction with either a virtual machine session or a remote access session. This means programs like Parallels, VMware, Remote Desktop, PC Anywhere, Go To My PC, Log Me In and the like will all have to be terminated before Securexam will run.
[27 March 08]
SofTest by ExamSoft
ExamSoft’s SofTest is used in more law schools than any other exam package. Unfortunately there is no Macintosh version of the software.
At the end of June, 2006, IT managers at law schools that use SofTest were sent an official message by ExamSoft, regarding support for Boot Camp.
Dear Administrator,
ExamSoft has completed its evaluation of SofTest’s compatibility running on Mac Book and Mac Pro where Windows XP has been installed utilizing Boot Camp. We are pleased to confirm all SofTest functionality successfully operates in this environment.
Clients have the option of allowing Exam Takers to use SofTest with Mac Book or Mac Book Pro OR ExamSoft can block SofTest from operating in this environment if your institution does not allow or provide support for Mac’s.
The default setting for SofTest will be to operate in this environment so if you want to allow Exam Takers to use Mac Book or Mac Book Pro you’re all set.
If you DO NOT want SofTest to operate in this environment, please contact ExamSoft Client Support PRIOR to opening fall registration and we will modify the SofTest version distributed to your Exam Takers.
Note that ultimately the decision to support SofTest running on Boot Camp is ultimately up to each school’s IT department.
MLS reader Michael reported that if you are using VMware Fusion alongside a Boot Camp installation, you cannot use the Boot Camp partition for a SofTest install. The program installs, but does not allow you to run the app, because it detects the presence of VMware. Michael noted that even after removing the VMware tools program from his Windows XP partition, the problem was still there. It is unclear how SofTest is able to look into the OS X partition, but it somehow detects the presence of VMware Fusion, according to Michael. [02 Jan 07]
There is now a fix for this problem. I received a helpful note from ExamSoft that included this useful information [28 April 08]:
Through research, we have found that the VMWare Tools package deployed by VMWare Fusion does not completely remove all components when removed via Add/Remove programs.
While VMWare has released separate “Clean Up” utility for some of their products, we’re not aware of one for Fusion at this time.
Solution:
We have created a simple utility that will prompt the user to uninstall VMWare Tools and will also remove the items left behind that caused the problem with SofTest. Users of SofTest may contact support via phone, chat or email to request the fix.
What is Boot Camp?
Apple’s Boot Camp technology is part of Mac OS X 10.5 (”Leopard”). It is a boot loader that allows MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air users to boot directly into Windows XP at startup. Thus, unlike VirtualPC, when you run Windows XP using Boot Camp, OS X is not running at all. You are using a Windows computer. Note that you must have a copy of Windows XP in order to run Windows on Boot Camp.
The Electronic Exam Controversy
Not all schools use specialized exam software. Some have tried it and decided to opt out. Georgetown, for example, dropped SofTest in 2004, relying on students to regulate their own test-taking behavior, rather than on exam software. Berkeley did the same thing.
Exam Software Info for Various Law Schools
If your school isn’t listed Email me and let me know what your school uses.
Albany Law - Meach reports that the school now allows Boot Camp use with SofTest, but must sign up first. The school does not support Boot Camp setup, and Boot Camp may only be used with Windows XP. [01 March 08].
American University - The Washington College of Law uses SofTest, though according to 1L Brian, many professors dispense with the exam software altogether, and allow students to use a standard word processing application instead of SofTest. The IT department does not support BootCamp, but students are allowed to use it at their peril. Brian reports that he took all of his fall exams on his MacBook without a hitch, unlike some of his PC-using compatriots. [11 February 07]
The school does have a loaner program:
For the very substantial number of non-Intel Mac users, the university provided loaner Thinkpads, to be checked out at no cost. I have heard grumblings that students will have to pay for loaner laptops this semester, but even this is better than needing to buy a PC for two weeks a year.
Benjamin N. Cardozo - Jeff, a student at Cardozo, confirms that the school uses Securexam. According to Jeff, last semester they started allowing use of the Mac OS X client version. He thinks that the Mac version uses a locked-down version of TextEdit. [24 January 07]
Boston College - There has been some confusion about BC’s policy. Mike clarified things after a discussion with the Dean for Academic Affairs. Next year (2007/08), BC will allow but not support Boot Camp use of SofTest. For current final exams, they do not allow Macs. [03 April 07]
Brooklyn Law School - The school uses Securexam and supports Macs. Thanks to Alfred for the info. [05 December 07]
University of California, Berkeley - Berkeley recently abandoned SofTest altogether, so students type exams in a word processing program, constrained by the school’s honor code. [11 February 07]
University of California, Davis - The law school at my alma mater uses SofTest, but allows Boot Camp use. Thanks to Michael Katz for this info. [13 June 07]
University of California, Hastings - Unwilling to take the Berkeley route, Hastings uses SofTest, but allows Boot Camp use. Thanks to Michael Katz for this info. [13 June 07]
University of California, Los Angeles - UCLA uses SofTest, and now allows Mac users to use Boot Camp, “at their own risk.” Thanks to Michael Katz for this info. [13 June 07]
Catholic University - Eric notes that the Columbus School of Law uses the Web-based version of Securexam for Macintosh [05 March 08]
Chapman University - Chapman uses SofTest and does not allow Boot Camp use. [13 June 07]
University of Chicago - File this one under “Envy.” Chicago student Nathan gives us the lowdown [26 April 07]:
The school doesn’t use any of the restrictive software packages. You’re expected simply to do the exam on your computer and email it in normally, whether its an in-class or take home exam. Because of this, it doesn’t matter whether you are a Mac or PC user, or even if you use MS Word - you just need to have a .doc file to email when you are done. I use a Mac with NeoOffice for my exams. In theory, you could boot Linux or even use a PocketPC (presumably with an external keyboard).
Chicago-Kent - According to Dave, Chicago-Kent is particularly hostile to Mac users. The school uses SofTest and does not allow Boot Camp use. He elaborates:
They won’t even let Macs authenticate on the wireless network!! My Mac brethren and I are forced to either borrow a Windows laptop for exams or use the PCs in the computing labs. And we all tote network cables (how primitive!) for connecting to WestLaw and Lexis during class.
Ouch! [03 March 08]
Columbia University - Columbia students are on top of it! I received two messages today, one from Daniel and one from Brandon. The bottom line is that begining with exams this spring, the school will support Boot Camp for ExamSoft. The school is testing some flavor of native Mac exam software and is hoping to have it ready for next year. [ 04 April 07]
Drake University - Michael, an incoming student, confirms that Drake uses SofTest. They also told him:
For security purposes, the Drake Law School will not be allowing students to take exams on Apple-based hardware. Virtualization technologies, such as Boot Camp and Parallels, afford too much opportunity for users to switch between operating systems, compromising exam security.
[editorial note: Boot Camp is really a boot loader, and it is already possible to dual boot a Dell, Toshiba, or any other Windows laptop between Windows and Linux. It is also possible to use VirtualPC to boot from one instance of Windows into another. Parallels does seem to present some potential issues, because it allows Intel Mac users to run Windows applications natively from within OS X. However, it is unclear to me whether SofTest would run properly in Parallels. The larger question, of course, is whether it is in the best interest of law schools to penalize users of more capable computers.] [29 June 06]
Drexel - Drexel uses Securexam, and Joe reports that Drexel is very Mac-friendly [14 May 08]:
Macs are highly supported by the university community, as they have been in use by the school since the 1980’s in their engineering program, and the Law School has followed suit. Exams have been largely trouble free throughout my first year at the school, with the exception of the occasional bug reported by a student. The school is very fast to respond to any problems reported by students.
Duke - Andrew sent a heads-up on Duke, which uses Electronic Blue Book. Duke only uses the Windows version of EBB, but does support Boot Camp use with a few caveats. Andrew also reports that Duke’s tech support services Macs. [18 February 08]
Duquesne - Andrea reports that the school uses Securexam, which runs natively on Macs. She uses her iBook G4 with the program and has had no problems. The Windows version includes a timer, but the Mac version does not. Other than that “small gripe” she says it works fine. [10 May 07]
Florida Coastal School of Law - Peter reports that the school uses SofTest. The IT department supports Boot Camp, but only if the student signs a waiver first. [29 September 06]
Florida State - According to MLS reader Anisha, Florida State uses Exam4. [12 April 06]
University of Florida - 1L Anisha continues to keep us informed. According to her, students are allowed to use Intel Macs with the school’s SofTest setup, but the school provides no official support because Boot Camp is still in beta. She adds: “According to the head tech guy at the law school, official support for the Intel Macs should come in Fall 2007, around the same time Boot Camp is expected to be out of beta.” Finally, she says that based on what she’s seen, there don’t seem to be any problems for Boot Camp users. [24 April 07]
Fordham - Fordham uses Exam4 and supports OS X 10.4 and 10.5. [27 March 08]
George Mason - Incoming 1L Christopher reports that the school uses SofTest but supports Boot Camp with Windows XP. [27 July 07]
George Washington - Michael, who is the administrator of the GW Law Mac Users Group, forwarded me an official school announcement, which stated that the Mac version of Exam4 is now authorized for use. The IT department will not provide tech support for the Mac version. The announcement also noted that there are “more than 130 Mac users at GW Law.” [17 November 07]
Georgia State - Caroline notes that GSU fully supports SecureExam for Mac, but so far is not supporting Leopard (OS X 10.5). [13 April 08]
University of Georgia - UGA’s website declares:
The software required for taking exams in-class (Examsoft) requires Windows. It will run on a PC or an Intel Mac (Mac Book or Mac Book Pro) with Windows XP installed using Boot Camp.
Incoming 1L Chloe was told through correspondence with the IT department that the Assistant Dean has personally approved the use of Macs for test-taking. However, the IT department does not offer any other type of technical support for Macs. [06 July 06]
Hamline University School of Law - Hamline uses SofTest, and allows Boot Camp use. The school also has a limited number of PC laptops to lend for exams on a first come, first served basis. Thanks to Michael for the info. [26 August 07]
Harvard University - Harvard uses the honor system and Macs may be used for exams. Thanks to Michael Katz for this info. [13 June 07]
University of Hawaii - Javier reports that the William S. Richardson School of Law is now allowing Boot Camp use with Windows XP for exam-taking with SofTest. According to Javier, four or five students Boot Camp users were present at his first exam this semester, including himself. None of them had any glitches, although two PC users had problems during the exam. [04 May 07]
University of Houston Law Center - Rob, the Director of IT states:
At the University of Houston, all law students may use their laptops to take exams. We use EBB, both the Windows and Mac clients. Using the software on either platform does require that the student have a floppy disk drive.
[21 November 07]
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - Kevin notes that the school uses SofTest and supports Boot Camp use. [03 March 08]
University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law - Christopher reports that the school switched to Exam4 in the Fall of 2007. According to Christopher, results were mostly good, though there was a bit of a glitch involving an update to the Exam4 software. Once the update was applied, everything went well. Christopher also reports that the school’s IT department is very Mac-friendly and has even been lobbying the Kentucky Bar Association to allow Macs in the bar exam. [02 Jan 07]
Loyola Law School (Los Angeles) - Douglas reports that Loyola uses Securexam with Mac support. [03 April 07]
McGill University - The law faculty uses Securexam and they claim compatibility with both PC and Mac. Thanks to Chad for the info. [24 October 07]
University of Michigan - Jacob forwarded a note from the IT department. The school is supporting the Mac version of Electronic Blue Book. [18 December 07]
University of Missouri-Kansas City - Second year UMKC student Maureen writes that the school uses SofTest and does not support Boot Camp. [26 September 06]
University of Montana - Brian reports that the school isn’t very Mac friendly. The IT staff uses ExamSoft and is not very familiar with Macs. According to Brian:
This makes life for the four students and one faculty member using Macs difficult when we have to interact with the school’s systems, but in comparison to the line of students with malfunctioning Dell laptops at IT’s door, life could be far worse.
[21 November 07]
University of Nebraska College of Law - Robert Bennett, the Director of IT, notes that the school uses Exam4. He says Exam 4 has no known issues with OSX 10.4. He adds, “I’d prefer all our students use Macbooks as they cause me far fewer problems all around.” [24 October 07]
University of Nevada Las Vegas - Chad, an undergrad who works in the IT department at the William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV wrote to tell me about their setup. They use SofTest, and have been supporting Boot Camp. In his words, “Macs ran ExamSoft beautifully, no issues whatsoever.” [30 December 06]
New York University - NYU now supports Macs for exams. This is from a message sent to NYU students by the IT department:
Windows XP and Vista users will continue to use Examsoft’s SofTest for in-class exams.
Mac Users wishing to take in-class exams on their Mac laptop will be enrolled in a beta testing group for Software Secure’s Securexam Student (”SES}) software. Please go to www.law.nyu.edu/technology/laptops/macsesbeta.html for more information.
Take Home Exams will continue to be administered on the THES system. THES will remain, as always, platform-independent.
Thanks to Enia for the updated info. [03 August 07]
University of North Carolina - The UNC School of Law website declares that the school uses SofTest, and that “ExamSoft is also supported ONLY on Apple MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops running Windows using Apple’s Boot Camp software.” [02 August 06]
Northeastern University - Cassandra reports that the school uses the Mac version of SecureExam. She also notes that this is “probably because 1/3 of the school uses Macs.” [04 March 08]
Nova Southeastern - Incoming 1L Brant has the lowdown. Macbook/MBP users must deliver their laptop to Nova’s law library a month prior to the beginning of the fall semester. In order to use a Mac, the school insists on a Boot Camp partition of at least 40GB, with Windows XP or Vista installed. The school charges a $250 fee, and installs these apps in the Windows partition: MS Office 2007, Internet Explorer 7 “with multimedia plug-ins”, Corel WordPerfect X3, McAfee VirusScan, and SofTest. [27 July 07]
Ohio State University - Rachel took time out of her exam prep to report that Ohio State uses Securexam. She says it renders a bit differently on Macs, but works. [07 May 07]
University of Pennsylvania - Jonathan reports that the school uses SofTest but allows Mac users to run exams in Windows XP under Boot Camp. [18 May 07]
Pepperdine University - Pepperdine is a SofTest school and does not allow Boot Camp use. The school is currently reviewing its policy. Thanks to Michael Katz for this info. [13 June 07]
University of Pittsburgh - JP, a student at Pitt, reports that the school uses both the Mac and Windows versions of Securexam. [19 July 06]
Roger Williams University - Leah, a 1L, notes that the school uses SecureExam for the Mac. She has a couple of nits with the application:
1. My MacBook shuts down the program once during each exam, usually towards the end. The proctor sign-in screen comes up, so as long as the proctor knows his/her password I’m okay, but there is still that moment of panic when the spinning rainbow circle shows up while I’m typing the last few words of my answer to the crim law issue-spotter. 2. We use the SecureExam webpage to upload exams, but the webpage tends to get overloaded when a room full of law students are trying to log in and upload their exams at the same time. It ends up taking 15-20 minutes at the end of each exam just to get the page to load so that I can sign in and upload my exam.
Samford University - The Cumberland School of Law uses Exam 4. Thanks to David for the info. [31 October 07].
University of San Diego - USD uses ExamSoft and now allows Boot Camp use, with the caveat that students do so “at their own risk.” The school recommends XP rather than Vista. Thanks to Dennis for the update. [26 August 07]
University of San Francisco - USF now provides students with the Macintosh version of Securexam. Thanks to Michael for the info. [17 November 07]
Santa Clara University - SCU is a SofTest school. The IT department now offers limited support for BootCamp during fall exams, and full support for spring exams. For the fall, they require OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and Windows XP Pro. Any students who wish to use this option must inform the IT department by November 14th, so they can certify the computer for use with SofTest. [08 November 07]
University of Southern California - USC is a SofTest school, and does not allow Boot Camp use. Thanks to Michael Katz for this info. [13 June 07]
St. John’s University - St. John’s uses Exam4 with Mac support. [27 March 08]
St. Louis University - The school uses Exam4 with Mac support. [28 March 08]
University of St. Thomas (Minneapolis) - Lucas notes that the school has switched to SofTest. Mac students may run Windows via Boot Camp. Lucas took a practice test using this setup and reports no problems. [26 August 07]
Stanford University - Stanford uses the honor system for exams and does not use exam software. Thanks to Michael Katz for this info. [13 June 07]
Stetson College of Law - According to Jordan, a 2L, the school does not support Macs for exams. Jordan also notes that the school’s rationale is that if the Florida Bar switches its policy and supports Macs, the school will follow suit. If you’re at Stetson and have questions about Macs at the school, contact Jordan Tawil. [26 April 08]
Texas Wesleyan University School of Law - James has an update. The school “now uses EBB [Electronic Blue Book] with multiple choice functionality. I just took a citation exam on an Intel Macbook running Leopard. All exams must be taken in “blocked” mode, even for open book / open notes style exams. The version of EBB in use is OS X native for both PPC and Intel Macs.” [21 April 08]
Thomas Jefferson School of Law (San Diego) - Ed, a former TJSL student, informs us that the school uses SofTest and does not support Macs. [24 September 07]
University of Toledo - 1L Nicolas confirms that the school uses Exam4, which works for older iBooks and PowerBooks as well as spiffy new MacBooks and MacBook Pros. Nicholas also says he was pleased and surprised to discover just how many Mac-using students there are at the University of Toledo. [07 May 07]
University of Toronto - George reports that U Toronto uses SofTest.
Tulane University - Sri reports that this year the school is provisionally switching to Securexam, and is supporting the Mac native version. Boot Camp use of the Windows version is not supported. [21 November 07]
University of Utah - The S.J. Quinney College of Law uses Exam4. According to Wesley, the IT folks there prefer running Exam4 on Macs. They recently struck a deal with Apple on MacBook Pros, and as Wesley puts it, “Macs have gone from 1-2% usage to ~25% in a year and a half.” Sweet. [18 February 08]
University of Washington - April, a 3L, kindly provided this report:
Our professors have full discretion over whether we can use computers at all on our exams. Almost all of them let us use computers, and then they individually set parameters on that use — whether it’s on SofTest or just as a Word document, and whether it’s closed/open book. I’ve only taken 3 or 4 exams on SofTest, only 1 written by hand (not by choice), and all the rest in Microsoft Word documents (it just has to be saved as .doc if you’re turning it in electronically, or it can be printed out). Students are allowed to use Boot Camp to run SofTest if they have Macs. Tests written in Word must be printed or saved to a floppy disk or CD prior to the end of the exam time — we are not allowed to e-mail tests to turn them in, even for take-home exams.
[25 November 07]
William Mitchell - MLS reader Jim sent a note indicating that the school uses Securexam, and that they support it on the Mac. [21 August 06]
University of Wisconsin at Madison - Nelson, who will be attending UW next year, sent a snippet from the school’s page for incoming students. They firmly support Macs for exams, printing, and network drive access. Marc, also a student at UW Madison, reports that the school uses Securexam. According to Marc, Securexam works fine on his MacBook, and the school’s tech support was on top of things. I’ve always figured people in Madison were smarter than average. Now I have direct proof. 29 April 07]
Yale University - This little-known school in Connecticut uses a web-based version of Securexam which works with Macs. Yale uses the honor system, and does not lock down laptops during exams. Thanks to Michael Katz for this info [13 June 07]
Photo Credits
The photo was modified from www.flickr.com/photos/perspective/68534343/ and is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License. Elvert Xavier Barnes took the photo, which is titled “07.WhatSay.Hand.Self.SW.WDC.29nov05.”