The Testing Center is a busy place, said Director Linda Little, giving about 70,000 tests a year.

The center has begun closing every week from 8 to 10 a.m. on Thursdays to allow for routine maintenance and staff training, Little said.

The Testing Center uses a total of 137 computers which require software updates and general maintenance, Little said.

With students taking tests throughout the day, they try not to do any maintenance because it could cause problems for test-takers.

“We couldn’t even change a light bulb,” she said.

Thursday was chosen because all the other student services are closed that morning.

Little said being closed from 8 until 10 a.m. Thursdays  also gives her the opportunity to do staff development and training.

Students who want to take tests with the fewest distractions might want to know the peak hours when they see the most people are from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 4 to 6 p. m., Little said. The busiest days are Wednesdays and Fridays.

Cameras in the Testing Center allow the staff to monitor test-takers for cheating. On average, Little said, the Testing Center catches three people a month cheating.

Students must have a current student ID to take a test. This allows the Testing Center to track students and keep up-to-date information on testing statistics.

The Testing Center is open from 8 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday; 10 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. Thursdays; and 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Some students believe closing in the early morning is not such a good idea.

“I have a tight schedule and sometimes when the Testing Center is closed, it places me in a time bind because 8 a.m. is sometimes the only time I’m free,” said Dani Goodrich.

Goodrich said lunch time would be a better time to shut down.

For more information, contact Little at linda.k.little@occc.edu or by phone at 405-682-7531.

To contact Joel Gwartney, email onlineeditor@occc.edu