Does the Disability Affect Exam Participation?

Students may need accommodations on College Board tests if their disability impacts their ability to take standardized tests. This is called a functional limitation. Some examples include:

• Students whose hearing impairment requires seating closer to the proctor or auditory amplification technology.
• Students whose fine motor or written expression skills prevent them from responding to multiple choice responses or writing or typing an essay manually.
• Students whose diagnosis results in symptoms that may require more frequent, longer, or as needed breaks.

However, there may be some accommodations that the student uses in school that will not be needed for College Board exams. Examples:

• Students who need assistance walking in the hallways or participating in physical education.
• Students with a hearing impairment who need assistance taking notes in class.
• Students with certain psychiatric conditions, such as specific phobias, that do not affect them during test taking.

Additionally, the student must demonstrate the need for the accommodation being requested. For example, students requesting extended time should have documentation showing that they have difficulty testing under timed conditions.