freshman1990

I'm a sophomore in college with ADHD. I am registered with disability services and receive time and a half on tests, however, in high school I received double time on tests. My problem is that it takes me twice as long to take tests and disability services won't give me double time. Usually this isn't a problem with multiple choice tests because the professor will say it will take 30 to 45 minutes and it is often a 2 hour class so I have plenty of time although it still takes me twice as long as the professor says the test will take and twice as long as the rest of the class. I usually end up taking tests in the class or the professor's office. My big problem is usually with essay or math tests because I have a good memory so multiple choice is a little easier for me to do quicker but when I have to really think about it it takes a while. I go to all my classes, study really hard and always get A's, it just takes me a while to take the test even though I know the material. I once spent 4 hours on a math exam and today I spent slightly more than 2 hours on a 50 minute essay test. Thankfully, I have had nice professors who allow me to take it in their office and don't collect it at the time and a half point. However, for the class I took the test in, I will have to take the exam with disability services and they are strick about times. I just don't want to run out of time because i put a lot of time into studying for my tests. I explained to disability services when I started here that I had double time in high school and I used it for some tests like math. I told them that I study really hard but it takes me a while to take tests and that I don't want to run out of time but they said that I could not have double time on tests and that only a few students get it. Is it unreasonable for me to want double time on tests? Is this common or do most people just get 50 percent more time? Is there anyway I could try to go about getting this accommodation?

AnonyMom

It is unusual for LD students, particularly if ADHD is the sole diagnosis, to receive more than 50% extended time. That said, if you have received 100% time for certain tasks in the past because of LD's and you have found that that is still what you need, then it shouldn't matter what other students receive; you accommodations should be based on the functional impact of your LD.

Presumably the person who tested you in order for you to receive your high school time accommodation recommended 100% extended time for a solid reason that was based on your test results, and they should be able to explain why this accommodation is needed very clearly to the professionals in your college disability support office.

What was the basis for you to receive accommodations in college? Was it based on the same testing report that your high school used in deciding to give you 100% time, or were you retested? How much documentation did you give the college when you first went to the disabilities support office? Did they make their decision based on the same information the high school had?

I think you would be wise to get back in touch with the person who made the 100% extended time recommendation and talk to him about your situation. If your college does not have that person's report, get ahold of it so you can provide it to your college's disabilities support office. If your college is near the original tester, or if you will be home soon, perhaps you can meet with him.

Meanwhile, find out from your college's disability support office, what is the process to appeal their decision to grant you 50% time. Do you have to be retested? If so, what tests have to be performed? What documents do they now have in their file on you that they used as the basis for the 50% time decision? Assuming they have the old report that recommends 100% extended time, would they be willing to revisit your file and reconsider before you go through a formal appeals procedure?

freshman1990

At my school they wrote extra time on everyone's plans and didn't specify how much time but she said generally they considered it 100 percent extra time. When I was trying to get accommodations for the ACT I was first denied taking one a day and getting 50 percent time. Instead I took it all in one day at the regular testing place but I got 50 percent more time and just put my hand up when i was ready to switch to the next subject. But I didn't do well with this so the ACT people said that to qualify for the other one my plan had to say double time so my 504 plan coordinator specified 100 percent extra time on mine and then I got the ACT accommodions I had wanted. I tried to talk to disability services about this when I registered with them but they wouldn't listen. I was just thinking about going back and discussing it again because I didn't really push for it or anything last time. My advisor there is pretty nice. So far I've been lucky but I am worried about a situation where the professor wants me to take the test with disability services and I don't finish the test. I generally try not to take tests with them because they don't even give you quite places to take tests. They usually make you take it in the hall in there office but you can hear everyone talking and it makes it hard to focus on the test.

mildred

OP

I think that what you might have to do would be to have whoever formally evaluated you last to just send a quick note to the Co-ordinator of Student Disability Services explaining that you need more than the time you are currently being allotted for tests.

Please remember that there are differences between what services one obtains in High School versus what services one obtains at University. But, as near as I have ever been able to tell, extra time for tests is just the norm.

If you have just carried over your testing from High School to University, then it might be a good idea to get re- evaluated for your situation before too long.

I also know of something which might help you in the interim. It is some hard core stuff for math. The idea is to methodically practice your math homework and time yourself.

Here is the abbreviated version...

Keep a running log of any mathematics problem, formulas, and whatnot that you personally find difficult. Put that in the front of your school notebook and keep one area with just the problems and another area with all of the problems worked out nicely.

Transfer all of that information onto index cards. You know the problem on one side, the answer on the other

Keep the index cards shuffled, because no math test will have everything in the same order in which you learned it, more or less, you know?

Read through all of your math studies once a week, preferably after you have done your last bit of homework for the week.


Time yourself once a week working the problems and/or formulas you had difficulty with and keep a log of your time

shawbridge

Colleges need up-to-date testing (3 years old or less). The testing should specify times. My son's did not but specified unlimited time. Some schools might have trouble with that. At my son's college, the norm is 1.5 x normal time. My son always had gotten 2 x normal time. We presented the disabilities services dean with teh test results and also the practice at his HS and various people's letters about him and they granted him double time.