When a student responds to a test question, TestNav saves the response in a saved response file (SRF) and sends these responses to the Pearson server. After the responses successfully save to the Pearson server, TestNav deletes the SRF. 

 TestNav also writes to a log file during the testing session. These files help Pearson troubleshoot issues, if they occur. 

For Windows and Mac OS X, you must configure student accounts to have complete read, write, and delete access in all save locations. Pearson strongly recommends that you configure a shared network folder that can be accessed from all testing computers as a secondary save location for SRFs to ensure that you do not lose responses, even if a student cannot continue to test on the same computer. You must verify that you can access the location from multiple testing computers.

You cannot configure the log file save location.

Secondary Save Location

You can place backup SRFs in a directory on the network file server, on the student's testing computer, or on a secure file transfer protocol (SFTP) site. The following table outlines the pros and cons of each option; however, as a best practice, Pearson recommends using two options - one for a primary save location (browser-based and TestNav Desktop) and the other for the secondary save location. 
Back up location options
Pros
Cons
Directory on network computerBackup file is accessible from other computers.
  • Uses more internal network bandwidth.
  • Responses save to the network drive more slowly than to the local directory. As a result, test items take more time to load.
  • Does not provide secondary save for the devices below:
    • Android devices
    • Chromebooks
    • iPads
Local directory on testing computer (TestNav client)
  • Uses less internal network bandwidth.
  • Responses save to local directory more quickly than to the network drive. As a result, test items take less time to load.
  • Backup file is not accessible from any other computer.
  • Does not provide secondary save for the devices below:
    • Android devices
    • Chromebooks
    • iPads

SFTP

Note: SFTP configuration is not supported by all assessment management systems. Consult your assessment management system user guide to determine whether the SFTP option is available.

Provides secondary save location for all supported testing computers and devices.Requires SFTP site setup.

You should familiarize yourself with default response file backup locations. Some save locations are configurable. See each setup page for details and instructions.

If you set a network file server as a primary or secondary backup location, do not use:

  • spaces in the save location path.
  • a location that requires authentication. If authentication is required, TestNav cannot access the shared location.
  • a Windows UNC (Uniform Naming Convention) or network path, such as \\ComputerName\SharedFolder\Resource. Pearson recommends that you specify a mapped drive location, such as D:\TopDirectory\NextDirectory\SaveLocation.