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Exams

When I submit the answers to my exam, the submission process seems to freeze or stop working. What should I do?

We are currently experiencing technical difficulties with the exams, specifically submittal of the exams. After you click submit (once), allow up to one hour for processing. Please do not click the submit button multiple times and do not close or "X" out of the exam screen. You must keep the exam screen open until a score or an error message is displayed. Contact the Registrar's Office at cdse.registrar.support@dss.mil for further assistance. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Why doesn't the exam show me the answers to the questions I got wrong?

Whether the answers are shown depends on the course/curriculum. Contact the Registrar's office at cdse.registrar.support@dss.mil for information pertaining to a particular course.

Can I stop in the middle of an online exam and return later to finish it? If so, will it keep my answers for me?

No. Once you have started an exam, the selected answers cannot be saved and completed later. If you need to stop, you can either complete and submit the exam or close the browser, lose the input and start again at another time.

Why do I not see a score for the online exam I just took?

Currently, we are experiencing technical difficulties with the online exams, specifically submittal of the exams. After you click submit (once), allow up to one hour for processing. Please do not click the submit button multiple times and do not close or "X" out of the exam screen. You must keep the exam screen open until a score or an error message is displayed. Contact the Registrar's Office at at cdse.registrar.support@dss.mil for further assistance.

I have completed a course and am trying to launch the exam but I keep getting an error message that I have not met the prerequisites. Can you give me credit for the course so I may register for and take the exam?

Contact the Registrar's office at cdse.registrar.support@dss.mil.

I opened an online final exam and forgot to print reference material. What should I do?

If the online exam includes print capability, print the exam. When you have it in your hand, go back to the Course Web Page (where you first started the exam), and print off Step 2 (Exam Reference Materials). Open the exam area again and, using the printed exam, remark your answers, finish the test and submit. Once an exam is started, you cannot refresh the screen or bookmark it to finish later.

What should I do if I took an exam and passed but the system does not show that I passed?

Contact the Registrar at cdse.registrar.support@dss.mil for assistance.

I have exceeded the number of times allowed to take the test for a particular course. I retook the course again but the system will not allow me to reregister for the test.

Exams are setup to allow a maximum of three attempts. If you receive the following message: "Registration blocked", you must contact the Registrar's Office at cdse.registrar.support@dss.mil for assistance.

Why can't I register for a particular exam?

There are several reasons you may be unable to register for an exam. For example,

  • If you cancel an exam registration, you cannot re-register yourself for the same exam.
  • If you attempt and fail an exam three times, you cannot register yourself for the same exam again.

Contact the Registrar's Office at cdse.registrar.support@dss.mil for assistance with exam registration.

I am having difficult accessing an exam. What might be the problem?

You may access STEPP exams using the following platform/browser combinations:

  • WINDOWS XP
    • Internet Explorer 6
    • Internet Explorer 7
    • Internet Explorer 8
    • Firefox 3
  • WINDOWS VISTA
    • Internet Explorer 7
    • Internet Explorer 8
    • Firefox 3
  • WINDOWS 7
    • Internet Explorer 8
    • Firefox 3
  • MACINTOSH
    • Firefox 3
    • Safari 3
    • Safari 1.x