Accommodations and Assistive Technology

All Bluebook™ exams are configured to work for students who test with accommodations or assistive technology (AT). If you use assistive tech, you should open Bluebook on the type of device you'll test with and try a test preview or full-length practice test to see how everything will work on test day. 

Digital Exam Accommodations

Some accommodations are administered differently on digital exams than paper and pencil exams. For example, if you’re approved to use a human reader on paper and pencil exams, you may use a screen reader for digital exams. Also, some accommodations may not be needed for a digital exam. For example, if you’re approved for large print, you can just use the zoom feature.  

The accommodations listed in this table are some examples of accommodations that will be available for 2023-24 test administrations, and students approved for these accommodations can use the AT options as noted. See Using Accommodations for more accommodation examples.

Sample Accommodations with Digital Testing Options

If you have questions about your approved accommodations, your Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) coordinator can look up your accommodations in SSD Online or contact the College Board SSD Office.

Assistive Technology (AT) 

Any approved AT you use online should still work during the digital exam. If you use an AT, such as a screen reader (e.g., JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, or ChromeVox), magnification software (e.g., ZoomText Fusion), or dictation software (e.g., Dragon NaturallySpeaking) to interact with a standard web browser, the same commands can be used to navigate through content in the digital exam. The exception would be if you use web-based AT or a browser extension (e.g., add-ons, plug-ins, etc.) as they are not supported for use with the Bluebook application. 

Screen Readers and Text-to-Speech 

Screen readers and text-to-speech (TTS) are speech synthesis applications. These applications can be either part of the system accessibility settings or external applications that can be installed on an operating system.  

TTS technology is the screen reader functionality available through a device’s operating system. TTS technology reads the text on a screen and provides image descriptions depending on available settings or preferences. 

Screen readers are often external software students use on their devices to have all onscreen content, including text and non-text elements, read aloud. Students with visual impairments who require assistance navigating from page to page often use screen readers . 

You should configure AT settings before opening Bluebook to answer preview questions before exam day. The settings may include verbosity, punctuation, text processing, and other settings as approved. You must ensure all settings are configured before beginning the test day check-in process in Bluebook.  

College Board has tested and currently supports the leading screen readers and text-to-speech applications, including: 

• Screen Readers: 

  • NVDA 

  • JAWS 

  • Apple VoiceOver 

  • Chromebook ChromeVox 

  • Windows Narrator 

• Text-to-Speech (TTS):

  • Chromebook Select-to-Speak 

  • Windows Narrator   

  • MacOS Spoken Content 

  • iOS Spoken Content 

Other screen readers might work with the Bluebook application. Depending on which other screen reader and which release of that software, some functions may work differently or not at all. If your software is not listed above, try a digital practice test on Bluebook to ensure your AT will work on test day. 

Speech-to-Text 

 Voice recognition, speech recognition, or speech-to-text (STT) technology transcribes your spoken words into text item responses in the digital exam. If approved for this technology or for a writer/scribe, you may use STT technology for digital exams. 

The College Board has tested and currently supports the leading speech-to-text/dictation applications, including: 

•    Dragon NaturallySpeaking (with custom commands) 
•    Apple Voice Control 
•    Chromebook Dictation 
•    Windows Voice Recognition/Dictation 

Other speech-to-text or dictation software might work with the Bluebook application. Depending on which other STT or dictation software and which release of that software is used, some functions may work differently or not at all. If your software is not listed above, try a digital practice test on Bluebook to ensure your AT will work on test day. 

Configuring and Using Assistive Technology 

Configuration steps need to be taken each time a student uses Bluebook, both for answering preview questions and for exam day. In some cases, your school's technology staff may need to complete the configuration steps on your testing device (for instance, if the device is school-managed and you cannot adjust settings). 

If any settings need to be adjusted on exam day, configuration steps must be completed before beginning the check-in process in Bluebook.  

Review Test Device Setup for Chromebook, Windows, Mac, and iPad.

• Note: Disable pop-up blocker. The first time you access/view the video, you must provide your name and email. Information is used to access the video and not retained for other purposes.

Refreshable Braille Displays  

Refreshable braille displays (RBDs) are used to read text-only content on digital exams. Alternative text descriptions are embedded in the exams for all graphics. RBDs must be properly set up before they can be used by students. For information about installing and setting up RBDs, refer to the product's instructions and manuals.  

Refreshable braille is not recommended for AP Exams that include graphics. If you need tactile graphics for a digital AP Exam, you should talk to your AP coordinator and SSD coordinator as soon as possible.