To maintain test security, access to exams should be ...

• A. Be made publicly available after scoring.
• B. Be accessible to anyone who asks.
• C. Be accessible to all staff regardless of need.
• D. Be accessible only to authorized personnel and kept secure.

Answer: (D)

Maintaining test security means only letting in people who need to see the exam and keeping the materials protected. Access should be limited to authorized personnel who have a legitimate role, and it should be safeguarded against unauthorized copying, sharing, or alteration. This principle helps prevent cheating, leaks, and manipulation, and supports fair, reliable scoring and privacy requirements. Other approaches, like making the exam publicly available after scoring, inviting anyone who asks to view it, or giving all staff unrestricted access, would undermine security and increase risk of leakage or abuse. Therefore, the best practice is to restrict access to authorized personnel and keep the exams secure.