Below is a selection of questions frequently asked about STACS:

What professionals can benefit from using STACS?

Primary teachers, secondary teachers, third level lecturers, professionals charged with setting and evaluating assessment or aptitude tests in educational or business institutions.

What institutions can benefit from using STACS?

Schools, colleges, universities, places of employment can benefit from using STACS. Indeed, any organisation that has a requirement for one off or continuous testing of students, employees or potential employees can benefit.

Can bespoke versions of STACS be supplied to cater for specialist situations?

Yes. A typical request would be for an alteration to the number of questions in each test or the number of possible answers available for each question or both.

What are the different versions of STACS?

There are two full server versions: A STACS single user version for individuals and a multi user version for institutions. The multi user version can accommodate any number of users on a single server. There is also a free Local Machine version of STACS that allows for training and for offline updating, exporting, printing, etc.

The STACS Server Multi Teacher Evaluation Version is a complete server version but is time limited and available to order from the Order Evaluation Version item of this website.

What hardware is required to run STACS?

The server versions of STACS require a wired network running Windows Server 2008 or later, but they will run on Windows Server 2003 with slightly different installation procedure. Any of the modern versions of Microsoft Windows from Windows Vista onwards will suffice on the client machines.

Is there an Apple Macintosh version of STACS?

No. STACS is only available for Microsoft Windows Server networks.

Where can I find instructions for installing STACS?

Installation instructions are available from the main menu of the website (STACSTesting.com), from the Downloads item of the website and in the supplied installation folder in .doc, .docx and .pdf format.

Where can I find instructions for operating STACS?

Operating instructions are available from the main menu of the website (STACSTesting.com), from the Downloads item of the website and in the supplied installation folder in .doc, .docx and .pdf format.

There are How To videos on most aspects of STACS. These videos are available for download from the STACS website (STACSTesting.com) or they can be viewed directly from within the STACS application from the View menu.

How do I create tests for use with STACS?

Tests are created using the STACS Offline Test Creator application provided in the installation folder of all versions of STACS. You can then upload the tests to a Teacher/Class Test Bank from the Upload menu of the STACS main application ready for use when you decide to use the STACS Sit Test application to get students to sit a test.

Can I add other test results to the STACS system?

Yes. You can add results of tests taken outside of STACS (e.g. more extensive end of term or end of year tests). Use the Add Non-STACS Test Results item of the Update menu. For consistency, the results should be entered as percentages.

Can I export information for manipulation by another application?

Yes. You can export Student Lists, Class Results or Student Results as .csv files for manipulation by any spreadsheet application through the Export item of the main menu of STACS.  

Are there printing facilities available with the STACS application?

Exporting for manipulation by an external application is generally advisable due to the extensive print facilities available from spreadsheet applications. You can also use the Windows Snipping tool to take a screen shot of student or class results.

Are there backup facilities available with the STACS application?

Yes. You can back up your STACS folders to external backup medium on exiting the system and restore from backup later. In the meantime, if you wish you can edit the STACS folder using the STACS Local Machine application. For security reasons, you can also delete your STACS folder from the system on exit.

How many students can STACS accommodate in each class?

STACS can accommodate up to 30 students in a class.

How many tests can be taken by students in a class?

Each student in a class can sit up to 30 tests. If more are required, the class can be duplicated with a different name and more tests can then be taken. 

Can I have a Single Teacher and a Multi Teacher version of STACS running at the same time?

No. If a Multi Teacher version is purchased to replace a Single Teacher version, the Single Teacher folder should be backed up with deletion from the server before installing the Multi Teacher version. The teacher folder from the Single Teacher version can then be restored to the server once the teacher has been added to the Multi Teacher version. 

Why am I Getting an Unexpected ‘Cannot Connect to Server’ Message?

If STACS is stating that it cannot connect to the server but there does not seem to be anything wrong, take note of the following: It has been reported that from time to time the sharing permissions need to be reset on the server. This is not a problem with the application and can be solved by showing the STACS folder on the server, right clicking on the folder and clicking Share with, Specific people, Everyone, Read and Write, Share.