The non-functional requirements for the Test Tool are organized into these categories and subcategories:

• performance
• general characteristics
  • Security and Privacy
  • Simplicity versus Power

All of the question management, grading, and administering must happen instantaneously, except for

• the time to excecute test generation must be in the order of seconds

The time for a student to take and view tests must happen instantaneously, except for any delays due to network transmission of data from the central host.

In general, the performance of Test Tool commands that must access data across a network is subject to potential network delays. The Test Tool must transmit data as fast as is possible on any given network, but delays due to external network circumstances are beyond the control of the Test Tool.

The maximum expected sizes of the Test Tool databases are the following:

• user database -- up to tens of thousands of records

The Test Tool must be able to operate with question banks and databases of sizes larger than these normal maximums.

3.2. General Characteristics

3.2.1. Security and Privacy

The test and question items are to be kept private from any other user, except if the teacher puts it in the global database. The central host passwords of any user must be kept secure from viewing or modification by any other Test Tool user, and from any user at all on the central host.

3.2.2. Simplicity versus Power

On a spectrum of simple-to-use versus powerful, the Test Tool is heavily on the side of powerful. Users are assumed to be fully computer literate and knowledgeable on the use of computer networks consisting of local computers and central data servers.