41  Glossary of Terms

In this manual, we use numerous acronyms, abbreviations, and technical terms, so we’ve tried to define all of our proprietary terms and acronyms here.

Note: If you don’t find it here, you can easily search the electronic .PDF version of this manual.

boot CD

- A CD used instead of your normal OS to boot your computer. See T.O.V.A. CD.

T.O.V.A. flash drive

- A USB flash drive included with your T.O.V.A. that you can use to install the T.O.V.A. and/or boot the PTE.

EAV

- An External Audio/Video—sometimes called External A/V—session is a test session you can administer without rebooting your computer. The timing is managed by the T.O.V.A. USB device , but this test requires an external monitor and speakers. See section 33 for more details.

external monitor/display

- This is a display that is not part of the rest of the computer. Some computers, such as laptops or “All-in-One" computers, have a screen that is a part of the rest of the computer. To administer an External A/V test (section 33), you must also have a separate CRT or LCD display with a VGA connection to the ’video out’ port of the T.O.V.A. USB device . Otherwise, you may choose to administer a PTE test (section 34) instead.

In other words, you can use most laptops or notebooks to administer an External A/V test if you also have a separate display you can attach to the T.O.V.A. USB device .

external speakers

- The EAV auditory test requires external speakers with a 3.5 mm stereo plug. Most laptops or notebooks have speakers that are built into the computer. You cannot use these to administer an auditory EAV test (section 33, though you can probably still administer a PTE test (section 34) instead.

In other words, you can administer an EAV auditory test on a laptop or notebook if you have a separate display and speakers you can attach to the T.O.V.A. USB device .

Note: Some monitors have built-in speakers. You can use these displays to administer an External A/V test provided they have separate video and audio plugs you can attach to the T.O.V.A. USB device .

install CD

- The T.O.V.A. install CD is no longer available. See T.O.V.A. CD.

OS

- Your Operating System may be Windows or macOS. It’s the layer between the programs you run and all your computer’s hardware.

PC

- Personal computer. Often this is used to specifically refer to Windows computers, but it may apply to a computer running macOS or Linux.

PHI

- Protected Health Information is your subjects’ personal data, specifically the subject name and any custom fields you’ve marked as ‘Protected Health Information’. There are options for protecting PHI in the T.O.V.A. preferences (section 27.11).

PTE

- Our Precision Test Environment requires you to reboot your computer, but it allows you to administer T.O.V.A. tests on a laptop without an external monitor or speakers. See section 34 for more details.

subject

- Someone taking the T.O.V.A. test. You might call them a patient, client, student, or customer.

Session mode

- This is the EAV or PTE, where you can view instructions, run practice tests, etc.

test mode

- See Session Mode.

T.O.V.A. CD

- Used on many computers as a PTE boot CD. It is not included with your T.O.V.A. System but is available upon request. You can also burn the T.O.V.A. CD boot image to a blank CD or an old T.O.V.A. CD (section 35.3).

The T.O.V.A. CD can no longer be used to install the current T.O.V.A. software. Instead, install the software from our website (https://www.tovatest.com/downloads/.

test credits

- A test credit is used each time you save a session from the T.O.V.A. USB device . You must have test credits to administer T.O.V.A. tests. See section 22 for more information on test credits.

T.O.V.A. USB device

- The T.O.V.A. USB device is our black box that is required for running the T.O.V.A. . See section 31.1 for more details.

user

- If you are reading this manual, you are a T.O.V.A. user. We use the term “user" to refer to the clinicians and other testers who provide the T.O.V.A. test to subjects.