PLS-7B: Testing the Application Journey

Overview

In this module, you'll test the application submission workflow from a student's perspective in your sandbox environment. You'll verify that YOUR application form displays correctly, validates properly, creates application records, and applies tags as configured.

What you'll learn:

• How to access the resident portal as a test student in sandbox

• How to navigate to YOUR cycle and verify it's visible to eligible students

• How to complete YOUR application form and test validation

• How to verify that applications are created correctly in the admin portal

• How to confirm tags are applied based on form responses

• How to troubleshoot common application issues

Time: 15 minutes

What You're Testing

In this module, you're validating that:

• Eligible students can see YOUR cycle in their resident portal

• Ineligible students CANNOT see YOUR cycle

• YOUR application form displays with all questions

• Form validation works (required fields, field types, conditional logic)

• Profile confirmation workflow functions correctly

• Application submission creates an application record

• Tags are applied to the application based on form responses

• Students receive confirmation after submission

Step 1: Access the Resident Portal as a Test Student

You need to view the resident portal from your test student's perspective to see what they'll see.

Method 1: View as Student from Admin Portal (Recommended)

1. In the admin portal, navigate to Admin › Profiles

2. Click on your test student name (e.g., "Johnny Test")

3. Look for a button or link labeled "View as Student", "Resident Portal", or similar

4. Click to open the resident portal view for that student

5. You'll see exactly what that student sees without needing separate login credentials

Method 2: Direct Login (If Needed)

If your sandbox requires actual login credentials:

1. Navigate to your resident portal URL: yourschool.housing.cloud (without /admin)

2. Log in using test student credentials you created

3. You'll land on the student dashboard

Step 2: Verify Cycle Visibility

Once you're viewing the resident portal as "Johnny Test" (your eligible test student), you should see YOUR cycle on the dashboard.

What to Look For

On the Dashboard:

• An action item card showing "Apply for Housing" or similar

• YOUR cycle's display name (the one you set in PLS-6A)

• Application deadline (if displayed)

• A button to start the application

In the Applications Section:

• Navigate to Application in the navigation bar

• YOUR cycle should appear in the available applications list

• A "Create Application" or "Start Application" button should be visible

Testing Checklist: Cycle Visibility

• ☐ Eligible test student (Johnny Test) CAN see the cycle

• ☐ Cycle display name matches what you configured in PLS-6A

• ☐ "Apply for Housing" or equivalent button appears

• ☐ Application deadline displays correctly (if shown)

Step 3: Test Cycle Invisibility (Ineligible Student)

Now switch to your ineligible test student (e.g., "Morgan Test") to verify they CANNOT see your cycle.

How to Test

1. Return to the admin portal

2. Navigate to Admin › Profiles

3. Click on "Morgan Test" (your ineligible student)

4. View as student (or log in as Morgan Test)

5. Check the dashboard and Applications section

What Should Happen

Morgan Test should NOT see your cycle because they don't meet applicability requirements (missing required tags or has exclusion tags).

Expected behavior:

• Your cycle does NOT appear in the dashboard action items

• Your cycle does NOT appear in the Applications section

• Morgan sees either no cycles or different cycles they ARE eligible for

Testing Checklist: Applicability Rules

• ☐ Ineligible test student (Morgan Test) CANNOT see the cycle

• ☐ Cycle does not appear in their dashboard

• ☐ Cycle does not appear in their Applications section

• ☐ No error messages (cycle is simply not visible to them)

Step 4: Complete the Application as Johnny Test

Switch back to Johnny Test (eligible student) and complete the application workflow.

Starting the Application

1. From Johnny Test's dashboard or Applications section, click "Apply for Housing" or "Create Application"

2. The system may first prompt you to complete Profile Confirmation

3. Review profile details (name, email, phone, etc.)

4. Upload or update avatar if prompted

5. Click "Continue" or "Confirm Profile"

Completing the Application Form

After profile confirmation, YOUR application form (built in PLS-5) will display.

1. Review each section of YOUR form

2. Answer all questions as a realistic student would (don't just type "test test test")

3. Test required vs. optional fields by skipping optional questions

4. Test field validation: • Enter invalid email format in email fields • Enter letters in phone number fields • Leave required fields blank • Upload files if your form includes uploads

5. If your form has conditional logic, test it: • Select answers that trigger show/hide logic • Verify dependent questions appear/disappear correctly

6. Click "Continue" at the bottom of each section to save and proceed

Completing the Roommate Questionnaire (Bio Form)

If your cycle includes roommate matching, the bio form will appear after the main application sections.

1. Complete YOUR bio form questions (the form you built in PLS-5)

2. Set questionnaire visibility: • Public: Other students can see your answers (required for roommate matching) • Private: Only admins can see your answers

3. For testing, set to Public so you can test the roommate finder in PLS-7C

4. Answer preference questions (sleep schedule, study habits, etc.)

Submitting the Application

1. After completing all sections (application + bio), click "Complete" or "Submit Application"

2. A confirmation modal will appear

3. Click "Confirm" to finalize submission

4. Verify you see a confirmation message

5. Note: You may receive a confirmation email if configured

Step 5: Verify Application Was Created in Admin Portal

Switch back to the admin portal to verify the application was created correctly and tags were applied.

Checking the Application Record

1. Navigate to Admin › Applications

2. Find Johnny Test's application in the table (should be the most recent)

3. Verify the following: • Student Name: Johnny Test • Cycle: YOUR cycle name • Status: "Submitted" or "Under Review" • Submission Date: Today's date

4. Click on Johnny Test's name to open the application detail page

5. Review the Responses tab to see all form answers

6. Check the Tags section to verify tags were applied

Verifying Tag Application

If your form is configured to apply tags based on responses (covered in PLS-5B), verify those tags appear:

1. On the application detail page, look for the Tags section

2. Verify tags match the form responses: • If Johnny selected "Early Riser" → verify "Early Riser" tag is applied • If Johnny selected "Quiet Study Environment" → verify tag is applied

3. Verify tags were applied to the profile as well: • Navigate to Admin › Profiles • Click "Johnny Test" • Check the Tags section on the profile

Testing Checklist: Application Workflow

Use this checklist while testing to ensure comprehensive validation:

Form Display

• ☐ All sections from YOUR form appear in correct order

• ☐ All questions from YOUR form display correctly

• ☐ Question types render properly (text, dropdown, radio, checkbox, file upload)

• ☐ Help text displays where configured

• ☐ Form is mobile-responsive (test on phone if possible)

• ☐ Section navigation works (Continue button, back button)

Validation

• ☐ Required fields prevent submission if empty

• ☐ Required field markers display clearly (asterisk, "Required" label)

• ☐ Email fields validate email format (reject invalid emails)

• ☐ Phone fields validate phone format (if configured)

• ☐ Number fields only accept numbers

• ☐ File upload fields work and accept correct file types

• ☐ File upload size limits are enforced

• ☐ Error messages display clearly when validation fails

Conditional Logic (If Configured)

• ☐ Questions show/hide based on previous answers

• ☐ Logic doesn't create dead-ends (students can always proceed)

• ☐ All conditional paths are testable and work correctly

Bio Form (Roommate Questionnaire)

• ☐ Bio form appears after main application sections

• ☐ All bio questions from YOUR form display

• ☐ Visibility toggle works (Public/Private)

• ☐ Bio form can be set to Public for roommate finder testing

Submission

• ☐ Submit/Complete button works

• ☐ Confirmation modal displays

• ☐ After confirming, confirmation message appears

• ☐ Student is returned to dashboard or applications page

• ☐ Application status shows "Submitted" or "Under Review"

• ☐ Confirmation email sent (if configured in your system)

Admin Verification

• ☐ Application appears in Admin › Applications table

• ☐ Application is tied to correct cycle

• ☐ All form responses saved correctly

• ☐ Application status is "Submitted"

• ☐ Tags applied to application based on responses (if configured)

• ☐ Tags applied to profile based on responses (if configured)

• ☐ Submission timestamp is accurate

Common Issues & How to Fix Them

Step 6: Test with Multiple Students

Repeat the application process with your other test students to validate different scenarios.

Test Student 2: Sarah Test

1. Access the resident portal as Sarah Test

2. Verify Sarah CAN see the cycle (eligible like Johnny)

3. Complete the application with different answers than Johnny

4. Set bio visibility to Public

5. Submit application

6. Verify application created in admin portal

Test Student 3: Alex Test

1. Access the resident portal as Alex Test

2. Complete application with different preference answers (Night Owl, Background Noise OK)

3. Set bio visibility to Public

4. Submit application

Why test with multiple students: You need 2-3 students with completed bios to test the roommate finder in PLS-7C. Creating these applications now sets you up for the next testing module.

Test Student 4: Morgan Test (Ineligible)

You already tested that Morgan CANNOT see the cycle. Document this as successful validation of your applicability rules.

Step 7: Document Issues for Your Support Team

As you test, create notes that will help your support team answer common student questions:

Sample Support Documentation

Common Student Questions You Discovered:

Iteration: Fix Issues and Retest

If you discovered issues during testing, follow this iteration process:

The Fix-and-Retest Cycle

1. Document the issue: Write down exactly what happened vs. what should happen

2. Switch to admin portal: Log back into admin

3. Identify the root cause: Is it a form issue? Cycle config? Tag problem?

4. Make the fix: • Form issues: Admin › Setup › Forms › Edit YOUR form • Cycle config: Admin › Setup › Cycles › Edit YOUR cycle • Tag issues: Admin › Setup › Tags or apply tags to profiles

5. Save changes

6. Create a fresh test student: Since applications are submitted, create a new test student to test with clean data (e.g., "Johnny Test 2")

7. Retest as student: Complete the application again

8. Verify fix worked: Confirm the issue is resolved

Testing Complete Checklist

Before moving to PLS-7C (Roommate Matching Testing), verify:

• ☐ At least 2-3 test students successfully submitted applications

• ☐ All test students set bio visibility to Public (for roommate finder testing)

• ☐ Eligible students CAN see the cycle

• ☐ Ineligible students CANNOT see the cycle

• ☐ All form questions display correctly

• ☐ Required field validation works

• ☐ Conditional logic works (if applicable)

• ☐ Applications appear in Admin › Applications

• ☐ Applications are tied to correct cycle

• ☐ Tags applied correctly (if configured)

• ☐ Any issues discovered have been documented

• ☐ Critical issues have been fixed and retested

• ☐ Support documentation started with common Q&A

Key Takeaways

• Access the resident portal as test students to experience the application from their perspective

• Test both eligible students (should see cycle) and ineligible students (should NOT see cycle)

• Complete the full application workflow including profile confirmation and bio form

• Test validation, conditional logic, and all form features

• Verify applications are created in Admin › Applications with correct data

• Verify tags are applied based on form responses

• Document issues and create support Q&A as you test

• Fix issues and retest with new test students in sandbox

• Set all test student bios to Public for roommate finder testing in PLS-7C

What's Next: PLS-7C

Now that you've tested the application journey and have 2-3 test students with completed applications and public bios, you're ready to test roommate matching.

In PLS-7C: Testing Roommate Matching, you'll:

• Browse the roommate finder as a test student

• Verify YOUR tags appear in profile filters

• Test compatibility scoring based on YOUR bio form

• Form roommate groups

• Verify group size limits work correctly

Continue to PLS-7C →

Additional Resources

• Completing a Housing Application, for Students - Student-facing application guide

• PLS-6B: Application Phase Configuration - Review application phase settings

• PLS-5B: Tags in Forms - Conditional Logic & Application Tagging - How form tagging works

• PLS-6A: Basic Cycle Settings & Applicability - Review applicability tag logic