Remote invigilation

Guidance for learners sitting our external assessments with eProctoring.

External assessments are assessments that are both written and marked by YMCA Awards.

Our external assessments can either be completed as printed exam papers or on screen using a computer.

This page provides guidance on external assessments you will take using your computer and smartphone to allow us to supervise your assessment.

 

System requirements

We use a third-party software application provided by Proctor Exam to allow remote invigilation. You will need the following to enable you to use the software and successfully complete your assessment:

  • Government issued photographic ID (such as a passport, driving licence or identity card)
  • a laptop or desktop computer with a working webcam and microphone 
  • Operating software: Windows 8 and higher, Mac OS X and higher, ChromeOS and most Linux distributions (64-bit Ubuntu 14.04+, Debian 8+, openSUSE 13.3+, or Fedora Linux 24+)
  • Google Chrome browser 
  • a smartphone with the Proctor Exam application installed: Android 4.1+ and iOS 10.0+. Smart devices (smartphone or tablet) with a camera are supported. Note: Huawei P30 and Google Pixel 3 are not compatible with the Proctor Exam application. 
  • a strong and stable internet connection with a minimum of 2.0 Mbit/second upload speed, 10 Mbit/second download speed, and ping under 25 ms.

Check your internet speed

Two days before your assessment

As soon as your training provider has booked the eProctored assessment, you will receive an email from awards.donotreply@ymca.co.uk with a link to complete your system checks. If you do not receive the email please check your junk folder.

At least 2 days before your assessment, you will need to follow the instructions in the email and complete the following:

  • download the Proctor Exam Google Chrome plug-in
  • complete the system checks outlined in your email confirmation, using the chat function in the bottom right of the screen to ask for help to resolve any issues
  • download the latest version of the Proctor Exam app on your smartphone.

These checks must be completed two days before the assessment is due to take place to ensure that any issues can be resolved before your assessment starts. Your training provider may charge you to rebook your assessment if you do not complete these steps far enough in advance of the assessment.

Once you've successfully completed the system checks, you'll receive a second email from Proctor Exam with a link to access your assessment. Clicking on the link will confirm the time and date of the assessment.

Preparing your environment

On your assessment day you will need to ensure your environment meets the following requirements:

  • Your room must be well lit – you must always be clearly visible. During the set-up process, you will be able to view what your webcam is sharing. Make sure that your lighting is sufficient, with no backlighting which puts you in shade. Make sure that there isn’t a window directly behind you.
  • You must be alone – having someone else in the room is not allowed and will result in your assessment being invalidated. You will need to make sure that you will not be disturbed for the duration of the assessment so you may want to consider putting a sign on the door to the room. If you have any pets, ensure that they will not disturb you during the assessment. For these reasons, the exam must not take place in a public setting.
  • Your camera must be positioned correctly – your webcam must clearly show your face in the middle of the screen. The set-up instructions when starting the assessment will help you to check exactly what is recorded and where you need to sit. Don’t move your computer or camera after setting this up.
  • Privacy and your surroundings – before the assessments starts you will need to scan the room using your smartphone and the Proctor Exam application. Make sure you cover or remove any unrelated private information or objects you would not like visible to the invigilator (for example, photographs of family members). You will need to ensure that there are no notes or writing anywhere within your environment and your workspace should be clear.
  • Note-taking - the onscreen assessment includes a note pad which you can use. You must not make any notes on paper or a second device. You must not have any paper or writing materials on your desk or table at all during the assessment.  Note-taking that is not onscreen, will result in your exam result being invalidated.
  • Your smartphone must be positioned correctly – when setting up the assessment you will be instructed to position your smartphone to your side (left or right) so it can record you during the assessment. You must ignore any instruction that the camera can be positioned behind you - behind you is not okay. You should allow for your phone to be around 1.5 metres away so it can show all of you and your immediate surroundings. The camera must show an image that includes the surface of the desk or table as well as the laptop or computer you are using. We need to see the area around your keyboard. Failure to position your smartphone correctly will result in your exam result being invalidated.
 
 
 
  • Equipment – the device that you are using to complete the assessment must only have one screen/monitor connected. If you have any other screens including a TV, these must be switched off, visible throughout the assessment via the mobile view and not in your line of sight.

Starting the assessment

Once you are ready to start your assessment, follow the onscreen guidance. You will need to have the following ready and nearby:

  • Government issued photographic ID. You will be instructed to take a photo of this using your webcam before you can start your assessment. You will need to ensure that the picture is clear and we can see your name on the document, or we may need to invalidate your assessment. 
  • Smartphone with Proctor Exam installed. You will be guided to position the phone to your side before the assessment begins. Your camera needs to be positioned so we can see you and your surroundings throughout the assessment.

There is a short video tutorial to guide you through each of the pre-assessment checks. If you experience any issues during the set-up, please use the chat functionality in the bottom right corner of the screen.

The pre-assessment checks form part of entering into the assessment conditions. This means that there should be no movement, out of camera range, away from your desk and computer set-up between the pre-assessment checks and the assessment. If you move out of range of the camera at any point between the pre-assessment checks and the end of the assessment then your assessment is likely to be invalidated.

Once the set-up is complete, please be aware that your webcam and smartphone will record you until you complete the assessment and close Proctor Exam. We will review the recording to check that there is no suspicious activity.

During the assessment

During the assessment you should remain focused on the screen and try to avoid looking away. Continually looking away from the screen could be a sign that you're looking for answers elsewhere in the room and could potentially invalidate your assessment.

Other behaviours that will invalidate your assessment include:

  • Using headphones – we need to hear what you are hearing throughout the assessment.
  • Talking, singing or background noise – assessments need to be completed under exam conditions; noise or talking will be detected through the eProctoring system. Make sure you're in a quiet environment with no music playing, the TV turned off and don't talk aloud once the assessment has started.
  • Covering your face – we need to clearly see you throughout the assessment to confirm your identity.
  • Getting up during the assessment – you need to remain seated and in view of the cameras at all times so make sure you've been to the toilet before you start!
  • Using other devices – you're not allowed to use additional devices such as second screens, mobile phones, smart watches, tablets or voice-activated search engines. These must all be switched off or put on silent and placed out of reach except for the smartphone that you are using to record the assessment. The smartphone must remain in the same position throughout the assessment.
  • Navigating away from the assessment or opening other applications – you can only have the assessment window open during the assessment. Having additional tabs or apps open or navigating away from Chrome is not allowed.
  • Attempting to capture images or make copies of the assessment content - it's important that our assessment content is confidential so that no learners have access to questions before their assessment, so we treat this as potential malpractice.

Ending the assessment

Once you’ve completed the assessment you can review your answers by clicking on the coloured numbers on the left-hand side of the screen. Questions that have been answered will be highlighted.

Once you’re satisfied with your responses, click on the finish icon in the top right corner of the screen. You’ll receive confirmation that you’ve finished the assessment and can close the tab.

Finally, you’ll need to click on the finish exam icon in Proctor Exam to stop the recording.

Results

Your training provider will be able to confirm your provisional result once the assessment has been completed.

All results are provisional and are subject to YMCA Awards quality assurance checks. If any suspicious activity is discovered then this will be investigated by YMCA Awards in conjunction with your training provider and may result in your assessment being invalidated.