ONLINE EXAMINATION CANDIDATE PROTOCOL

From 1st October 2023

These guidance notes refer to all Faculty examinations delivered remotely in collaboration with TestReach and
will be updated periodically as required. They should be read in conjunction with the Regulations dated 1st October
2023. Candidates must adhere to the candidate protocol and any further instructions provided by TestReach.

For questions or concerns regarding the online examination process please contact:
exams@fsem.ac.uk

For technical questions please contact https://www.testreach.com/candidate-download.html or email

support@testreach.com or call +44 (0)20 34758685 (UK) / +353 (0)1 6991385 (IRE).
 Candidate Protocol Document

Please ensure that you read this document thoroughly. It is your responsibility to ensure you understand, are familiar with
and adhere to the regulations and protocols herein. Failure to comply with any of the procedures outlined in this document
may result in you not being permitted entry to your exam or your exam being terminated or results not being issued.

✔
What do I absolutely need to have?
● Laptop / computer with 4GB of available memory. The app will not work on
phones, chrome books, or ipads/tablets. We cannot guarantee service on
touchscreen devices as some devices might be incompatible with the app. We
recommend that candidates source a non-touchscreen device for their exams.
● A Windows v7.0+ or Mac10.10+ operating systems. MacOS BigSur users need to
upgrade to 11.3+
Device ● Intel Core i3 (or equivalent)
● A working webcam, microphone and speakers
● Minimum candidate internet speed of 2 Mbps or higher
● Recommended screen size of at least 13″ and a resolution of 1024 x 768.

● A Windows v7.0+ or Mac10.10+ operating system.

○ MacOS BigSur users need to upgrade to 11.3+

● Intel Core i3 (or equivalent)

● A working webcam that can be used to scan the room, microphone and speakers

● We also recommend a screen size of at least 13" and a resolution of 1024 x 768.

Internet Connection ● Minimum internet speed of 2 Mbps

TestReach App ● You must have downloaded the latest version of our app. You cannot take your
Installed exam on a browser.

● You will have received an email with login details from TestReach with the subject
“TestReach New Account”. If you cannot find this email, please check your spam
folder. If you have previously taken an exam within the TestReach app then you
 will not receive this email again. Instead, you should use the login details provided
previously. You can use the forgotten password option on the login screen if you
have forgotten your password.

● Please ensure that you have your TestReach user ID and password with you on the
day of your exam.

Resources ● You are not permitted access to any resources during the exam.
Permitted

Comfort Breaks ● A scheduled comfort break is offered halfway through the exam.
● You are permitted to take one additional comfort break during your exam,
although it would be preferred if you could utilise the scheduled break time only.
You must always inform your invigilator prior to taking a comfort break.
 ✔
What should I do before the exam day?

Systems Check In order to ensure your webcam and audio are able to run on the TestReach app, you must
complete a systems check at least 72 hours in advance of your exam.

Book Your Exam Although you will have received an enrolment email, you must still book a slot for your
exam. The instructions to do so can be found in your enrolment email. This must be done
at least three days before your exam. Candidates who do not complete the booking
process will be considered a no show and will not be able to sit their exam.

Disable Firewalls Should you be using a work device or a device that has specific administration
privileges/firewalls, you may need to have these deactivated prior to your exam day.

An instructional sheet for IT departments is at the bottom of this document.

Test Tutorial
All candidates are advised to take the "Test Tutorial", which guides you through taking an
exam on TestReach. We suggest that you go through this tutorial by clicking "Enter" so that
you can familiarise yourself with the exam canvas. You can use this tutorial multiple times
and your answers will not be recorded.

Secure Test Where you take your exam should be a private area with as little clutter as possible. The
Environment space should be well lit and free of unauthorised materials.

You must ensure that you do not have a second monitor on your desk or within reach.

If you are taking your exam in a shared living area, please ensure third party members of
your household are aware that you cannot be disturbed. Third party interactions can be
penalised and may result in your exam being terminated.

Valid ID Make sure you have a valid and in date ID that is signed and contains a photograph - either
passport or driving license only. This will be required to gain access to your exam.

Should you have any ● Our chat feature is available in-app.

difficulty with any of ● Phone:
the above, you should ○ +44 (0)20 34758685 (UK)
contact our Customer ○ +353 (0)1 6991385 (IRE)
● Email: support@testreach.com
Support Team.
 What happens on the exam day?

Scheduled Start The time you have booked for your exam will be the only time available to you for that exam.
Time
Candidates are advised to be in their chosen exam location 20 minutes before their scheduled
exam start time in order to login, enter their exam and complete the system check.

The “Connect to Supervisor” option will activate 15 minutes before the exam start time, and
you can click on this to join the queue to connect to your invigilator.

Queueing Once you have passed your systems check, you will enter a queue where all other candidates
sitting an exam at this time are also waiting. You will then be assigned an invigilator who will
undergo the validation procedure with you.

Connect to
Invigilator Once you connect to your invigilator, they will immediately be able to see your screen along
with a live video stream of you and your exam environment via webcam. They will be able to
communicate with you via audio and via chat.

The invigilator will advise you of the validation process before they begin.

Please behave in a suitable manner towards the invigilator, comply with any procedural
requests, and respond to all validation questions.

What happens during the Validation Procedure

All candidates sitting a remotely invigilated exam are taken through the following steps to
verify their identification and to ensure that the testing area is secure.

ID Check
Valid, in date and fits the organisation’s requirements.

Hold for
Screenshot This is taken by the remote invigilator (RI) to validate candidate identity.
360° Pan of Test
Environment The candidate will be asked to pan their monitor / camera around the room to get a 360° view.
This is to ensure that:

o There is no second monitor / computer visible in the room

o There are no notes / wall boards with information on them

The candidate will also be asked to scan their desk (including any shelves under the desk) – this
is to make sure that there are no phones, books, post-its etc. nearby.

If the supervisor observes any unauthorised items, they will request that the candidate
removes them from the testing area.

Device Check You will be asked to use the selfie mode on your camera or a small mirror in order to show no
sticky notes or pages have been stuck to the screen of your device.

Phone Check You will be asked to switch your phone off and put it out of reach.

Wrist and Ears This is carried out to ensure no smart watches/fitbits/Bluetooth headpieces are present.
Check

Empty Pockets You will be asked to empty any pockets on your person in order to ensure no unauthorised
materials are present.
 What happens when I start my exam?

Starting Once you have been permitted access to the exam by the invigilator, a ‘Start Test’ button should
appear on your screen which you will be prompted to click.

During Monitoring
● During the exam the invigilator will monitor the candidate via webcam. The invigilator is also
able to monitor audio feedback to ensure that there are no verbal answers or communication
from any outside source. The invigilator will be able to:
o see the candidate via webcam and see the candidate’s screen
o use a chat box to communicate to the candidate
o hear the candidate and all times and talk with them when required.
● When monitoring the exam, the supervisor will watch the screen at all times. They will check
for: Eye movement / Head movement / Hand movement / Talking or mouthing or other
indications of external communication
● If the invigilator notices any of the above behaviours they will send the candidate an Instant
message or talk to them asking them to refrain from the behaviour e.g. “please keep your eyes
on the screen”, “please keep within view of the webcam”, “there is no talking allowed –
thank you”, etc.
● They may ask the candidate to repeat a validation step i.e. “Please show me behind your desk
again”

Time Warnings:
● There are 2 automatic time warnings given – one with 30 mins to go before the end of the
exam and one with 5 minutes to go.

Exam Content
● Your remote invigilator will have no information on exam content.

After ● An orange ‘Close’ button will appear after you have submitted your exam. Once you have
closed the session with this button, you will not be able to speak to your invigilator.
 Candidate Issues on Exam Day

Connection ● If you experience an unexpected connection loss during your exam, e.g. your internet has
Issues fluctuated below the minimum requirements, don’t worry!
● Your remote invigilator will resume your exam and you should be able to re-enter the exam
with your content saved and timer where you left off.
● If you are unable to access your exam again, you can contact our Customer Support team for
troubleshooting steps with the issue.
● You can be resumed up to a maximum of 3 times. After this you will be referred back to your
examining body.

Device If you are experiencing an issue local to your device i.e. issues with webcam, sound card, graphics
card etc. you should contact our customer support team who will help to troubleshoot the issue
Issues
with you.

Late Entry If you are late for your exam or experience issues logging onto the TestReach app:
- If you contact the customer support line within 30 mins of their exam start time, the
customer support team will help you try to resolve the issue.
- If you contact the customer support line after 30 mins, you will be advised to contact your
examining body to rebook your exam.

Major or In the very unlikely event that the TestReach service experiences a major or critical incident,
Critical candidates should go to https://status.testreach.com
Incident
This website will keep you up to date on any actions you should take and when we expect the
service to resume.

In the event of a disruption to our service, our support lines would naturally see a spike in activity
and it is unlikely that you will be able to speak to an agent. The https://status.testreach.com page
is our main and sole source of communication to candidates during this time.
 Infringement Guidelines

Minor Infringements

A Minor Infringement is one that is deemed a low-level exception. Minor Infringements may not compromise the test
and can be rectified immediately however all minor infringements are logged.
• Leaning out of view of the camera.
• Blocking the computer camera.
• Commencing hand movements that could be interpreted as sign language.
• Glancing at other areas of the room that the supervisor cannot see (in this instance prior to raising an infringement
the supervisor will query the candidate and ask the candidate to pan the room and in particular that area to check)
• Behaving in an unsuitable manner to the supervisor.

Major Infringements

A Major Infringement is one that is deemed a medium level exception. One that does not compromise the test and one
that is rectified quite quickly with the candidate during the test.
• Accessing (or trying to access) another site / document when online
• Referring to any material – if there are no resources allowed.
• Not removing objects that are deemed interactive such as smart watches.
• Not agreeing or responding to the validation questions asked by the invigilator.

Blocker Infringements

A Blocker Infringement is one that is deemed a high level exception. One that compromises the test and may cause the
test to be terminated. Supervisors will warn the candidates in advance.
• Leaving the test centre area for ANY reason.
• Communication of any sort with a third party.
• Mobile phones usage once the exam has commenced.

Infringement Logging

1. If an invigilator is required to log an infringement, the invigilator will click on the Log Infringement button. The
invigilator will click on the appropriate infringement described and then on the ‘Take Action’ button.
2. By clicking the ‘Take Action’ button this will record the exceptional activity onto the ‘Actions Log’ and will automatically
send a message to the candidate saying an exception has occurred. The candidate MUST click OK to this in order to
resume their exam. This can be seen by the supervisor on the screen share.
3. Major and Blocker infringements will be reported to the examining body immediately and it will be at the examining
body’s discretion to decide on what action to take next either during the exam or post exam.
A Guide to the TestReach Desktop App for IT Departments

What is the TestReach Desktop App?

The TestReach Desktop App is an application that can be downloaded to a desktop or laptop to enable a candidate to
take an exam on TestReach.

When opened, the TestReach Desktop App launches the TestReach Online website and it acts and behaves in the
same way as if you were accessing the TestReach Online application using a standard internet browser.

Why is the TestReach Desktop App Required?

The TestReach Desktop App is used for two purposes:

1. Remotely Invigilated Exam

A Remotely Invigilated Exam is an exam that the candidate takes while being monitored by our trained supervisors via
their webcam, audio feed and screen share. The Desktop App facilitates these connections and ensures a smooth
experience for the candidate.

2. Secure Online Exam

A Secure Online Exam is an exam that the candidate takes without being monitored, but they are “locked-in” to the
application from the time they launch the exam until the time they complete it. This prevents them from, for
example, opening up a web browser and googling the answers while they take the exam.

What are the System Requirements?

● Laptop / computer with 4GB of available memory. The app will not work on
phones, chrome books, or ipads/tablets. We cannot guarantee service on
touchscreen devices as some devices might be incompatible with the app. We
recommend that candidates source a non-touchscreen device for their exams.
● A Windows v7.0+ or Mac10.10+ operating systems. MacOS BigSur users need
to upgrade to 11.3+
Device ● Intel Core i3 (or equivalent)
● A working webcam, microphone and speakers
● Minimum candidate internet speed of 2 Mbps or higher
Recommended screen size of at least 13″ and a resolution of 1024 x 768.

● A Windows v7.0+ or Mac10.10+ operating system.

○ MacOS BigSur users need to upgrade to 11.3+

● Intel Core i3 (or equivalent)

 ● A working webcam that can be used to scan the room, microphone and
speakers

● We also recommend a screen size of at least 13" and a resolution of 1024 x

768.

Internet Connection ● Minimum internet speed of 2 Mbps

Are there any Security Concerns?

The TestReach Desktop App is very robust, safe to run and has been rolled out across the UK in local government,
emergency services, universities, pension administrators, financial corporations, etc. without any negative reports.

Once the exam is completed, the TestReach App can be closed by clicking the button and has no notification service
or any other configuration that runs while the App is not opened.

When opened it only connects to standard http and https websites through the standard Ports 80 and 443.

For those organisations requiring whitelisted IP addresses, the URL access points are as follows:

Testreach.com
*.testreach.com
learnosity.com
zendesk.com
D1rnvcroqs1811.cloudfront.net

54.163.229.157 via TCP/UDP 3478

54.72.81.107
54.154.103.29
63.32.17.52

The TURN service is from Chime:

chime.aws
*.chime.aws
*.amazonaws.com
*.chime.in
and 99.77.128.0/18 TCP/443 UDP/3478

For further information please see https://www.testreach.com/candidate-download.html or email

support@testreach.com or call +44 (0)20 34758685 (UK) / +353 (0)1 6991385 (IRE).