SystemCheck's online exam profile runs these checks: browser and system, webcam, microphone, speakers, internet, screen, location, browser settings.
- Each check reports pass, warn or fail with what it measured and what to do next. A check that does not apply to the device is left out rather than failed.
- Vendor figures are shown only where we read them on the vendor's or a university's page, with the page and the date. Unconfirmed figures are not shown as requirements.
- Passing our check is not the vendor's approval. Always run the exam provider's own system check as well.
The short answer
A proctored exam streams your camera and microphone, often watches your screen, and needs a supported browser and a steady connection for the whole sitting. SystemCheck's exam profile tests each of those in the browser you will use, says what it measured, and tells you what to fix before exam day.
What each check tests
Every line below comes from the check's own code.
- Webcam: whether the browser gets a picture, its size against a 640 by 480 floor and its frame rate against 15 frames a second, whether the picture is too dark or soft, and whether it stutters while you move.
- Microphone: whether speech is heard over the room's noise, and whether it clips.
- Speakers: a tone on each side and a sweep, which you confirm you heard.
- Internet: download, upload, delay and jitter. Upload matters most, because the camera is streamed out.
- Screen: the screen size against 1280 by 720, and whether more than one display is attached, which many proctoring services do not allow.
- Browser and settings: the browser and version, and whether the permissions an exam needs can be granted.
- Location: only whether the browser can give one. The position is not kept.
What it cannot test
A proctoring service usually installs its own extension or application, which a web page cannot inspect. A check run now cannot promise the connection will hold later, and it cannot see whether another program will grab the camera at exam time. Vendor rules change, so the vendor's current requirements page and its own check are the final word.
Terms used here
Questions
- If I pass SystemCheck's exam profile, will my exam work?
- It means your camera, microphone, connection, screen and browser worked in this browser when you ran it. Run the exam provider's own check too, on the same machine and network you will use on the day.
- Why was a check left out on my device?
- A check that cannot apply is skipped rather than failed. The screen check is not skipped: in a browser that cannot share its screen it records screen sharing as Not available and still judges the screen's size and the number of displays.