Screen test for online exams and calls.
Check the things about your screen that exam software checks: the size, the scaling, a second display, and whether you can share it. The share is closed at once and nothing is recorded.
One check
- Screen
Runs like the stress test: one check after another, with the progress along the top. Nothing you show the camera or say into the microphone leaves this page.
What it measures
Measured here, not assumed.
Resolution and scaling
The screen's size in pixels and the display scaling. Vendors usually want at least 1280 by 720; heavy scaling can leave an exam window short of room.
A second display
Where the browser can tell, whether the desktop extends to another display. Most vendors require exactly one.
Screen sharing
The browser asks to share the screen, reads whether the entire screen or only a window was offered, and closes the share immediately.
If it fails
The usual failures, and what fixes each.
- A second display was found
- Unplug or disable the other display before the exam. If you keep the external monitor, close the laptop lid or disable its screen in the display settings, and check the vendor accepts that.
- Screen sharing was refused
- Run again and choose Allow, then Entire screen. On a Mac, the browser also needs Screen Recording permission in System Settings, Privacy and Security, and a restart of the browser after granting it.
- Only a window was shared
- Proctors need the entire screen. In the share dialog, choose the Entire screen tab rather than Window or Tab.
- The screen is too small
- Lower the display scaling in the system settings, which gives the exam more room, or use a larger external display if the vendor allows one.
Where a browser stops
What it cannot tell you.
- A second display that is connected but switched off. Some browsers report it, most do not, and some vendors still count it.
- Whether the vendor allows an external monitor in place of the laptop screen. Rules differ; check theirs.
- What is on the screen. Nothing is captured or looked at.
Privacy
Nothing leaves this page.
The camera and microphone are read on this page and stopped as soon as they have been measured. The clip you can play back lives in the browser's memory and is discarded when you leave. The location check discards the position. The internet test sends random bytes to this site and nothing else. The result is stored nowhere unless you ask for it by email, and then only the fact that an email was sent is kept.
Questions
Screen test, answered
- Can I use two monitors for an online proctored exam?
- Usually not. Most vendors require a single display and treat a second one as a violation, sometimes even when it is off. Disconnect it before the exam.
- Why does screen sharing not work in my browser?
- On a Mac, the browser needs Screen Recording permission in System Settings, and must be restarted after it is granted. On any system, choosing Block once in the share dialog is remembered; reset it from the site's permissions in the address bar.
- What screen resolution do I need for an online exam?
- Vendors commonly ask for at least 1280 by 720. Nearly every laptop meets that, but high display scaling can shrink the usable area; 100 to 125 percent is safest for exam software.
Read next