Exams from Home | Exam Administration | Test Candidates | Checklist | Exams List |
The Certiport Exams from Home onlinesolution was initially created in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This resource enabled teachers to provide classroom-like assistance as they delivered secure remote testing.
With the newest iteration of Exams from Home, educators will continue toutilize a shared-screen approach that enablesassistance to remote test candidates, but can now administer exams as soon as one hour after the event is scheduled, all with increased security and availability.
We encourage certification testing to be done onsite at a Certiport Authorized Testing Center using Compass for Windows or Compass for Mac,and to only use the Exams from Home solution ifin-person testing is not possible.
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Learn about Exams from Home
Get details about Certiport's Exams from Home (EFH) solution and prepare for your first session by reviewing all of the sections on this page.
Exams from Home | Exam Administration | Test Candidates | Checklist | Exams List |
1
What is Exams from Home?
See information about the solution and how it differs from a traditional native environment in a classroom or training center.
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Exams from Home
Exams from Home (EFH)is a solution that delivers our traditional Compass software through a secure browser. It does not require the Exam Administrator (Proctor)to download any software, including any locally installed software required for Live-in-the-Application exams. (Test Candidates will have a small download and install for the secure browser.)
Note: If you are brand new to testing with Certiport and have never delivered an exam via any platform you should review our basic account management and exam administration training before diving into Exams from Home.
If you have delivered exams with Compass, but have not used Exams from Home, a basic overview of what you need to knowis as follows:
- Understanding that Compass is still employed, but it and any required Live-in-the-App software is accessed via a browser and does not need to be set up or installed on either the Exam Administrator's (Proctor's) or the Test Candidate's computer. Test Candidates will have a small download and install in the form of the secure browser app which is a new fixture ofthis version of EFH.
- Vetting the technical requirements of delivery for both parties, particularly items that have changed from the previous iteration of EFH (see Section 3 on this page).
- Understanding the way that communications from Certiport to the Exam Administrator (Proctor) will occur, and how commmunications to the Test Candidate(s) will occur.
- Familiarizing yourself with the flow of the exam launch for Test Candidates and the flow of exam delivery for Exam Administrators (Proctors). This will include familiarizing yourself with Certiport's Exam Administration Dashboardtool, which iswhat the Exam Administrator (Proctor) uses to deliver exams with EFH.
- Scheduling a session using the calendar tool and receiving your launchlinks and access code.
- Performing an Identity & Environment check just before the start of your scheduled session.
2
What are my options?
Get the details on our delivery modeland options.
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Exams from Home delivery model
An Exam Administrator (Proctor)will administer the exams through a typical exam experience using Compassthrough a browser with a high-speed internet connection and almost any computer.
Note:Only the Certiport Exam AdministrationDashboard tool can deliver the securesessions. Teams (or any third-party applications) cannot be used to directly administer the exams.
Details
- 1-50 Test Candidates per scheduled session
- Point of contact with the Test Candidate: you, the Exam Administrator (Proctor)
- Who administers the exam sessions: you, the Exam Administrator (Proctor)
- Available forTest Candidates with ADA accommodations in the form of extended time only - see the FAQs on this pagefor details
- Available for most programs (see the Exams List page)
3
What do I need to know before I begin?
Important info for the solution including links to user training and more.
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User Training & Technical Requirements
After you have reviewed this page, see the user training pages for detailed information about using the Exams from Home solution (including technical requirements):
Important: Please review the Technical Requirements for both parties in detail as some items have changed.
User Training & Technical Requirements:
- Exam Administrator (Proctor)
- Test Candidate
4
How/Where do I schedule?
Learn about the Exams from Home calendar and event creation.
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Important scheduling details
To participate, review the information on this page and determine the actual number of committed Test Candidates carefully in your session request.
- Review all user training and technical requirements prior to scheduling your first session.
- We ask that you only create exam sessions for the number of Test Candidates that will actually attend.No-shows waste a valuable seat another Test Candidate could have used.
- The person scheduling the session does not have to be the Exam Administrator (Proctor) but does have to be associated to your CATC.
- CATCs can schedule at their convenience down to a minimum of onehour in advance of the actual session.
- You may schedule up to 50 Test Candidates in one session, but it is recommended that you begin with 10 until you are comfortable with the solution.
- All Test Candidates within a single scheduled session must take the exact same exam (e.g., MOS Word 2019).
- You can create multiple sessions ocurring at the same hour in order to deliver different exams, but you should start with only one session until you are comfortable with the solution.
When using the Exams from Home solutionplease note that there are two timelimits you need to be aware of:
- Session time: the amount of time the virtual machine is active (approx 3 hours) or until the Test Candidate finishes the exam and disconnects from the session
- Exam time:the actual timed portion the Test Candidate has to completethe certification exam- between 45-60 minutes for all standard exams
Session time is used by the Test Candidate to log in, select their exam group and payment method, review the tutorial, ask the Exam Administrator (Proctor) any questions, review their results, send feedback, or to complete other similar tasks. If the Test Candidate arrives later than 30 minutes to their scheduled session, they will be locked out and need to reschedule their exam as there may not be enough overall time to complete all tasks as well as the exam itself.
Scheduling your session
When ready, use one of the methods below to schedule your Exams from Home session:
All Global Users:
Scheduling a sessionusing the Organization Administrator & Member roles:
Log inand change your role in the dropdown at the top of the page to "Organization Administrator" or "Organization Member". Mouse over the "Exam Delivery" taband click the menu item for "Exams from Home: Create Sessions".Click the "Create and manage exam sessions" button to view the calendar. Enter a name for your session and click the "Create session" button and follow the on-screen prompts. After scheduling an event, you will receive the emails for the Exam Administrator (Proctor) and Test Candidate within 5 minutes.
Scheduling a session using theProctor role:
Log inand change your role in the dropdown at the top of the page to "Proctor". The Proctor home page will contain the calendar for Exams from Home. Click the "Exams from Home - Remote exam proctoring" section, then click the"Create and manage exam sessions" button to view the calendar. Enter a name for your session and click the "Create session" button and follow the on-screen prompts.After scheduling an event, you will receive the emails for the Exam Administrator (Proctor) and Test Candidate within 5 minutes.
Please Note: Once an event is created in the calendar, the date, time, and other detailscannot be changed. To reschedule your session, the event must be deleted, and a new event must be created.
Exams from Home | Exam Administration | Test Candidates |Checklist | Exams List |
Frequently asked questions
Q: What if I have not received my session emails by the time our scheduled session has begun?
A:After creating an event in the calendar, the two emails will be sent almost immediately. If you have not received them within 5 minutes, check your email/spam filters and if you still cannot locate them, return to the calendar, locate your session event, click on the "More" button and then choose "Send confirmation email" to generate the emails again.If you continue to experience issues receiving your communications, please delete the session and create a new event.
Q: Does the Test Candidate need the software installed on their personal computer for LITA (Live-in-the-Application) exams?
A: No. The required software for Microsoft, Adobe, or Autodesk, as well as the Compass software, will be part of the exam session and served through the Certiport Secure Browser.
Q: Do different exam programs require different levels of bandwidth?
A: No. The burden of the exam delivery software (Compass), the operating system, and the locally installed software (if applicable) is moved to the cloud in Exams from Home. Generally, the faster things change/refresh on the screen, the higher the data transfer rate will need to be (for example, streaming a video would require far more bandwidth than viewing a photo). In the case of EFH, this would primarily be download speed because the virtual machine is sending the information from the remote desktop to the Test Candidate’s computer via the browser window. Therefore, all programs delivered in Exams from Home have the same requirements. 10Mbps download speed is where we landed for the best testing experience for Test Candidates and Exam Administrators (Proctors).
Q: Do we have to use Exams from Home?
A: No. With a worldwide network of testing centers, we rely on those individual centers to determine what is best based on their particular circ*mstances and to comply with all applicable laws, mandates, and restrictions. If your local restrictions are such that in-person/onsite sessions are now permitted, and you believe that you can administer exams in the best interest of the health and safety of all persons and parties involved, then feel free to use our traditional (native) delivery solutions.
Q: The Test Candidate requires an ADA accommodation; can I still apply for one with Exams from Home?
A: Yes. ADA accommodations are supported in the Exams from Home solution in the form of extended testing time for pre-approved candidates. However, accessibility tools such as JAWS and other screen readers are not supported in Exams from Home. Certiport’s Compass for Windows and Compass for Mac locally installed solutions still support all forms of accommodations detailed on our ADA page.
Note:With the current iteration of Exams from Home, there are no longer special calendar blocks for ADA that must be selected when scheduling an exam session for a Test Candidate with an accommodation. Simply schedule a Test Candidate that is already approved for an accommodation, and they will have extended time when they launch their exam. If a Test Candidate does not have extended time but has been approved, please contact Customer Service (it can take up to 10 days after submitting an ADA request and all supporting documentation to be approved).
Q: Can we schedule a mix of ADA-approved Test Candidates along with regular-time Test Candidates in one scheduled exam session event?
A: Yes. Since the accommodation approval “flag” comes from the Test Candidate’s profile, EFH will adapt to the different types of exam lengths and stay active as long as required (or until the exam time runs out). However, this scenario will require the Exam Administrator (Proctor) to potentially stay monitoring the Test Candidates with accommodations through the Certiport Dashboard for a significant time longer than regular-time Test Candidates.
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