CBT lab checklist: preparing school computers for an exam

Most exam-day problems are lab problems, and nearly all of them can be found a week early. Work through this list for every computer students will use. The browser and network details are the ones ExamKeep needs; other platforms will be similar.

A week before

Every computer

1. Browser. Chrome or Edge version 111 or later. On Windows 7 or 8.1, install Firefox 115 ESR, since current Chrome no longer supports those systems.
2. Open the school’s exam address once and sign in as a test student. This stores the exam screen on the computer, so on the day it loads from the computer rather than the school’s connection.
3. Run the computer check on a test exam. Fix anything that blocks Start; for warnings, maximise the window and set the zoom to 100%.
4. No private or incognito windows, and no cleanup tools that clear browser data between the practice and the exam. Clearing it removes the stored exam screen and any answers not yet sent.
5. Label each computer so invigilators can report a faulty one.

The lab

• Connection. One shared line is fine; the exam is designed for about 2 Mbit/s. The connection must be up when students press Start. After that, short drops are tolerated.
• Power. Put computers on a UPS if you have one. If power fails, answers already saved on a computer survive, and the student continues after a restart.
• Clocks. Computer clocks don’t matter. The server times each student.
• Web filters. Allow the school’s exam address and its related addresses over HTTPS, and don’t let a firewall intercept them.
• Spares. Keep one or two computers ready for students whose machine fails.

A few days before: the practice sitting

Run a ten-minute practice exam with a real class. Every student starts and answers. Then unplug the lab’s internet for a minute, plug it back in, and have everyone submit. If every paper arrives, the lab is ready.

On the day

• Open each computer at the school’s address and sign out any previous user.
• The exam officer opens the sitting before students try to start.
• Students press Start only when the computer check is clear.
• If the connection drops, students keep answering. Do not reload, close the browser or restart.
• If a computer fails, move the student to a spare computer, where they sign in and resume.
• Turn the failed computer back on and reopen the exam page later: anything it had not sent will be sent.

Afterwards

• Leave every exam page open until the control screen shows all papers submitted.
• Note any computer that showed a warning, and fix it before the next sitting.