The vast majority of students who take remote exams enjoy a smooth exam day. However some students face unexpected technical issues on exam day. The following guidance will support you prevent and overcome common technical issues relating to your connectivity and device setup.
Students must have the necessary equipment, connectivity and room requirements to take a remote exam. Please ensure you meet the minimimum technical requirements and successfully pass the mandatory system test via exam planner using the same location, network and device you'll use on exam day.
However, even when meeting these requirements, sometimes unexpected issues such as connectivity disruption, may occur on exam day. If you do not have administrator rights on your computer/laptop this will limit your ability to troubleshoot any issues which arise. We therefore strongly recommend using a personal computer/laptop when taking your exam.
It is unlikely your invigilator will be able to assist you with any technical or connectivity related issues on exam day. However, you should still inform your invigilator of any issue you face using the on-screen chat functionality. This will alert your invigilator, who will then respond when they are available. Please note this may not be immediately.
View our invigilator guidance document for information on what our invigilators may contact you for.
Unfortunately, should you face repeated or prolonged technical issues your invigilator may have to terminate the exam. View the guidance below to support you having a successful exam day.
We would recommend that your device is using its latest operating system software updates. However, you should make sure there are no updates to your device software scheduled during your exam as these may cause a disruption.
Additionally, all non-exam related background applications must be closed prior to checking in for your exam.
Using a corporate/employer provided device is strongly not recommended. These devices often use firewalls as part of their network security settings, which may prevent the successful running of the exam. These settings may also include the use of a VPN connection which is not permitted to be used for remote exams.
Additionally, a corporate/employer provided device may be configured to have limited administrator rights, which may impact your ability and requirement to close non-exam related background applications and processes during check-in.
If you are using a corporate/employer provided device then you should direct your IT department to the network administrator requirements which can be found within the minimum technical requirements checklist
Technical disruptions in the exam are most commonly caused by internet connectivity issues. To support a stable internet connection, which is required for the full duration of the exam, we recommend:
Webcam issues may occur as a result of:
Enable your webcam setting by following the instructions in our step-by-step guides below:
Step-by-step guide to fixing webcam issues on Windows device
You launch your exam by accessing Exam Planner within your myACCA. If you are having difficulties accessing your myACCA account you can view our guide to accessing your account
Full details of how to check-in are provided on our 'On your exam day' webpage.
If during your exam you experienced technical issues, please visit our post-exam options page for guidance on what to do next.