Troubleshooting: ProctorExam

(If you have not yet read Tutorial: How to Prepare for a ProctorExam Test, you may wish to read that before you try these troubleshooting techniques. Following the instructions in that tutorial may prevent you from running into any issues.)

If you are attempting to verify your system meets the minimum requirements or take a test in ProctorExam, read below if you are experiencing any of the following issues:

• Your system requirements check or exam link email is missing
• You started the system requirements check but your progress was stalled
• You are having difficulty accessing your webcam
• You are having difficulty sharing your screen
• You receive an error message saying that the plugin is not installed
• You see an error "This proctored test cannot be started until the remote proctoring is started"

IF: You cannot find the emails containing the links for "Verify your system meets the minimum requirements" or "Start Exam"

TRY: Please contact your testing organization.

 

IF: You started the System Requirements Check but you are stuck and you cannot proceed

TRY:  Disable other extensions and clear your cache (remember, you must take your ProctorExam test in Google Chrome).

Disable Other Extensions

• To disable other extensions (and verify that you have the ProctorExam Screen Sharing extension), click the 3 vertical dots on the top right corner of your browser window. Click "More Tools," then "Extensions."
• A new tab will open with a list of all your extensions. You should see your ProctorExam extension installed. If you do not see this, then the extension did not auto-install as expected. Start the process over again by closing your tabs and clicking the original link provided to you. The auto-installation may occur successfully the second time. This link will be available to return to until you finish your requirements check or exam.

• You should see the ProctorExam Screen Sharing extension and all other extensions you have. Leave ProctorExam activated and deactivate any other extensions you have running by clicking the toggle switch at the bottom right corner of each extension (it will turn from blue to grey when disabled). Other extensions can sometimes interfere with the screen sharing functionality in ProctorExam, so it is important that you disable every extension that you can. You can re-enable these extensions when you have finished your test. 

Clear Your Cache 

• If disabling extensions does not work, try clearing your cache. To clear your cache, click the "History" tab at the top of your screen.
• At the bottom of the history tab, you will see an option to "Show Full History." This will open a new tab of full history. 
• On the left side of your screen, click "Clear Browsing Data"

• Uncheck the "Browsing History" and "Cookies and other site data" boxes and check the "Cached images and files" box. Click "Clear Data"

• Now that you have cleared your cache and disabled problematic extensions, return to the link in your email and start from the beginning. The process should run smoothly now. If you continue to run into issues here, please contact [e-mail]. 

 

IF: You are having difficulty accessing your webcam

TRY: View your webcam settings or ask an administrator of your computer or network to assist you. Also try checking your webcam to be sure it isn't being covered by anything that may be obscuring your view. If you cannot access your webcam to share with ProctorExam, this may be because your network settings prohibit this kind of activity. Unfortunately, if your network settings are restricting your access to ProctorExam, we cannot do anything to help you remotely. We highly recommend that you discuss this with your IT department if you are at your place of work. You can ask your IT department to "White List" our domains that will these very specific URLs to operate outside of your network's restrictions. Please contact [e-mail] for help White Listing our domains. 

If you are testing at home and believe you are having hardware issues not caused by a network restriction, then you may have to seek answers to fix your hardware settings. Try searching the internet for more detailed troubleshooting ideas specific to your machine. 

IF: You are having difficulty sharing your screen.

TRY: View your display settings or ask an administrator of your computer or network to assist you. The most common problem preventing screen sharing in ProctorExam is multiple displays (monitors). If you are testing on a laptop and have your screen plugged in to an external monitor, unplug or disable the monitor. You should only see one screen when you attempt to share your screen with ProctorExam (See below. You want to select "Your Entire Screen." If you see multiple screens in the view box below, that means you have more than one monitor, and you will need to remove one). 

You may also be experiencing problems sharing your screen because your network settings prohibit this kind of activity. Unfortunately, if your network settings are restricting your access to ProctorExam, we cannot do anything to help you remotely. We highly recommend that you discuss this with your IT department if you are at your place of work. You can ask your IT department to "White List" our domains that will these very specific URLs to operate outside of your network's restrictions. Please contact [e-mail] for help White Listing our domains. 

IF: You are running macOS Catalina (10.15) and later you will need to enable Screen Recording Permission for Google Chrome

1. Click the System Preferences icon in the Dock, or choose Apple menu > System Preferences
2. Click on Security and Privacy > Privacy > Screen Recording
3. Check Google Chrome 
4. Click the lock to make changes

 

IF: You received an error saying your plugin was not installed

TRY: Launch your requirements check again from the link in your email. The ProctorExam Screen Sharing extension should automatically install when you click the link to "Verify your system meets the minimum requirements." If any message tells you that the plugin is not installed, something happened during the auto-installation process that prevented the extension from installing.

Close all browser tabs (except one for your email) and kill any applications you aren't using. Then open your email containing the link to "Verify your system meets the minimum requirements." Continue through the process. 

If you encounter further issues, please contact [e-mail]. 

IF: You see an error "This proctored test cannot be started until the remote proctoring is started"

TRY: Wait 15-30 seconds and click "Login" again. This error can appear when ProctorExam is still connecting to your test. If you have provided the correct test code the login is still not working after waiting 15-30 seconds, please contact [e-mail].