Online proctored exam requirements: a tech checklist for the days and the hour before

Most online exam problems come from four things: a computer the exam tool doesn't support, exam software that isn't installed or isn't allowed to use the camera and microphone, other apps or screens it won't run alongside, and a weak connection. You can rule out all four ahead of time. Find out which proctoring tool your exam uses, run its own system check at least a day before on the same computer, network and room, and in the last hour close everything else and unplug extra screens. The tool details below are current as of November 2026. Your exam's own instructions always win, because schools and exam sponsors can make the rules stricter.

What a proctored exam needs from your computer

Every proctoring tool does the same job, which is why the requirements look alike. The webcam shows the proctor (a person, software, or both) your face, your ID and your room. The microphone picks up voices and noise around you. The tool also watches or locks your screen, so it insists on its own browser or app, one monitor and no other programs. And it sends all of this as you go, so your connection has to keep up, including the upload side, which is much slower than download on many home connections.

The bans follow from that. Phones and most tablets can't run the lockdown software. Headphones could hide a voice reading you answers, and a second screen could show notes. A VPN hides where you're connecting from, and remote-access tools let someone else see or control your computer, so most tools block both.

A week before: find your tool and check your computer

1. Find out which tool your exam uses. Your school or test provider decides, and the exam instructions or course page name it. Read them in full: they can be stricter than the tool's defaults.
2. Check your computer against the table below. The safe choice is a Windows or Mac laptop or desktop you're allowed to install software on. Phones and tablets are out almost everywhere, Chromebooks only work with some tools, and none of the four tools here supports Linux. Check your macOS version too: the minimum ranges from macOS 11 to macOS 14 depending on the tool.
3. Leave Windows S mode if you're in it. S mode only runs apps from the Microsoft Store, and Respondus and Pearson OnVUE say they don't support it. Microsoft lets you switch out for free, but it's a one-way change.
4. Use a computer you control. Exam browsers and apps usually need administrator rights to install, which a work laptop often blocks, and its company network or VPN can trip the checks. If your own computer doesn't qualify, ask your school now whether it lends laptops or has a testing room.
5. Install the browser, extension or app from the link in your exam instructions, so you get the version your school uses.
6. Ask early about anything you need allowed. Headphones, a second monitor or extra breaks are decided by your instructor or exam sponsor, often through your school's disability services. Approval takes time, so don't leave it to exam day.

The day before: run every check

1. Run the call check in exam mode. In a minute or two it confirms that the camera shows your face clearly, the microphone hears you and the speakers play, and says what to fix.
2. Then run your exam tool's own system check on the same computer, network and room you'll use for the exam. It tests what a browser check can't: whether the exam software installs, gets its permissions and reaches its servers. Pearson asks you to run its System Test before you even register, and LSAC asks LSAT takers to run theirs at least 24 hours ahead.
3. Give the exam software its permissions. On Windows 11, open Settings > Privacy & security > Camera and check that Camera access and Let desktop apps access your camera are on, since exam browsers and apps are desktop apps. Then do the same under Microphone. On a Mac, open System Settings > Privacy & Security and turn on your browser or exam app under Camera, Microphone and Screen & System Audio Recording, then quit and reopen it.
4. Install updates and restart. A pending Windows or macOS update can slow the computer or ask to restart in the middle of the exam. Install it now, restart, and run the exam tool's check again afterwards.
5. Test your internet where you'll sit. Run a speed test at your desk and compare it with the table. Upload speed matters as much as download, because your video goes up the whole time. If Wi-Fi is weak there, use an Ethernet cable or move closer to the router.
6. Prepare the room and your ID. Pick a quiet, private room with a clear desk and a light in front of you, not a window behind you, so the camera can see your face and read your ID. Our guide to looking good on video calls covers light and camera height. Put the ID your exam asks for where you'll find it.

The hour before: set up and close everything

1. Restart the computer and plug it in. A restart closes apps that hold on to the camera, and a laptop on battery can slow itself down to save power.
2. Quit every other app, don't just minimize it. That matters most for apps that use the camera or microphone or share the screen: Teams, Zoom, Webex, Skype, Discord, OBS, FaceTime and remote-access tools. On Windows, check the icons next to the clock for apps still running in the background: a camera there often works with only one app at a time, so a call app left open can stop the exam from finding yours.
3. Unplug extra monitors. ProctorU and OnVUE allow one screen, and schools usually set Honorlock exams the same way. A laptop's own screen already counts as one, so an external monitor makes two. Stop screen mirroring to a TV and any tablet used as a second display, too.
4. Turn off your VPN and any proxy, and leave the work network if you're on one. Ask people at home to pause streaming, gaming and big downloads until you're done.
5. Set up the desk. Clear it, put your phone out of reach unless the tool needs it for check-in photos or a room scan, and leave headphones off unless your exam allows them.
6. Start check-in early. Check-in can include photos of you and your ID, a scan of the room with your webcam and a last equipment test. Pearson OnVUE opens check-in 30 minutes before your appointment, and arriving late can mean you can't test.

What each exam tool needs

These are four widely used proctoring tools. The details are current as of November 2026 and come from each vendor's own pages. Vendors update them, and your school can add rules, so check your exam instructions and the vendor's page shortly before the day.

Honorlock

Honorlock works through its Chrome extension, so install Chrome 120 or later first. If your exam also needs the Honorlock desktop app, install it early, because it needs administrator rights. Where an exam allows it, a phone may be used only to photograph your ID or scan the room. Run the system check from Honorlock's support site. Headsets and earplugs are banned unless your instructor allows them.

ProctorU

ProctorU, from Meazure Learning, runs most exams in the Guardian Browser. On a Mac with an M-series chip, download the Apple Silicon version. Run Test It Out before exam day. Passing it is a good sign but not a guarantee, so also read ProctorU's equipment requirements. On the day, quit Teams, Zoom, Webex, Skype and any remote-access tools, and turn off VPNs.

Respondus Monitor

Respondus Monitor is the webcam part of LockDown Browser, so that's what you install, from the link your school provides. On Windows 10 you need build 19045 or later, and an iPad needs iPadOS 15 or later plus your instructor's go-ahead. Run both checks under the Help Center button in LockDown Browser's toolbar. Close anything that uses the webcam and turn off VPNs. Respondus lists the details in its system requirements.

Pearson OnVUE

Pearson OnVUE is used for many professional and IT certification exams. Run the System Test from your exam's OnVUE page before you register, on the same computer and network you'll use on the day. On exam day, close every app except OnVUE, turn off VPNs and proxies, and avoid work networks. Pearson keeps the full list on its OnVUE requirements page.

The LSAT and other exams

The remote LSAT uses Prometric's ProProctor, on Windows or Mac only, and LSAC asks you to run its system check at least 24 hours before the test. If your exam uses a tool that isn't listed here, the same plan works: find its system check, run it a day early on the exam computer, and read its rules on headphones, screens and phones.

If a check fails or something breaks during the exam

• Neither check sees your camera or microphone: test each one on its own. The webcam test shows the picture and lets you switch between cameras, and the mic test shows a level meter and plays back a recording.
• Only the exam tool fails: check its permissions, quit other apps and restart. If it still fails, contact the tool's support before exam day.
• Something breaks during the exam: use the tool's own help, such as its live chat or the proctor, and follow their instructions. Write down the time and any error message, and tell your instructor or exam provider as soon as you can.
• Support asks for details: Copy results in the call check gives you a plain-text summary of your camera, microphone, speakers and computer to paste into a support chat or email.

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