These guidelines apply to in-centre ISE Digital exams delivered with remote proctoring for one candidate per exam sitting only. This delivery format is designed to help centres run ISE Digital exams for individual candidates.
An on-site invigilator is not required to observe the candidate during the exam. The candidate will be monitored by a remote proctor throughout the exam.
Centre staff must be available to support the pre-exam and post-exam procedures. During the exam, staff must remain nearby and easy to reach in case of medical, technical or safeguarding issues.
If the candidate experiences any of these emergencies, they are allowed to leave the exam room during the exam in order to seek help.
To check whether in-centre remotely proctored delivery is available to youin your region, please check your MyTrinity account (when booking an exam, you will see the different delivery options available to you) or contact your local Trinity Representative.
The guideline on this page and all associated pages supplement the standard Registered Exam Centre (REC) Requirements and Admin pack and must be followed in full for any exam session delivered using the in-centre remote proctoring model.
Please also ensure to familiarise yourself and the candidate with our Proctoring Rules: Non-Permitted Behaviour and System Flags.
The guidelines do not replace existing requirements relating to:
- exam room setup
- candidate identification
- overall exam security standards
- incident reporting
This page sets out all guidelines specific to in-centre remotely proctored exams and contains information about the following:
3. Candidate identification/check
4. Equipment and camera requirements
1. Delivery model overview
The exam is delivered in a test centre.
- Only one candidate is permitted per exam room.
- The exam is remotely proctored.
Centre staff remain responsible for:
- maintaining the security of the exam room
- candidate identity checks
- equipment setup
- pre-exam invigilation procedures
2. Exam room requirements
- The exam room must be used for one candidate only.
- No other candidates or staff may be present in the room once the exam has started.
The room must:
- be quiet and free from interruptions.
- comply with standard seating, lighting and security requirements.
- contain no unauthorised materials or smart devices.
All standard exam room requirements outlined in the Registered Exam Centre (REC) Requirements and Admin pack continue to apply.
3. Candidate identification/check
Centre staff must perform the candidate ID check in person before the exam begins.
The ID check follows the same process as for standard in-centre exams.
There is:
- no remote ID check
- no remote room scan
Candidates must not start the exam until their identity has been verified by centre staff.
Centre staff needs to ensure that the candidate does not have any smart devices (glasses, watches, phone) on them (e.g. in their pockets) when entering the exam room.
The centre is liable for adhering to Trinity College London's standard exam security guidelines regarding candidate identity verification and exam (room) security in order to preserve the integrity of ISE Digital exams.
4. Equipment and camera requirements
To deliver remotely proctored exams in centre, a laptop with webcam and a smartphone will be required.
Primary device
The test-taking device must:
- Meet all standard technical requirements.
- Have a working built-in or external camera.
Secondary camera
The centre must provide a mobile phone to act as a secondary camera.
The secondary camera must be set up before the exam starts and must show:
- the candidate
- the desk, keyboard and workspace
- the immediate surrounding area
Centre staff are responsible for:
- positioning the secondary camera correctly
- checking that both cameras are active and functioning
Note:
Please ensure that the primary test-taking device is connected via a wired internet connection rather than Wi-Fi, as network stability is critical due to the increased bandwidth demands of the proctoring layer.
Internet instability should be avoided wherever possible, as once a candidate exits a proctored test, re-entry is not permitted.
5. Pre-exam procedures
Before the candidate begins the exam, centre staff must:
- Read the invigilation script relevant to in-centre proctored delivery.
- Prompt the candidate to start with pre-exam proctor checks.
- Help set up the secondary camera.
5.1 Pre-proctor checks
You must close all other applications on the test taking device before launching the proctor software.
To launch the proctor software, copy or type the link into the internet browser (e.g. Google Chrome).
We recommend that you shut down your computer and restart it right before launching the remotely proctored exams to avoid any applications running in the background (e.g. Grammarly, Teams etc.)
Once the proctor software has launched, the candidate needs to complete the following steps (centre staff is responsible for the provision of and the correct positioning of the secondary camera (mobile phone):
Step 1 - Terms of Use
First, candidates must agree to the Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy by ticking the checkbox.
Step 2 - Hardware checks - microphone and camera
If prompted, allow camera and microphone access in the browser pop-up.
The check starts with an audio test, where students must make sure their microphone is working. They do this by clicking “Start Recording” and reading the sentence shown on the screen.
Step 3 - Screen sharing
A pop-up will ask for screen sharing. Click Allow or Share, select Your Entire Screen and confirm. Then check that screen sharing is working correctly.
Step 4 - Secondary camera
After starting screen sharing, set up a second camera using your mobile phone. The mobile phone should be set to "No not disturb".
Scan the QR code shown on the screen and make sure your phone is fully charged and that auto-lock is turned off. Then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup.
Make sure the mobile phone camera (front camera) shows the candidate’s upper body, hands, keyboard, screen and desk. You may need to lean the phone against some books to keep it steady.
Step 5 - Guidance and Topic Notes
Candidate will be asked to review the behavioural guidance (non-permitted behaviour during the proctored exam). Before clicking "Continue", candidates MUST show the front and back of their topic notes into the webcam.
Candidates sitting remotely proctored exams in centres need to use the Topic Notes template provided by Trinity. If they bring their own sheet of paper, the sheet needs to be clearly labelled as "TOPIC NOTES" at the top of the page. Topic notes can only contain bullet points and no written paragraphs of text.
The exam must not start until all of these steps are complete.
6. During the exam
The candidate must remain alone in the exam room for the full duration of the exam. They are only allowed to leave the exam room during the exam in order to seek help.
Centre staff must therefore remain available nearby to respond to:
- technical issues
- health and safety concerns
Centre staff must not interrupt the exam unless there is a clear operational or safety issue.
Note: If the candidates terminates/exits the proctored exam, no re-entry to that exam session is permitted.
7. After the exam
After the exam has finished, centre staff must:
- Switch off and remove the secondary camera.
- Ensure the candidate’s topic notes are destroyed.
- Complete the Supervisor’s report, including details of any incidents or irregularities.
All standard post-exam procedures remain in force.
8. Compliance and audit
Failure to follow these guidelines may result in:
- exam invalidation
- additional monitoring
- suspension of approval to deliver remotely proctored exams
Centres must ensure all staff involved in delivery are trained on these guidelines before running in-centre remotely proctored sessions.
See also:
Proctoring Rules: Non-Permitted Behaviour and System Flags
Topic Notes for In-Centre Remotely Proctored Exams
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