Minimum requirements to run digital exams

To be able to run digital exams, your centre must be able to fulfil all the requirements, including hardware, software and security, and we explain these below. This information will be in the Supplement to the Cambridge Handbook (digital exams) 2027. You must also fulfil all the relevant regulations and requirements in the Cambridge Handbook.

In your centre, you must have suitable exam room(s) to run digital exams, they must:

• meet all our technical requirements for hardware, software and connectivity
• support secure and uninterrupted access to the digital exam
• have adequate power provision for all computers without reliance on battery only
• meet our requirements in section 4.5 of the Cambridge Handbook.

You will also need IT support to help you run your exams. They will:

• complete and check the reliable setup and maintenance of technical infrastructure for digital exams
• complete pre-exam checks, live support, and system updates
• meet our requirements in the Centre responsibilities section of the Cambridge Handbook.

Hardware requirements

You must:

1. provide each candidate with a Windows, Mac or Chromebook computer. Candidates can only provide their own Windows device and you must be approved by us in advance of the exam series.
2. make sure all computers comply with the relevant health and safety laws for your region.
3. have a computer outside the exam room for the person monitoring the digital exam platform.
4. have enough additional computers available in the exam room in case there is a hardware failure during the exam. Any spare computers must:
   • meet our minimum technical requirements for computers
   • have the required lockdown browser pre-installed
   • be ready for immediate use if required.

Wherever possible, portable computers should be connected to a power source during the exam. Where connection to power is not possible, you must check that each candidate's computer has enough battery capacity to last at least one hour after the planned end of the exam, including any approved extra time arrangements.

All computers used for digital exams must have:

• a diagonal screen size of at least 13 inches (33 cm)
• a landscape (horizontal) display configuration
• a minimum screen resolution of 1280 × 720 pixels.

The following devices are not currently supported:

• iOS
• Android
• Linux
• Thin Client or virtual desktop interface devices.

Software requirements

All computers used for digital exams must meet the following minimum requirements.

Use our system requirements check to make sure your devices meet the minimum requirements.

All computers used in a digital exam must have internet access.

Your centre's broadband connection must provide a minimum of 0.5 Mbps download and upload speed per candidate.

For exams requiring audio and/or video playback:

• minimum 3.3 Mbps download speed per candidate
• minimum 1.65 Mbps upload speed per candidate.

You can find tools to help you check your computers meet the minimum requirements and stress-test your network speed in our bandwidth checker.

To see what a digital exam looks like, visit our digital exam demo test. Do not share the link once opened in the browser because the URL will change.

Digital exam security

You must install the lockdown browser on every computer before exam day. This prevents candidates accessing other applications, websites, or files stored locally or on network storage.

• Windows computers must install Digital Exam Browser (Microsoft. NET Desktop Runtime 9.0 installation required to run this lockdown browser).
• Mac computers must install the Safe Exam Browser
• Chromebooks must use Chromebook Kiosk Mode.

If the correct lockdown browser is not correctly installed and configured, access to the digital exam will be blocked.

You must make sure all sound settings are muted, unless the exam includes the playback of audio or video materials.

We will provide instructions to set up your lockdown browser at a later stage.