What is the Onboarding Exam?
The Onboarding Exam is a short preparation process that will guide you through the necessary steps to set up your computer for the Proctored Exam. It is not a test and is not scored or graded—it does not count as part of your Proctored Exam grade. You must complete the Onboarding Exam at least five days before you plan to take a Proctored Exam.
The Onboarding Exam will help you ensure that your system is compatible with the online proctoring system. The Onboarding Exam will also walk you through completing ID Verification.
If you completed the Onboarding Exam in a previous semester, or for another course in the current semester, your onboarding status may still be valid. If so, you will see a notification on the right side of the Proctored Exam course page that says "Current Onboarding Status: Approved in Another Course"(see image below). In this case, you may not need to repeat the onboarding process. However, we strongly recommend you re-do the onboarding process at least once per semester—especially if you have updated or changed your computer or network in any way.
The best way to avoid technical issues during the Proctored Exam is to complete the onboarding process with the exact setup you will use to take the Proctored Exam. Please also be aware that previous onboarding approval is valid for a finite period of time. If you have any concerns about whether your onboarding approval will last throughout your Proctored Exam, you should re-do the Onboarding Exam!
How to Complete the Onboarding Exam
In order to start the Onboarding Exam, you must first be enrolled in the Proctored Exam course. Enrollment for DEDP Proctored Exam courses typically opens for eligible learners one day after the close of online courses for the semester. If you are eligible to enroll in the Proctored Exam for a DEDP course (and that course was offered this semester), you can enroll directly from your MicroMasters Portal Dashboard.
Once you are enrolled in the Proctored Exam course, you will be able to access it from your MITx Online Dashboard, just like any other course—the course name will include the DEDP course name and end with "PROCTORED EXAM".
Within the Proctored Exam courseware, you will find the Onboarding Exam section, which will look similar or identical to the following image. Click "continue to onboarding" to start the process.
Next, you will be asked to "Set up and start your proctored exam". Click "Start System Check". Please note: this will only start the Onboarding Exam — it will not start your actual Proctored Exam assessment.
Your web browser will navigate to and open the Proctortrack site. Carefully review the important information presented to ensure that you are prepared, and click the blue 'X' in the top right of the popup window to proceed.
You will then be led through downloading and installing the Proctortrack software, completing a system check, and completing the face scan and ID photo scan.
During the face scan process, follow the on-screen prompts and ensure that your face fills the frame before clicking "Scan".
You should review your face scans and, if you aren't satisfied with them, click "No" to restart the face scan process. Otherwise, click "Yes" to proceed.
Review the instructions for completing the photo ID scan and click "Next" when you are ready.
Your photographic identification must contain a clear picture of your face and your name, but several types of ID are acceptable. You may use any of the following:
- Any government-issued photo ID, for example
- Driver's License
- Passport
- Official Student ID card (College or University ID acceptable, High School ID not acceptable)
Hold your photo ID card up to the camera so that it can be clearly seen and click "Scan". You must ensure that your ID is clear and legible. Proctortrack must be able to clearly read the name on your ID in order for your onboarding exam to pass.
Click "No" if you are not satisfied with the scan—you may rescan your ID card as many times as needed. Once you are satisfied with the photo, click "Yes" to proceed.
You will then be directed from the Proctortrack app back to your MITx Online Proctored Exam course. You will see a blue frame around your screen with a "You are being monitored" message. This is normal, and represents the proctoring software working correctly.
You will see the "Set up and start your proctored exam" courseware page again. This time, click "Start Exam". On the following page, carefully review the instructions and click "Start my exam".
Please note: this will only start the Onboarding Exam — it will not start your actual Proctored Exam assessment.
Follow the instructions and answer the questions presented in the Onboarding Exam to complete the process.
It may take up to two days for Proctortrack to review your Onboarding Exam, so we recommend completing the onboarding process as early as possible.
Once your Onboarding Exam has been reviewed, you will receive an email notifying you that your Onboarding Status is Approved. You can also check your status on the homepage of your Proctored Exam course's courseware, as noted previously.