Prepare assessment rooms

How to set up rooms for external assessment

There are different space requirements for:

  • digital assessments
  • paper assessments.

Work with your Exam Centre Manager to set up the right kind of space to offer digital assessments.

Requirements for the assessment room

Rooms must meet health and safety regulations

Assessment rooms must comply with health and safety regulations.

This includes making sure any plugs or cords are not a hazard.

The supervisor needs their own device

In each room the supervisors needs their own device, such as a laptop or desktop.

This is so they can monitor the assessment from the supervisor dashboard.

Make sure there is enough internet coverage

Check that digital assessment rooms have enough internet coverage and bandwidth to support all students sitting a digital assessment.

Find out more at:

Check your school's technology 

Requirements for language and Te Reo Rangatira assessments

Students sitting digital assessments for language and Te Reo Rangatira Level 2 (AS 91777) need headphones. The listening component uses an audio file.

For these assessments, paper and digital ākonga/students need to be seated in separate rooms.

Ākonga/Students doing Te Reo Rangatira Level 1-3 assessments can use the new voiceover option to listen to as well as read the assessment instructions, questions and resources. They will need headphones to access this option.

Students sitting paper and digital assessments in the same room

If you have the space, we recommend having separate rooms for students sitting exams digitally and on paper. This makes supervision easier and reduces distractions for students.

If students sitting both paper and digital versions of the assessment do share a room, place students sitting the assessment digitally at the back of the room to reduce distractions.

Space considerations for invigilation

Ensure that:

  • students are at least 1.5 metres away from other students, in all directions
  • students cannot see the screens of other students from where they are sitting
  • supervisors can easily walk between rows during the assessment
  • supervisors can observe multiple students’ screens from one vantage point (this may be between rows or by standing at the back of the assessment room). 

Get more information or give us feedback