NCEA

Prepare exam rooms

Space requirements for digital exams are different from paper exams.

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

You’ll need to keep the following in mind:

Exam rooms must comply with health and safety regulations.
This includes ensuring any plugs or cords are not a hazard.
Each room requires one device (laptop/desktop) for the exam supervisor(s) to monitor the exam from the supervisor dashboard.
Digital exam rooms should be checked to ensure there is sufficient internet coverage and bandwidth to support all students sitting a digital exam. More information about can be found in the Check school infrastructure section.
Digital language and Te Reo Rangatira Level 2 (AS 91777) exams require headphones as the listening component uses an audio file. For these exams, paper and digital ākonga/students will need to be seated in separate rooms.
Ākonga/Students doing Te Reo Rangatira Level 1-3 exams will need headphones if they want to use the new voiceover option to listen to as well as read the exam instructions, questions and resources.
For all other exams we recommend, if space allows it, 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 exam do share a room, place students sitting the exam digitally at the back of the room to reduce distractions.

Ensure:

students are placed at least 1.5 metres apart in all directions.
they are spaced so they cannot see the screens of other students.
supervisors can easily walk between rows during the exam.
supervisors can observe multiple students’ screens from one vantage point (this may be between rows or by standing at the back of the exam room).

Students sitting an exam on computers