Sitting an online exam at home: connection checks

Speeds are in Mbps (megabits per second). Download brings data to you; upload sends it out, here your webcam and microphone feed to the proctor. The figures the pages we checked publish:

ICAEW's FAQ figure for its OnVUE exams is lower than the 6Mbps download in Pearson's current OnVUE requirements, so plan to Pearson's. These are minimums, not promises.

Upload is the number to watch. ProctorU says upload matters more than download for your camera, and that you should look at the upload result in its own test rather than the speed on your bill. To see where your line sits, run our broadband speed test on the exam computer, but the exam's own system test is the result that counts; our guide to why speed test results differ explains the gap. For why upload is usually the smaller number, see download and upload speed explained.

Pearson's Microsoft programme page says to run and pass the test on the same device and network you'll use on exam day, and ICAEW asks for the same network and computer. ProctorU strongly recommends testing at least 24 hours before the exam.

Testing once isn't always enough. ICAEW's FAQs advise running the system test before exam day and, for its OnVUE exams, again a couple of hours before the exam, so that if something has changed you still have time to sort it out. For Professional and Advanced Level exams, ICAEW sends a system check email two weeks before the exam and says you must do the check in advance.

So don't test next to the router and then sit the exam in a quiet upstairs room with weak Wi-Fi.

ICAEW says its OnVUE system test only checks your bandwidth at the moment you run it, your webcam and your audio. It doesn't confirm your computer meets the technical requirements, and software updates or antivirus scans that weren't running during the test could disrupt the exam itself.

ProctorU separates speed from smoothness. Its download and upload rows need 3Mbps each, while a Video Stream Stability check sends live camera video to see whether it arrives smoothly; the speed rows can pass while that fails. A "dropped frames" result means video packets arrived late or were lost, and ProctorU names Wi-Fi, a VPN or a busy network as causes even on a fast plan. It also warns that school, dorm and work networks sometimes block live video even when the speed rows pass. Delay and its wobble are explained in our guide to latency, ping and jitter.

Because the bandwidth check is a snapshot, a pass on a quiet morning says little about a busy evening. Our suggestion: if your exam is at 7pm, run a test around 7pm too (see why broadband slows down in the evening).

ProctorU's reset routine (article updated April 2025):

1. Unplug your router and modem (or your single hub, if they're one box) for at least 30 seconds.
2. Plug the modem back in and wait 60 seconds.
3. Plug the router back in and wait two minutes.
4. Restart your computer and test again.

On Wi-Fi, ProctorU suggests an Ethernet cable or moving as close to the router as you can. Switch off any VPN and close other apps before retesting.

ProctorU's newer troubleshooting article (August 2026) adds a way to find the culprit: keep the same computer and change only the connection, to a cable or, as a test, your phone's hotspot. Clearly better on either? Your home Wi-Fi is the problem. Failing on Wi-Fi and hotspot alike points to the computer. That's a test, not permission to sit the exam on a hotspot.

If it still fails, act early. Pearson's Microsoft programme page warns that failing the minimum requirements on exam day can mean immediate cancellation and losing your exam fee. ICAEW lets you cancel or reschedule online up to 24 hours before to be eligible for a refund. If the line itself is faulty, our guide to reporting a broadband fault explains what to have ready.

Pearson recommends a wired network instead of Wi-Fi. ProctorU suggests an Ethernet cable or sitting close to the router. Our guide to a wired Ethernet home network covers cables, switches and powerline adapters for when a cable won't reach. Set it up before the system test. On Wi-Fi, finding Wi-Fi dead spots shows how to check the room you've chosen.

Exam rules go further than "go easy on streaming". Pearson's OnVUE requirements say that if you test at home, ask others not to use the internet during your exam, and its Microsoft programme page says to make sure no one is using the network for streaming or large downloads. ICAEW asks the same for its OnVUE exams, and ProctorU warns that streaming or online gaming will slow the connection and may disconnect you. Tell the household the date, start time and length, including the check-in: Pearson and ICAEW both say to start 30 minutes before the appointment.

For ICAEW Professional and Advanced Level exams, your phone is part of the set-up: ICAEW lists a mobile phone with a Wi-Fi connection and camera among the requirements, and it records you from the side during the exam. Check the phone connects to your Wi-Fi from where it will sit in the exam room.

• Mains power. OnVUE says to plug your device in before the exam.
• Restart first. Pearson and ProctorU both say to restart your computer before the exam.
• Pause updates. ICAEW warns that software updates or antivirus scans running during the exam can cause problems. On Windows 11 and 10, Microsoft's route is Start, Settings, Windows Update, then pick a date on Pause updates. This delays updates; it doesn't turn them off for good.
• Close everything else. Pearson's Microsoft programme page lists being able to close all apps except OnVUE as a minimum requirement, and ProctorU says to close any extra applications.
• Mac camera and microphone. Allow camera and microphone access when OnVUE asks. If you choose Don't Allow, it won't ask again and you'll have to switch access on yourself in System Settings, under Privacy.

A VPN (virtual private network) sends your traffic through an encrypted tunnel to another server. Pearson says VPNs and proxies must not be used, its Microsoft programme page lists VPNs as prohibited technology, and ProctorU names VPNs as a cause of dropped video frames. Pearson's own "is online testing right for you?" checklist asks whether you have a strong, secure connection with no firewalls or VPN. Turn off and quit any VPN app before the system test and keep it off for the exam. Our guide to VPNs on home broadband explains what they do.

A work laptop can cause problems in three ways. Company firewalls or security settings may stop the exam software running; background tasks such as updates and antivirus scans may start mid-exam, and you won't have the administrator ("admin") rights to stop them; and without admin rights you may not be able to install what the exam needs.

If a work laptop is your only option, talk to your IT department well before the exam, not on the day.

Sitting the exam somewhere with better Wi-Fi may seem the obvious fix, but check first. Pearson's Microsoft programme page lists corporate networks and public or shared networks as prohibited technology, and public spaces such as offices, libraries and coffee shops as prohibited places to test; it notes some programmes allow exceptions to its equipment and room rules, so check your exam's own policies. ICAEW asks for a quiet room with the door closed and nobody else present.

ICAEW's advice for its Professional and Advanced Level exams works for any exam: try to reconnect at once, write down the time and what went wrong, take screenshots if you can, and tell the exam body as soon as possible. ICAEW and King's both expect evidence, so keep any reference number or chat message too.

Mind the deadline. ICAEW's example: sit on a Monday and the appeal deadline is 23:59 the following Monday, with a separate application for each exam. If the broadband itself went down, report the fault to your provider as well, so it's fixed before any resit.