Exam Security & Violations

To preserve integrity, the SafeTest app actively monitors your system and behavior during the active session. Make sure you understand the rules below to avoid getting flagged or locked out of your exam.

Proctoring Security Rules Matrix

Security rules and checks are active depending on your device platform:

Prohibited Actions that Trigger Flags

• Pressing System Hotkeys: Pressing Alt+Tab, Win+D, Command+Tab, or notification swipe-downs triggers focus loss warnings.
• Secondary Displays: Connecting an external monitor or projector via HDMI or screen-mirroring will prevent the exam from starting.
• Moving Away: Stepping away from the camera view or turning your head sideways for extended periods.

Preparing Your Device

Ensure a smooth exam session by prepping your device configuration prior to launching the access link.

Step 1: Check Permissions Settings

SafeTest requires access to your device hardware to proctor tests. When prompted, select "Allow" or "While Using App" for:

• Camera: For facial detection verification.
• Microphone: For background noise tracking.
• Location Services: For geofencing validation.

Step 2: Disable Interruptions & Background Popups

Because switching out of SafeTest counts as a security violation, background popups can accidentally trigger a warning. Before starting:

1. Turn off System Notifications: Activate Do Not Disturb or Focus Mode on your phone, tablet, or computer.
2. Close Communication Apps: Completely exit applications like Discord, Telegram, WhatsApp, Slack, Teams, and email clients so they do not show popups.
3. Disable System Updates: Temporarily pause automatic operating system updates or antivirus scans during your scheduled exam duration.

Step 3: Test Your Network Stability

Ensure you have a stable network connection. If your connection drops temporarily:
• The app will attempt to securely cache your responses locally in encrypted memory.
• It will reconnect to Supabase automatically once your network stabilizes.
• Do not close or force-quit the application if the network drops, as this might result in data loss.

Configuring Exams & Security

Welcome to the SafeTest Instructor Portal. Follow these guidelines to design assessments and set the appropriate proctoring levels based on the actual Quiz Setup fields in your creator interface.

1. General Information

• Quiz Title: Enter a clear, identifiable name for your exam.
• Instructions / Description: Detail guidelines, number of questions, and grading criteria. This text will be shown to students on the entry lobby screen before they start.
• Access Key: A secure, auto-generated 6-digit numeric key (e.g. 568269) that students type to join the quiz. You can click the refresh button next to it to regenerate a new key.

2. Timing & Duration

• Quiz Duration: Select a duration preset (e.g., 30 mins) or type a customized minute count. The client application enforces a strict count-down timer and force-submits when time expires.
• Access Window (Optional): Set a start and end date/time to restrict exactly when the quiz is open for candidates to join.

3. Proctoring Security Options

Choose the level of active surveillance required for the assessment:

• Camera Proctoring PRO: Monitors candidates in real-time and runs on-device ML face detection to flag turning or additional faces.
• Audio Proctoring PRO: Streams candidate microphone audio directly to the dashboard proctor room.
• Block Screenshots & Recording: Actively prevents students from capturing their screens, blacking out local captures and shared screen feeds.
• Block Tab Swapping & Overlays PRO: Detects and flags window deactivation, tab switching, and background app overlays.

4. Advanced Options

Fine-tune exam display behavior, devices, and feedback rules:

• Identity Enrollment: Requires students to capture and verify a reference face photo before starting the assessment.
• AI-Assisted Grading PRO: Uses AI systems to auto-grade fill-in-the-gap and subjective text questions.
• Show Score / Show Corrections: Toggle if students see their scores or corrections immediately after submission.
• Allow Analysis Download: Permits students to download full grading reports (requires Show Corrections to be enabled).
• Shuffle Questions / Shuffle Options: Shuffles question and multiple-choice answer ordering per candidate.
• Questions to Answer (Subset): Draw a random subset of questions from your question bank for each student (leave empty to serve all).
• Allowed Devices: Restrict test access to:
  • Any Device: No platform restriction.
  • Mobile Only: Android & iOS app devices only.
  • Desktop Only: PC, Mac, and Linux clients only.

5. Student Data Collection

Configure which required metadata registration fields students must fill in when they access the lobby:

• Student Full Name
• Matriculation/Registration Number
• Department / Course Code
• Email Address

6. Roster & Attendance Management

Manage candidate enrollment and track attendance logs directly within the course management section:

• Student Roster Tab: Lists all students enrolled in the course assessment.
  • Import Roster Excel: Upload bulk registration files (.xlsx) to quickly enroll an entire class list.
  • Add Student: Manually input and register individual students.
  • Search Bar: Quick filter to find registered student records by name or ID.
• Attendance Log Tab: View check-in times and active presence trackers verifying who launched and completed the assessment.

7. Managing Questions

Build and format questions within your quiz repository. SafeTest supports multiple assessment types:

• Doc Upload: Upload assessment documents to bulk-import question text.
• Format Guidelines: Help card detailing structural formats for questions.
• Add MCQ: Multiple Choice Questions with a single correct answer.
• Checklist: Multi-select checkbox questions with multiple correct options.
• Fill Gap: Fill-in-the-blank items.
• Listing: Enumeration questions requiring lists of points.
• Subjective: Free-form text questions (graded manually or via AI-Assisted Grading).

Proctor Dashboard & Review

Once students start or submit exams, instructors can review security violations and grades in real time.

Understanding Submission Logs

The submissions table lists every candidate who attempted the exam. Key log entries include:

• Is Flagged: A quick flag indicator (Red shield) showing if the student crossed violation limits.
• Violation Reasons: Detailed text listing exactly why a student was flagged (e.g., "Focus loss detected (Tab Swap)", "Multiple faces detected", "Face absent").
• Evidence Snapshots: View the 5 camera snapshots captured during the exam to verify the student's identity and environment.
• GPS Geolocation Map: Map markers showing the geographic location of the candidate to check if multiple students are sitting together at an unapproved site.

Managing Flagged Cases

SafeTest flags candidates automatically, but the instructor holds final grading authority. Review the proctor logs alongside the score sheets to determine if a warning was an accident (e.g., system alert popup) or a deliberate breach of guidelines.

Exporting Quiz Results

Instructors can download and export comprehensive records of submissions (excluding any "Preview Mode" administrator attempts to keep data clean). Choose from four main export options:

Troubleshooting FAQs

Student FAQs

Q: SafeTest says "Camera not detected" or shows a black screen.

This occurs if SafeTest doesn't have permissions to access your camera, or another application (like Zoom, Teams, or Skype) is currently using the camera feed in the background.
Solution:
1. Close all other communication apps running in the background.
2. Manually check permission settings:

• Windows: Go to Settings > Privacy > Camera and ensure "Allow apps to access your camera" is turned ON.
• macOS: Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Camera and toggle SafeTest to allowed.
• Android: Long-press the SafeTest app icon, tap App Info > Permissions > Camera, and select "Allow only while using the app".
• iOS: Go to Settings > SafeTest and toggle the Camera permission switch green.

Q: I received a "Focus Loss Detected" warning, but I did not close the app!

Solution: Background alerts, desktop notifications, or antivirus popups shifting focus away from SafeTest will trigger a warning. Before starting, turn on Do Not Disturb, close Slack/Teams/WhatsApp, and ensure no background downloads or system updates are active.

Q: What happens if my internet disconnects during the test?

Solution: Do not panic and do not close the app. SafeTest handles network drops gracefully. It stores your answers securely in encrypted local cache memory and will attempt to submit them automatically as soon as internet connection is restored.

Instructor FAQs

Q: Can students bypass the screen blocker?

SafeTest uses system-level APIs to block screenshots and video recordings on Windows, Android, and iOS. If a student attempts to take a screenshot or share their screen, the resulting image will render as pitch black. However, note that macOS does not permit application-level blocking of screenshots due to OS security sandboxing.

Q: How can I distinguish between accidental focus losses and actual cheating?

Review the proctor log. Single warning logs containing brief timestamps are often background system updates or system alert popups. Repeated, prolonged warnings or warnings coupled with camera snapshots showing facial absence indicate a high probability of infraction.

Q: Why is my device's keyboard or external Bluetooth keyboard not working on mobile?

Solution: For proctoring security and compliance, SafeTest disables native mobile soft keyboards, third-party keyboard apps (such as Gboard or SwiftKey), and external hardware keyboards (Bluetooth/USB) on mobile platforms.
You must use the built-in, secure in-app virtual keyboard. This onscreen keyboard opens automatically when you tap any text field, and it can be closed by tapping the close (x) icon in its top-right corner.