Online Exams

We strongly recommend you use Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.

Internet Explorer and Safari (for Mac users) are not recommended.

You will be writing your exam using Moodle. Once your online exam is booked, you will receive a booking confirmation in your Online Services for Certification inbox. You will receive a second message with your password credentials.

Acceptable IDs are:

• Driver’s License (issued by a Canadian province or territory)
• Provincial Identification Card (for example, BC Identification card, Alberta Identification card)
• BC Services card
• Combination Driver's License and BC Services card
• Passport
• Indian Status card
• Canadian Permanent Residency card

Please note your ID must be original, legible, and not torn or altered. Copies or certified copies are not accepted. Expired IDs or IDs with no expiry date are also not accepted. You cannot write your exam without proper identification. This will result in having to reschedule your exam and paying any necessary rescheduling fees.

You may use the following items during your exam:

• Two blank sheets of paper and a pen for writing your own notes or calculations. Notebooks or more than two sheets are not allowed
• A non-programmable calculator. Programmable calculators are not allowed
• Permitted code books and other reference materials

The following items are provided by us during an exam:

• A link to the dictionary
• A link to the Safety Standards Act
• A link to the Safety Standards General Regulation
• Links to safety orders, directives, and information bulletins

• Access the exam using the link in your Online Services for Certification inbox or mailed letter.
• You’ll be instructed to use your smartphone to take a picture of your face, show your ID, and record a video of your room to show it is clear of prohibited items. The smartphone will be locked once the exam begins, for the duration of the exam. Once you’ve submitted your exam, tap “end proctoring” on your phone to unlock it. We recommend you download this guide to taking your exam online and review the steps you will be taking on exam day under part 2 of the document.
• Once you’ve completed the exam, click “submit all and finish. Then click “end” in the top right corner to stop proctoring.

Any breaches of the following rules may result in the termination of your exam session, cancellation of your exam and result in a prohibition of six months before you may be allowed to write future exams or obtain qualifications. Depending on the severity of the breach, further actions may be considered, including, but not limited to, assessment of pre-existing qualifications, remedial training, and suspension or revocation of existing qualifications.

E-proctored sessions may be recorded for later review in the event of a breach of exam rules and irregularities. Information captured for these purposes may include:

• Real-time video and audio recordings of the examinee, their ID and their activities (including surrounding environment) during the exam session.
• Screenshots of the examinee’s computer desktop during the exam session.
• Detection of the number of computer monitors connected to the examinee’s computer.
• Records of web traffic on the examinee’s computer only while an examinee is taking the online exam.
• Records of attempts to execute other routines or processes, open additional browser tabs, etc. considered indicative of potential anomalies.

Before starting your exam, you will be prompted to verify your identity by showing an acceptable government issued ID. Failure to provide an acceptable ID will result in an automatic investigation where a Technical Safety BC employee will contact you to review the verification requirements and to assess if a breach of the rules had occurred.

The following items must not be worn or used by the examinee during the exam. These include, but are not limited to:

• Hats or caps
• Earpieces or other listening devices, including headphones
• Recording devices, including cameras, cellphones, digital watches, electronic pens, google glasses, video recorders, electronic notepads, or books  
• Programmable calculator. You may use a non-programmable calculator only.
• Your own dictionary. You are allowed to use the online English dictionary (translating a single language) provided through Reference Materials during the exam. Access or use of any other dictionary is prohibited during the exam.

1. Exams will start and end on time. You are allowed the full time to write your exam.
2. You must remain in view of the camera at all times for the duration of the exam and should not leave the exam environment until after you are done, or after the time has run out, whichever comes first, except to use the washroom. A washroom break is allowed, but only to a maximum of five minutes. If you are away for longer than five minutes, your exam will result in an automatic fail.
3. The reference material you can bring and use differs depending on the exam you are writing. Refer to Use of Code Books for Exams for more information. You may use four blank sheets of paper for notes and calculations. You must not write down the exam questions.
4. It is an offence to copy, record, or share exam questions or diagrams through any means.

1. You must take the exam in a private, quiet space. Sounds such as music or from the television are not allowed and may trigger flags for review.
2. No other person is allowed to enter the room while you are taking the exam.
3. The lighting in the room must be bright enough to be considered "daylight" quality. Overhead lighting is preferred. If overhead lighting is not available, the source of light must not be behind you.
4. You must sit at a clean desk or table. The desk or walls around you must not have any writing.
5. The exam room must be free of recording or listening devices, whiteboards, easels, flipcharts, or any other medium that could be used to record or project information.
6. You will be asked to do a room scan which will need to clearly show the desk or work surface. You will need to show that the frame of your computer is clear. You will also need to show your calculator and the four sheets of blank paper. The video recording is used to confirm that there are no unauthorized materials on and under your desk, or around your computer and within sight. You must complete a scan of the room using your webcam each time you take an online exam. You may be randomly selected to do this during an exam as well.

1. You must take the exam on a desktop or laptop computer (Windows/Mac computer or laptop). You cannot take the exam from a mobile device such as an iPhone, iPad, or Android device. 
2. You must close all other programs or windows on your computer before you begin the exam. You must not use programs such as Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Skype, or Zoom, or any webpage other than the one for the exam window.
3. You will be asked to do a room scan using your smartphone which will need to clearly show the desk or work surface. You will need to show that the frame of your computer is clear. You will also need to show your calculator and the four sheets of blank paper. The video recording is used to confirm that there are no unauthorized materials on and under your desk, or around your computer and within sight. You must complete a scan of the room each time you take an online exam. You may be randomly selected to do this during an exam as well.

Your exam results will be made available in the Online Services for Certification portal. Click on the Exams tab, then click View on your exam to see your score.

Please be advised that support staff conducting the ID verification and live e-proctoring are located outside of Canada and your personal information will be temporarily accessed and stored outside of Canada. Any personal information collected is handled in accordance with the British Columbia Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The proctored sessions are authorized under the authority of section 26(c) of FIPPA. If you have questions about the collection, use, or disclosure of this information, contact the Records, Information and Privacy Senior Analyst for Technical Safety BC at 1 866 566 7233.

On October 14, 2020, Proctortrack, our remote proctoring online exam service provider, notified us of a cybersecurity breach. Clients impacted by the disruption in service were immediately notified by phone and email. Technical Safety BC has since received confirmation that none of its clients’ data was compromised. Further information about the incident is available on ProctorTrack’s website.

At Technical Safety BC, the privacy and security of our client data is of utmost importance to us and we continue to be vigilant in safeguarding their information. For any questions or concerns about our privacy practices, please contact the Records, Information and Privacy Analyst at 1 866 566 7233 or foi@technicalsafetybc.ca or take a look at our privacy policy.