Connect Plus

Connect Plus
Test Centre
Administration Guide
This guide is aimed at staff responsible for administration of
the Connect Plus test delivery system at a Test Centre. It
introduces Connect Plus and outlines the tasks that Test
Centres need to carry out to set up and run computer based
tests.
Contents
Contents..............................................................................................................................2
1 ...........................................................................................................................................5
Overview .............................................................................................................................5
About this guide ...................................................................................................................5
About Connect Plus .............................................................................................................5
Connect Plus user roles .......................................................................................................6
Types of test.........................................................................................................................7
Accessing Connect Plus ......................................................................................................7
Test Centre Administrator access ....................................................................................7
Test Sitting Administrator access .....................................................................................7
Candidate access .............................................................................................................8
Test Centre tasks .................................................................................................................8
Email alerts ....................................................................................................................... 11
Preparing and running familiarisation and practice tests .................................................. 11
2 ........................................................................................................................................ 13
Registering the Test Centre ........................................................................................... 13
Registering with the initial Awarding Body ........................................................................ 14
Registering with additional Awarding Bodies .................................................................... 17
3 ........................................................................................................................................ 19
Setting up users .............................................................................................................. 19
Creating a user account .................................................................................................... 19
Updating user roles ........................................................................................................... 21
Editing a user account ...................................................................................................... 21
Deleting a user account .................................................................................................... 21
Changing your own password ........................................................................................... 22
Resetting a users password ............................................................................................. 22
Unlocking accounts ........................................................................................................... 23
Training staff users ........................................................................................................... 23
4 ........................................................................................................................................ 24
Scheduling tests ............................................................................................................. 24
Scheduling a test............................................................................................................... 25
Rescheduling a test .......................................................................................................... 27
Descheduling a test .......................................................................................................... 29
5 ........................................................................................................................................ 30
Managing candidates ..................................................................................................... 30
Adding candidates one at a time....................................................................................... 30
Adding candidates in bulk using a .CSV file ..................................................................... 34
Creating a .CSV file in Excel ......................................................................................... 35
Importing an existing .CSV file into Excel for editing ..................................................... 35
Connect Plus Test Centre Administration Guide
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Importing a .CSV file into Connect Plus ........................................................................ 35
Editing candidates ............................................................................................................. 37
Removing candidates ....................................................................................................... 38
Catering for candidates with access needs ...................................................................... 39
Setting Access Arrangements ....................................................................................... 39
Installing and checking accessibility software ............................................................... 42
Turning on accessible view ........................................................................................... 42
Accessibility Statement ................................................................................................. 42
6 ........................................................................................................................................ 43
Preparing test sittings .................................................................................................... 43
Preparing a test sitting ...................................................................................................... 44
Organising test sittings ...................................................................................................... 47
Creating an additional test sitting ...................................................................................... 48
Renaming a test sitting ..................................................................................................... 48
Removing a test sitting ...................................................................................................... 49
Moving candidates between test sittings .......................................................................... 49
Viewing files provided with each test ................................................................................ 49
7 ........................................................................................................................................ 51
Running test sittings ...................................................................................................... 51
Running a test sitting ........................................................................................................ 53
Closing down a test sitting ................................................................................................ 56
Monitoring the progress bars ......................................................................................... 58
Printing a close down report .......................................................................................... 59
Printing candidate responses for local marking ............................................................ 59
Checklist: what to do before, during and after a test sitting .............................................. 60
Before a test sitting ........................................................................................................ 60
At the start of a test sitting ............................................................................................. 61
During a test sitting ........................................................................................................ 61
After a test sitting ........................................................................................................... 61
Dealing with problems during a test sitting ....................................................................... 62
Candidates cannot log on .............................................................................................. 62
I cannot add or remove candidates from a test ............................................................. 62
Candidate asks for assistance ...................................................................................... 62
Candidate status changes to Out of Contact ............................................................... 62
Candidate arrives late ................................................................................................... 63
A candidates test stops responding.............................................................................. 63
A candidate computer fails ............................................................................................ 63
An admin computer fails ................................................................................................ 63
Start Test button remains greyed out and unavailable.................................................. 63
A computer part fails (for example, mouse stops operating)......................................... 63
Internet failure or other major technical problem ........................................................... 63
Test sitting cannot continue ........................................................................................... 64
An error message is displayed on a candidate workstation .......................................... 64
Dealing with problems after a test..................................................................................... 67
Test responses fail to upload ........................................................................................ 67
Cannot close down a test sitting .................................................................................... 68

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APPENDIX A .................................................................................................................... 69
Logging on....................................................................................................................... 69
Logging on as a Test Centre Administrator ...................................................................... 69
Logging on as a Test Sitting Administrator ....................................................................... 72
Logging on as a candidate ................................................................................................ 75
APPENDIX B .................................................................................................................... 80
Monitoring test statuses and actions ........................................................................... 80
APPENDIX C .................................................................................................................... 83
FAQs ................................................................................................................................. 83
Glossary ........................................................................................................................... 86

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Overview
About this guide
This guide focuses on the administration tasks that Test Centres need to carry out in
order to run computer-based tests using Connect Plus including: registering with
Awarding Bodies for use of the system; familiarising both staff users and candidates with
the system; managing staff users and candidates; and scheduling and running tests.
There are two further guides for Test Centres:
Quick Reference Guide

Before reading this Test Centre Administration Guide, we recommend that you look
at the Quick Reference Guide, which takes you through the fundamental steps to get
going with Connect Plus.
Technical Guide
This guide covers all the technical tasks that Test Centres need to carry out, including
installing software and preparing computers and test rooms.
About Connect Plus

Connect Plus enables Test Centres to deliver computer-based tests published by
Awarding Bodies (accredited authorities that award qualifications) with whom they are
registered. Once an Awarding Body has allocated a test to a Test Centre, the test will be
automatically downloaded to the Test Centre over the Internet and, in the most common
scenario, candidate test responses will be automatically returned to the Awarding Body.
Depending on the Awarding Body entries process, candidates may be entered for a test
by the Awarding Body, or be entered by the Test Centre.
Each Awarding Body monitors the progress and status of tests at Test Centres.
Usually, Awarding Bodies mark tests, but for certain tests this responsibility may be
delegated to Test Centres. In order to mark tests, Test Centres can print a report detailing
the candidates responses.
To carry out a test, the Test Centre must:
Register and create an initial user account in Connect Plus (see Chapter 2)
Assign people to user roles (see Chapter 3)
Install software and set up suitably configured computers in test rooms (see
Technical Guide)
Schedule the test if this is not done by the Awarding Body (see Chapter 4)

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Overview
Manage candidates (see Chapter 5)

Prepare test sittings, including printing candidate logon details and reviewing any test
specific documents provided by Awarding Bodies (see Chapter 6)
Run and then close down test sittings (see Chapter 7)
In most cases Awarding Bodies mark candidate tests, but for certain tests (for example
practice tests) this responsibility may be delegated to Test Centres. In these cases Test
Centres will be able to print a report of candidate responses to work from.
This guide explains all the actions required before, during and after a test. Note that there
is a glossary of terms at the end of this document.
Connect Plus user roles

Connect Plus allows each Test Centre to allocate one or both of the following roles to
relevant staff members:
Connect Plus Test Centre Administrator

Each Test Centre Administrator is responsible for managing Test Centre staff users
and computers, scheduling tests, managing candidates and test sittings. A test sitting
is a grouping of candidates taking tests on the same day, and who may typically, but
not necessarily, be administered (invigilated) in a single room subject to normal
timetabling rules. You can include as many tests as you like in the same test sitting,
for example two tests scheduled at the same time and taken in the same room, or
split tests across sittings as required, for example one test taken by many candidates
split over one or more exam rooms.
A Test Centre Administrator can access all pages of the Test Centre Administration
and Test Sitting Administration websites.
The Test Centre Administrator role is commonly granted to Exams Officers at Test
Centres.
One or more Test Centre Administrators must be designated to receive email
reminders and alerts, which prompt them to carry out the required preparation in
advance of tests. For details, see Email alerts on page 11.
Connect Plus Test Sitting Administrator

Each Test Sitting Administrator is responsible for starting, managing and monitoring
tests in test sittings. Each Test Sitting Administrator has access to all test sittings
running in the Test Centre, and any number of Test Sitting Administrators can open
and monitor the same test sitting simultaneously.
A Test Sitting Administrator can only access the pages of the Test Sitting
Administration website (and not the Test Centre Administrator website).
Connect Plus provides Test Sitting Administrators with controls to start and monitor
tests. For some tests, Test Sitting Administrators may also be able to pause and end
tests. However, different tests are set up differently by Awarding Bodies and so the
control options can be different for each test.
Each Test Centre should decide well in advance of a test sitting who will act as Test
Sitting Administrators to ensure they are trained sufficiently and are familiar with their
tasks.

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Overview
Once the Test Centre registers with an Awarding Body, the first user at the Test Centre is
automatically assigned both user roles, so that they will have access to all available tasks
through a single user name and password. Subsequent users can be assigned one or
both roles as required.
Types of test
On any given day your Test Centre may be running the following types of test:
Scheduled by an Awarding Body

The date and time of these tests is specified by the Awarding Body. For instance,
these may be nationally timetabled and regulated examinations.
Scheduled by your Test Centre

For these tests, an Awarding Body specifies a test window (two dates a few days,
weeks or months apart) between which Test Centres can schedule tests themselves.
Test Centres may schedule as many test sittings as they wish and add their own
candidate entries, depending on the entry process. These tests will appear as
Non-Timetabled tests in Connect Plus. Usually, familiarisation and practice tests are
run in this way.
Accessing Connect Plus

Test Centre Administrator access
As a Test Centre Administrator, the only way you can gain access to Connect Plus is by
going directly to the Test Centre Administration website in a supported browser of your
choice:
https://centre.connectplus.rm.com/
This website enables Test Centre Administrators to register with Awarding Bodies, manage
staff users and computers, schedule tests, and manage candidates and test sittings.
Test Sitting Administrator access

Test Sitting Administrators manage test sittings on exam day, usually in the exam room
(this can be done remotely but it is more common to carry this out from a computer in the
exam room). The administrator is able to start and monitor the test sitting. Depending on
the type of each test in the test sitting, there may be controls to open, start, pause,
resume and end each test. The administrator will also always need to close down the test
sitting when all candidates have finished their tests.
As a Test Sitting Administrator you can access Connect Plus in one of two ways:
If you are using a computer on which the Connect Plus Test Sitting Administrator
software is installed, you can access Connect Plus either via the Start menu or via an
icon on your computers desktop:
Using a supported browser of your choice, go to the Test Sitting Administrator

website:
https://sitting.connectplus.rm.com/

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Overview
As a Test Sitting Administrator you always have the option to log on using either of these
methods. However, due to the resilience it provides it is best for Test Sitting
Administrators to use the Connect Plus software.
Whichever method you use to log on, Connect Plus will look exactly the same, and you
use it in exactly the same way.
Candidate access
Candidates access and take their tests on a computer. As a candidate, there are two
ways in which you can access your test:
If you are using a computer on which the Connect Plus Candidate software is
installed, you can access your test either via the Start menu or via an icon on your
computers desktop:
Using a supported browser of your choice, go to the Candidate website:

https://candidate.connectplus.rm.com/
Usually the Awarding Body will specify that candidates must use the Connect Plus
software to take a particular test, and will prevent candidates from taking the test online
using the Connect Plus candidate website.
Test Centre tasks

The following flowcharts illustrate the tasks that Test Centres need to carry out to
manage and run tests, and a typical timeline. The process differs depending whether
Awarding Bodies or your Test Centre schedule the tests. The steps shown in these
flowcharts are described in detail in the following chapters in this guide.

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Overview
Managing tests scheduled by Awarding Bodies

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Managing tests scheduled by your Test Centre

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Overview
Email alerts
Designated people at Test Centres receive reminders and alerts by email when activities
need to be completed. When you first register your Test Centre with an Awarding Body,
the initial user is automatically designated to receive alerts, but you can designate
additional people if you wish, and remove the original person. There must always be at
least one person at your Test Centre designated to receive alerts.
There are three types of alert:
Reminders about forthcoming tests

These emails prompt you to prepare for tests that Awarding Bodies have allocated to
your Test Centre. Preparation tasks include the usual operational activities such as
preparing rooms and booking Test Sitting Administrators as well as Connect Plus
tasks such as preparing computers and printing candidate logon details. A Test
Centre Administrator should visit the Test Centre Administrator website and check
the prompts for action on the home page. These prompts provide links to the relevant
test sittings, from where you can see what actions you need to carry out. For details,
see Chapter 6, Preparing test sittings on page 43.
Readiness alerts
These emails will be sent if Connect Plus detects that your Test Centre does not
have enough computers prepared and ready for a forthcoming test; for example, the
Connect Plus software has not been installed on enough admin and candidate
computers, test content has not been downloaded, there are broken connections
between admin and candidate computers and the Central System, or it is the day of
the test but candidate logon details have not been printed.
A technical member of staff at your Test Centre will need to visit the Test Centre
Administrator website and check the status and numbers of computers, and take any
necessary actions, such as installing the Connect Plus software on additional
computers. For details, see the Technical Guide.
Close down required

These emails warn you that test sittings have finished but you have not yet carried
out the required closedown activities. When a test sitting finishes, you need to check
that all candidate responses are safely collected and uploaded to the Awarding Body,
add any attendance notes that you wish to, and then close down the sitting. For
details on closing down test sittings, see Closing down a test sitting on page 56.
How long in advance of the required activities you receive these emails varies depending
on the Awarding Body.
Preparing and running familiarisation and practice

tests
When you have registered your Test Centre and logged on to the Test Centre
Administration website for the first time, you will find that a familiarisation test has been
allocated to your centre; this enables staff users (Test Centre Administrators and Test
Sitting Administrators) to familiarise themselves with Connect Plus by going through the
testing process using dummy candidates.
Practice or dummy tests enable candidates to prepare for a forthcoming test, perhaps by
using a past paper as a mock test.
You access, prepare and run familiarisation and practice or dummy tests in exactly the
same way as any other test, by following the process described in Chapters 2 to 7 in this

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Overview
guide. In particular, you will need to schedule the tests at a time that suits you, as
described in Chapter 4, Scheduling tests on page 24.
Before candidates can sit any type of test, either a Test Sitting Administrator or a Test
Centre Administrator must always start the test. However, you can do as much or as little
monitoring of tests as you choose. If, for example, you want candidates to take practice
tests throughout the day, an administrator can start the test in the morning, which will
enable candidates to log on at different points during the day and do the test. Each
candidates test will end automatically when the time runs out.
Note: The Quick Reference Guide leads you through preparing and running a
familiarisation test.

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2
Registering the Test Centre
Tasks covered in this chapter:
Registering with the initial

Awarding Body
Registering with additional

Awarding Bodies
Before a Test Centre can run tests, the person responsible for Connect Plus at the Test
Centre needs to register the Test Centre with at least one Awarding Body and create the
initial Test Centre Administrator user.
Once you have registered with the initial Awarding Body, you can register with further
Awarding Bodies by logging into Connect Plus and using the Register option under the
Awarding Bodies tab, as described in Registering with additional Awarding Bodies on
page 17.

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Registering with the initial Awarding Body

The initial registration process
Important! Do not use the initial registration process to register with additional
Awarding Bodies. Instead use the process described in Registering with additional
Awarding Bodies, on page 17 below.
To register with the initial Awarding Body, make sure you have to hand your Test Centre
Id and the Test Centre registration code you will have received from the Awarding Body,
then proceed as follows:
1. Go to the Test Centre Administration website at https://centre.connectplus.rm.com (or
use the URL provided by the Awarding Body).

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2. Click Register Test Centre. The Test Centre Registration page displays:
3. If you logged on using an Awarding Body specific URL, the Awarding Bodys name
will automatically be displayed, but you need to enter the Test Centre Id and the
Registration Code supplied to you by the Awarding Body.
If you logged on to the Test Centre Administration website at
https://centre.connectplus.rm.com, select an Awarding Body from the drop-down list,
then enter your Test Centre Id and the Registration Code supplied to you by the
Awarding Body.
Click Continue. The Your user details window displays so you can set up the initial
Test Centre Administrator user:

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4. Enter the appropriate details. All fields on this page are mandatory (as shown by the
asterisks).
Important! The email address that you enter will become the username that you
use to log on to the Test Centre Administration website.
The password is case-sensitive, so make sure that CAPS LOCK is off and that you
enter the correct mix of upper- and lower-case letters and numbers exactly the same
in both the Password and Confirm Password fields.
The contact telephone number for the person is for use by Awarding Bodies and your
support provider.
The initial user at a Test Centre will always be nominated to receive alerts, but you
can change this later so long as at least one other user is nominated to receive alerts.
Email alerts are sent if, for instance, an Awarding Body can see that you are not
adequately prepared for a test sitting.
Click Create Account. A confirmation page displays.
5. The initial test centre user will shortly receive an email asking them to confirm their
email address by following a link to the Test Centre Administration website and
logging in, using the credentials created during registration.
To log on straight away, click Log in now. The login page will direct you to your email
so you can follow the confirmation link.
On first login, you will be asked to accept the Connect Plus licence agreement. The
initial user is automatically given Test Centre Administrator rights.
On successful login, the Home page displays. Here is an example:

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This page provides an overview of the tests at your Test Centre and the status of
your computers, with appropriate links and prompts for action. For more information
see Monitoring test statuses and actions on page 80.
Note: You wont see much on the Home page initially as you have only just
registered and you havent yet set up any additional users or prepared computers
and test sittings. However, a familiarisation test will be available to you. To access
this test, either click the Non-Timetabled Tests link on the Home page or click the
Tests tab. For guidance on running this test, see the Quick Reference Guide or
continue to follow the process described in Chapters 3 to 7 of this guide.
For more details on logging in, see Logging on on page 69.
Registering with additional Awarding Bodies

Once you have registered with the first Awarding Body, a Test Administrator can log on to
the Test Centre Administration website and register with additional Awarding Bodies.
Note: Registering with additional Awarding Bodies is entirely optional. If you only
deal with one Awarding Body, you will never need to do it.
1. Log on to the Test Centre Administrator website and click the Awarding Bodies tab.
This lists all the Awarding Bodies that your Test Centre is currently registered with.

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2. To register with an additional Awarding Body, click Register with additional awarding
bodies.
3. Select an Awarding Body from the drop-down list, enter your own Test Centre Id and
the Registration Code supplied by the new Awarding Body, then click Register.

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3
Setting up users
Creating, editing and

deleting user accounts
Updating a users roles
Changing your own

password
Resetting a users password
Unlocking user accounts
Training staff users,

including preparing and
running practice and
familiarisation tests
Test Centre Administrators can create and manage administrator users from the Users &
Roles tab in the Test Centre Administration website.
Creating a user account

To create a new user account:
1. Log on to the Test Centre Administrator website and click the Users & Roles tab. The
Users & Roles page displays, for example:

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Setting up users
2. Click New User. The Create New User window displays.
3. Type the appropriate user details in the fields. Note that all fields on this page are
mandatory (identified by an asterisk).
Ensure that you type the password exactly the same in both fields, and that it meets
the password rules as displayed on the screen.
Enter a contact telephone number for the person, for use by Awarding Bodies and
your support provider.
Tick the box if you want this person to receive email alerts. There must always be at
least one user at each Test Centre nominated to receive alerts. Email alerts are sent
if, for instance, an Awarding Body can see that you are not adequately prepared for a
test sitting.
Click OK. The Users & Roles tab is refreshed with the new users details displayed.
Note that a new user account is not allocated a user role on creation. See the
instructions below on how to update the new users roles.
In order to maintain security, we strongly advise that new users change their
password after logging into Connect Plus for the first time.

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Setting up users
Updating user roles

To add or remove roles from user accounts:
1. Log on to the Test Centre Administrator website and click the Users & Roles tab, then
tick or clear the appropriate box(es) to the right of each users details. Note that Test
Centre Administrators automatically get Test Sitting Administrator rights whether or
not you tick the Test Sitting Administrator box.
Use the tickboxes in the Receive Alerts column to control who will receive email
alerts. There must always be at least one user nominated to receive alerts.
2. Click Update Roles.
3. Click OK to confirm.
4. Click OK to close the Update user role window.
Editing a user account

To edit a user account:
1. Log on to the Test Centre Administrator website and click the Users & Roles tab. A
list of existing users displays.
2. To help locate a specific user, use the filters at the top of the page. You can:
sort the list on a particular column by clicking the appropriate column heading
type in the appropriate filter field, or select from the drop-down lists
use the page navigation at the bottom of the list to move to a different page
reduce the number of pages in the list by using the number of items drop-down
list.
3. When you have found the user you want to edit, tick the box to the left of their details.
You can only edit one user account at a time.
4. Click Edit User. The Edit User window displays.
5. Change the appropriate user details in the fields. All fields are mandatory (as shown
by the asterisks).
6. Click OK. You return to the Users & Roles tab with the changed user details
displayed.
Deleting a user account

To delete a user account:
1. Log on to the Test Centre Administrator website and click the Users & Roles tab, use
the filters to find the users you want to delete, then tick the box to the left of their
details. You can only delete one user account at a time.
2. Click Delete User. The Delete User window displays.
3. Click OK. You return to the Users & Roles tab with the user details no longer
displayed.

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Setting up users
Changing your own password

Any staff user can change their own password.
1. Click the drop-down menu alongside your user name in the top navigation bar.
2. Select Change Password. The Change password window displays.
3. Enter your current password and your new password twice for confirmation. Ensure
that your new password meets the rules displayed on the screen. In particular, make
sure that you enter upper and lower case letters correctly. You can include special
symbols such as * and & if you wish. For example, valid passwords are freDDie22,
2Elaine*, &Bsharma3. Some invalid passwords are James2 (too short), eddie346
(no upper case letter), RGreenaway (no number).
Click Submit.
Note: If you forget your password, you need to ask a Test Centre Administrator to
reset it, as described in Resetting a users password, below.
Resetting a users password

When a staff user forgets their password, a Test Centre Administrator must reset it for
them. You do not need to know the users password to be able to reset it.
To reset a users password:
tick the box to the left of the appropriate users details. You can only reset one users
password at a time.
2. Click Reset Password. The Reset Password window displays.
3. Ensure that you type the password exactly the same in both fields, and that it meets
the password rules as displayed on the screen.
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Setting up users
4. Click Reset Password. You return to the Users & Roles tab. The user can use their
new password the next time they log on.
Unlocking accounts
A user account becomes locked when the user tries to log on to the Test Centre or Test
Sitting Administration website but does this incorrectly five times in a row. The user
cannot log on until their user account is unlocked by a Test Centre Administrator.
Note: If you are the only user at the Test Centre, you will need to contact the
Awarding Body, or wait eight hours for your account to be unlocked automatically.
To unlock a user account:
click the box to the left of the appropriate users details. If a users account is locked,
(locked) appears after their username. You can unlock a number of user accounts at
the same time.
2. Click Unlock Account.
3. Click OK to confirm.
4. Click OK to close the confirmation window.
Training staff users

All Test Centre staff users need to be familiar with and confident in using Connect Plus.
The different types of staff users have different training needs, but as a start you need to
consider the following:
Test Centre Administrators

Ideally, each Test Centre Administrator should be able to carry out all the tasks
described in this guide, as summarised in the Overview on page 5.
Typically, Test Centre Administrators will be Exams Officers at the relevant Test
Centre.
Test Sitting Administrators

Each Test Sitting Administrator should be able to carry out all the tasks described in
Chapter 7, Running test sittings on page 51.
The easiest way to familiarise a Test Sitting Administrator with opening test sittings
and running tests is to set up a series of practice tests they can work through. For
details, see Preparing and running familiarisation and practice tests on page 11.
Special Educational Needs (SEN) candidate helpers

You should also provide practice test training to anyone who is involved in providing
assistance to SEN candidates, such as an amanuensis, reader, prompter, deaf
signer, communicator. Such training should also include familiarisation with
all the special accessibility equipment and features of the computer, operating system
and software.

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4
Scheduling tests
Scheduling tests that

Awarding Bodies permit you
to schedule yourself, for
example familiarisation and
practice tests
Rescheduling tests
Descheduling tests
Tests scheduled by Awarding Bodies must be run on the specified date at the specified
time.
However, if the Awarding Body makes a test available for Test Centres to schedule, then
they specify two dates (known as the test window) between which Test Centres may
schedule as many occurrences of the test as they like. For example, you may schedule
three separate iterations of the same practice Science test, each on a different day and
for a different set of candidates.
Note: If you are only running tests that are scheduled by Awarding Bodies, you can
ignore this chapter.
You schedule all types of test (whether formal, familiarisation, practice or dummy) in
exactly the same way.
When you schedule a test, you specify the date on which you want the test to take place,
and the earliest and latest start times.

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Scheduling tests
Scheduling a test
If an Awarding Body has made a test available for Test Centres to schedule (i.e. the test
is non-timetabled), you can schedule the test as follows:
1. Log on to the Test Centre Administrator website and click Non-Timetabled Tests on
the home page. This displays a list of tests that you can schedule.
Alternatively, you can click the Tests tab to see a list of all tests including tests that
Awarding Bodies have scheduled, tests that Awarding Bodies have made available
for you to schedule, and tests that you have already scheduled (some of which may
already have been run). For example:
2. If the Awarding Body has set an exception for a test, or one or more candidates have
access arrangements, a light bulb icon
will appear to the left of the test details.
The Status column tells you whether each test is available to schedule (Schedule),
already scheduled (Scheduled) or already run (Expired).
To schedule a test that is available for scheduling, click Schedule. The Schedule Test
screen displays:

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Scheduling tests
3. The dates at top of this screen show the test window set up by the Awarding Body.
Within this window, you can select a test date and the required earliest and latest
start times.
In the example shown in the screen above, the test window is between 09:00 on
17/10/2011 and 15:00 on 21/10/2011. We have chosen to schedule the test for
19/10/2011, earliest start 10:00 and latest start 16:00.
Optionally, you can also set what information you want to be displayed to Test Sitting
Administrators when they run tests and also in the Information column on the test
details screen.
Earliest Start
If ticked, the earliest start time (10:00 in this example) is

displayed
Latest Start
If ticked, the latest start time (16:00 in this example) is

displayed
AM
If ticked, AM is displayed. We have not ticked this in the

example above.
PM
If ticked, PM is displayed We have not ticked this in the

example above

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Scheduling tests
Optional Short
Text
If ticked and entered, up to 20 characters of text about the test

is displayed. In the example above, the Awarding Body has
entered some short text, but we have not ticked it so it wont
be displayed.
You can edit text entered by the Awarding Body if you wish.
You can use the short text for whatever you like, for example
to indicate that candidates may take the test online (by
accessing the candidate website directly).
Optional Long
Text
If ticked and entered, as in the example above, up to 50

characters of text about the test is displayed.
You can use the long text for whatever you like, to add longer
notes about the test.
Enter the required information then click Save. Your new test will now appear in the
list of tests shown under the Tests tab with Status Scheduled.
You now need to add the candidates to the test, as described in Rescheduling a test,
below.
Rescheduling a test
If you need to, you can reschedule tests that your Test Centre has scheduled.
Note: Once a test has started, you can no longer reschedule it.
1. Log on to the Test Centre Administrator website and click the Tests tab. A list of tests
displays.
2. Click on the name of the test that you want to reschedule. The test details display:

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Scheduling tests

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Scheduling tests
3. Click Reschedule. The Schedule Test window displays, showing the existing
scheduled details:
4. Make the changes you require, then click Save.
Descheduling a test
If you need to, you can deschedule tests that your Test Centre has scheduled (that is,
entirely remove the test along with all candidates).
Note: Once a test has started, you can no longer deschedule it.
1. Log on to the Test Centre Administrator website and click the Tests tab. A list of tests
displays.
2. Click on the name of the test that you want to deschedule. The test details display.
3. Click Deschedule.
4. Click OK to confirm that you want to deschedule the test.

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5
Managing candidates
Adding candidates one at a

time or in bulk (where
permitted)
Editing and removing

candidates (where
permitted)
Catering for candidates with

access needs
Note: For many tests, the Awarding Body controls the list of candidate entries, and
may or may not permit Test Centres to add, edit and remove candidates. However,
where tests are available for centres to schedule, a Test Centre Administrator always
needs to add the candidates.
If permitted, Test Centre Administrators can either add candidates manually one at a time
or create and import a .CSV (Comma Separated Values) file containing details of all the
candidates.
Note: You can add candidates up until the latest start time on the day of the test. This
date is shown against the test on the Home page, or on the Tests page.
Adding candidates one at a time

Note: You can only add candidates for a test if permitted by the Awarding Body.
1. Log on to the Test Centre Administrator website and click the Tests tab to open the
list of tests for your Test Centre.

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Managing candidates
c
2. Click on the name of the test to which you want to add candidates.
Note: Make sure you click the name of a test that has status Scheduled shown in
the Status column. If you click a test with status Schedule, you will be invited to
schedule the test as described in Scheduling tests on page 24.
The test details display.

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Managing candidates
If the Awarding Body has chosen to add some dummy candidates, these will appear
as shown in the example screen above, otherwise no candidates will appear. You
can either make use of the dummy candidates or remove them as described in
Removing candidates on page 38. The dummy candidates will be named
Candidate1, Candidate2, Candidate3, and so on. You can edit the dummy candidates
to replace the names and details with those of real candidates as described in Editing
candidates on page 37. If there are not enough dummy candidates for your needs,
you can add further new candidates.

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Managing candidates
3. To add a new candidate, click Add.
Note: The Add button will only be available up until the earliest start time on the
day of the test. After this time, it will be greyed out and unavailable.
The Add Candidate window displays.

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Managing candidates
4. Enter the candidates details. The fields with an asterisk * are mandatory.
The Candidate ID must only include letters and numbers, and can be a school or
college roll number, UPN or other ID, as required by the Awarding Body.
If the candidate requires access arrangements, you can either set these at this point
or (more likely) when you edit the candidate details at a later time. See Editing
candidates on page 37.
5. Click Save. The new candidate appears on the list of candidates for the test. Initially,
Attendance will show Absent and Response Status will show Not Received; these will
change when you run the test and the candidate logs on and does the test.
Adding candidates in bulk using a .CSV file

Note: You can only import candidates for a test if permitted by the Awarding Body.
To import candidates in bulk using a .CSV file, you need to create a file of candidate
details, with a separate row for each candidate in the following format:
Candidate ID, First Name, Last Name, Date of Birth, Gender (M/F), Additional Time (in
minutes),
Disable Lockdown (Y/N), Rationale for additional time
Candidate ID, First Name, Last Name, Date of Birth and Gender are all mandatory, but
you can leave the other fields blank. However, you cannot change the order in which the
fields appear or miss out any fields, otherwise the file will fail validation. If you leave a
field blank then the comma delimiter must still appear.
Date of birth can be in international standard ISO8601 date format yyyy-mm-dd or any of
the following formats: dd/mm/yy, dd/mm/yyyy, ddmmmyy, ddmmmyyyy, dd/mmm/yy,
dd/mmm/yyyy (or the same formats but with a period . or hyphen substituted for the
slash /). The American date format mm/dd/yyyy is not supported.
Additional time can be up to 25% of the test duration, up to a maximum of 99 minutes.
Most tests are required by awarding bodies to run in lockdown mode (Disable Lockdown
is N). If this field is left blank then N is assumed. In lockdown mode, the test fills the whole
screen and candidates are unable to access other applications. Accessibility software will
not always work in locked down mode, so you may need to allow candidates with access
arrangements to run their tests without lockdown.
For example:
A23, Billy, Wilson, 23/11/97, M, , ,
B14, Jane, Jenkins, 14/6/98, F, 5, N, SEN student
B44, Helen, Price, 13/07/98, F, , ,
The second candidate in the example above will be permitted 5 additional minutes and
have lockdown set. These details will be forwarded, together with the response files, to
the awarding body.
The easiest way to create and edit a .CSV file is to use a spreadsheet application
capable of handling .CSV files, such as Microsoft Excel, and save the file in .CSV
format.
Alternatively, you can create and edit .CSV files in Windows Notepad or other suitable
text editor, but you will need to be very careful to include a comma for every field (even if
blank) and position all the required commas correctly.

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Managing candidates
Creating a .CSV file in Excel

If you create and edit the .CSV file in Excel, the file is automatically saved in the correct
format, and you can ignore the majority of the rules given in the following section on
formatting the file in a text editor. If a field is not mandatory you may leave it blank.
1. Type in (or paste) your data, one row for each candidate, in separate columns as
follows:
Candidate ID, First Name, Last Name, Date of Birth, Gender (M/F), Additional Time
(in minutes), Disable Lockdown (Y/N), Rationale for additional time, Scribe (True /
False), Rationale for Scribe, Sign Language Interpreter (True/False), Rationale for
Sign Language Interpreter, Oral Language Modifier (True/False), Rationale for Oral
Language Modifier
For example:
2. When you have finished, from the File menu in Excel, select Save As.
3. On the File Save dialogue, change the file type to .CSV, and ensure the filename has
been changed to end in extension .CSV.
4. Click Save.
5. A message about compatibility displays. Click Yes to keep the workbook in .CSV
format.
6. Close the file. You will be asked if you want to save your changes (in Excel format).
Click No as you only require the .CSV file.
Importing an existing .CSV file into Excel for editing

1. Start Excel from the application list. Do not start Excel by double-clicking the .CSV
file.
2. Change the file extension of the file from .CSV to .TXT.
3. From the File menu, select Open.
4. Find and select your provisioning file, then click Open.
5. A text import wizard starts up. On the first screen select Delimited, Start import at row
1, File origin: Unicode (UTF-8). Click Next.
6. The second screen of the wizard is displayed. Ensure that the only selected Delimiter
character is Comma. Ensure that Treat consecutive delimiters as one is not
selected. Set the Text Qualifier to a double quote character. Click Next.
7. The third and final screen of the wizard is displayed. Highlight all the columns in the
Data Preview table (to do this, select the first column then hold down Shift and click
the last column). Set the Column Data Format to Text. Click Finish.
8. Check that the data has been imported into the spreadsheet as expected.
Importing a .CSV file into Connect Plus

Once you have created a .CSV file for candidate details, you can import these candidates
into Connect Plus.
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Managing candidates
2. Click on the name of the test to which you want to add candidates. The test details
display, with no candidates yet appearing:
3. Click Import. The Import Candidates window displays.

Note: The Import button will only be available up until the earliest start time on the
day of the test. After this time, it will be greyed out and unavailable.

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Managing candidates
4. Click Browse, find your .CSV file and click Open. The full path of your .CSV file now
displays in the CSV File box.
5. Click Import.
6. The import proceeds. If successful, a confirmation message displays. If there are
errors, a message will tell you what is wrong so you can make corrections and try
again.
7. Click Close to return to the Test Details screen.
Editing candidates
Note: You can only edit candidates for a test if permitted by the Awarding Body.
Subject to Awarding Body rules you can edit a candidates details up until the point at
which they log on to do their test.
2. Click on the name of the test that the candidate you want to edit is taking. The test
details display, with the list of candidates.
3. Locate the candidate whose details you want to edit, tick the tickbox next to their
name, then click Edit.
4. The Edit Candidate screen displays:

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Managing candidates
5. Edit the candidate name, id, date of birth and gender as required.
The Access Arrangements are optional. For details, see Setting Access
Arrangements on page 39.
6. Click Save.
Removing candidates
Note: You can only remove candidates for a test if permitted by the Awarding Body.
If your Test Centre has control over the candidates taking a test, a Test Centre
Administrator can remove candidates.

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Managing candidates
Note: You can only remove candidates that your Test Centre has added, and only up
until the test starts.
2. Click on the name of the test from which you want to remove one or more candidates.
The test details display, showing the list of candidates:
3. Select the candidates you want to remove by clicking on their row of details to
highlight them.
To select multiple candidates, select the first candidate then click and hold down the
Ctrl key on your keyboard and click on each additional candidate you want to select
in turn. (You can also use Ctrl and click to deselect previously selected candidates.)
To select a range of candidates, select the first candidate in the range then click and
hold down the Shift key on your keyboard and select the last candidate in the range.
4. Click Remove to remove the selected candidates.
5. Click OK to confirm the removal.
Catering for candidates with access needs

Setting Access Arrangements
Awarding Bodies may set Access Arrangements for particular candidates. If the Awarding
Body permits your Test Centre to add and edit candidates for a particular test, then you
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Managing candidates
can confirm or change these Access Arrangements. You can set the following Access
Arrangements:
Allow a candidate additional time of up to 25% of the test duration, up to a maximum

of 99 minutes
Allow a candidates computer to run without lockdown. Lockdown mode prevents
candidates from accessing other applications whilst running a test. This prevents
them, for instance, from looking up answers on the Internet or emailing a friend for
assistance. However, accessibility software will not always work in lockdown mode
Allow a candidate to use a scribe, sign language interpreter, or oral language modifier
Note: Awarding Bodies can also set a different test date and/or different earliest
and/or latest start times for particular candidates. If they do this, then a different test
instance will be created for the affected candidates.
Subject to Awarding Body rules you can set Access Arrangements for a candidate up
until the latest start time for the test, or until the candidate logs on to do their test.
To set Access Arrangements for an existing candidate:
2. Click on the name of the test that the candidate for whom you want to set Access
Arrangements is taking. The test details display, with the list of candidates.
3. Locate the candidate, tick the tickbox next to their name, then click Edit.
Note: You can edit the Access Arrangements for multiple candidates at a time. To
do this, select multiple candidates then click Edit. The edit screen appears
showing Varies in the details fields and you cant edit these fields, only change
the Access Arrangements.
The Edit Candidate screen displays:

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Managing candidates
4. Unless you have selected multiple candidates you can edit the candidates name, id,
date of birth and gender as required.
To set Access Arrangements, enter or edit extra time permitted to the candidate (up
to 25% of the test duration and a maximum of 99 minutes).
Tick the box if you want to allow the candidates computer to run without lockdown.
Note: For an online test (where the candidates are allowed to access the test
directly via the candidate website) the lockdown option is greyed out and
unavailable, since online tests are always run without lockdown.
If you either allow additional time or tick the lockdown option, you must enter a
rationale (a reason for the Access Arrangements for this candidate).

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Managing candidates
If the candidate requires a scribe, sign language interpreter, or oral language
modifier, tick the appropriate tickboxes and enter any comments in the associated
text boxes.
If you set Access Arrangements a light bulb icon will appear in the column to the
left of the Test ID on the list of tests shown directly beneath the Tests tab to show
that an exception is set for one or more candidates.
5.
Click Save.
Installing and checking accessibility software

Connect Plus supports a range of accessibility features and equipment for candidates
with access needs. It is important that equipment is installed and checked well in advance
of the test it is needed for. This will allow anyone who is involved in providing assistance
to candidates to become familiar with Connect Plus and all the special accessibility
equipment and features of the computer, operating system and software.
install and configure screen reader software according to the manufacturers

instructions.
ensure staff users and candidates know how to switch to Accessible view, especially
if they are using a screen reader, as described below.
install additional hardware, for example Braille keyboards or touchscreens.
configure browser settings to make the most of accessibility features. Guidance is

provided via the Accessibility Statement link at the bottom of any page on one of the
Connect Plus websites.
Ideally, you will set up an additional computer with all the accessibility equipment in case
you need to move a candidate with access needs to a different computer.
Turning on accessible view

To get the full benefit of using a screen reader, turn on accessible view. This view adjusts
the styling of Connect Plus pages to work better with screen readers and other
accessibility software.
1. Click the drop-down menu alongside your user name in the top navigation bar.
2. Ensure the box to the left of Accessible view is ticked.
Accessibility Statement
Via the link at the bottom of each website page, you can access the Connect Plus
Accessibility Statement, which provides details of:
configuring accessibility settings in supported browsers
using keyboard support features via access keys
using screen readers

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6
Preparing test sittings
Preparing a test sitting,

including confirming that
computers are ready and
printing candidate logons
Creating, renaming and

removing additional test
sittings
Moving candidates between

test sittings
Viewing files provided with

each test
Each test runs within a test sitting on a particular day. A test sitting is a grouping of
candidates taking tests on the same day.
The candidates in a test sitting may all be taking the same test or different tests, from the
same or different Awarding Bodies.
The candidates in a test sitting may all be in the same room or spread across a number
of rooms.
Note: Ideally, you should aim to be ready to run each test sitting the day before it is
scheduled to run.
Test Centre Administrators must prepare test sittings well in advance of the tests they
contain.
By default all tests in a sitting, both those scheduled by the Awarding Body as well as
tests scheduled by the Test Centre, are added to a single sitting on each day. However,
you can if you wish set up and run a number of separate sittings.
The default sitting is automatically created when you schedule the first test on that day.
Initially, this sitting is given the name: Test Sitting date. You can change the name if you
wish.
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Preparing a test sitting

Before a test sitting is run, a Test Centre Administrator must confirm that the required
computers are ready and print the candidate logon details.
1. Log on to the Test Centre Administrator website and either click the name of the test
sitting you want to check on the Home page or click the Test Sittings tab to show a
list of all test sittings, as shown in this example:
To locate a specific Test Sitting in the list of Test Sittings, you can filter the list as
follows:
display the list in a different order by clicking in the appropriate column heading.
Click repeatedly to switch the sort between ascending and descending order.
type in the appropriate field of the filter line
use the page navigation at the bottom of the list to move to a different page
reduce the number of pages in the list by using the number drop-down list.
Possible statuses for test sittings are:
Action Required (If the status is Action Required, you can click on the status to
see a summary of the test details and any actions required.)
Ready
No Action Required
No Tests (This will appear if you have added a new test sitting but have not yet
moved any candidates into the sitting.)
2. Click the name of the test sitting you want to check.

3. The test sitting details display, for example:

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4. This screen provides a variety of status information about the test sitting.
In each section,
required.
o
appears if no action is required, and
appears if action is
Set Up Computers
For Test Administrators and Candidates respectively, the Ready figures tell you
how many computers at the Test Centre have the relevant software installed and
have been in recent contact. To minimise unnecessary alerts, computers that are
not in contact are considered Ready, so long as they were Ready when last in
contact. The Not Ready figures tell you how many computers are set up and in
contact, but are not running the latest version of the Connect Plus software or do
not have the required test content or key downloaded.
These figures do not tell you how many computers you need or have available
for the test sitting; Connect Plus cannot know the answer to this question since
you may be splitting the available computers across sittings, and you may or may
not plan to re-use the same computers for different tests during the day.
Note: If you intend to run tests using the Connect Plus software it is important
that all computers have been in recent contact (ideally, at least a day before
the relevant test date) so that test content and keys can be automatically
downloaded.
You can click Manage Computers to look at the list of prepared computers under
the Computers tab. For more details, see the Technical Guide.
You need to tick the box to confirm that you have sufficient computers for the
sitting. Note that if computers are currently turned off or disconnected but you
know they will be back on and available in time for the test, you can still tick the
box and this will override the alert. You will still be able to start the test sitting
even though it is at status action required.
When you tick the confirmation box, a

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45

o
Print Candidate Logon Details

This tells you the total number of candidates across all tests in the sitting. Note
that candidates in this sitting will be counted for each test that they are taking, so
if the same candidate is taking two tests they will be counted twice.
During the period from seven days before a test up until the test date, you can
click Print Logon Details to print logon details for all candidates for all tests in the
sitting.
will appear until you have printed logon details for all candidates, at which
point
will appear.
Ensure that you allow sufficient time to distribute logon details to all candidates,
and to reprint any lost or spoiled passwords if necessary, or you have late entries.
If you do need to print or reprint logon details for specific candidates, you can do
it like this:
1. Log on to the Test Centre Administrator website and click the Tests tab to
open the list of tests for your Test Centre.
2. Click on the name of the test for which you want to print candidate logon
details. The test details display, showing the list of candidates.
3. Select the candidate(s) whose logon details you want to print by clicking on
their row of details to highlight them.
To select multiple candidates, select the first candidate then click and hold
down the Ctrl key on your keyboard and click on each additional candidate
you want to select in turn. (You can also use Ctrl and click to deselect
previously selected candidates.)
To select a range of candidates, select the first candidate in the range then
click and hold down the Shift key on your keyboard and select the last
candidate in the range.
To print logon details for all candidates listed on the current page, tick the box
next to Candidate ID in the header.
4. Click Print Candidate Logon Details. The print dialog box displays and you
can select the printer to use then click OK.
You can repeat printing of candidate logon details if you need to there are no
restrictions on reprinting.
o
Close Down Test Sitting

After the test sitting has run, this indicates whether the sitting has been closed
down.
will display if the test has been closed down. If all tests in the sitting
have finished but the sitting has not yet been closed down,
with a link to the Close Down page.
o
will display along
Current Upload Status

After the test sitting has run, this provides status information about upload of test
responses.
Tests in this sitting

A list of all tests in the sitting displays. You can click on a test name to open the
test details and make amendments; for example, you might want to add further
candidates or reschedule the test.

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Note: Once you have green ticks in both the Set Up Computers and Print Candidate
Logon Details sections on this screen, you have finished preparing the test sitting. If
you dont want to set up any additional test sittings, you can ignore the rest of this
chapter and move on to Chapter 7, Running test sittings on page 51.
If you want to, you can run the test sitting right away from the preparation screen by
clicking Go to Test Sitting. You will only be able to start each test if the sitting is
today, the time is within the test window and the Awarding Body has released the test
content and key.
Organising test sittings

Any number of Test Centre Administrators and Test Sitting Administrators can view and
monitor the same test sitting simultaneously. For example, two or three Test Sitting
Administrators may monitor a single test sitting that contains a number of tests, and each
focus on a different test or set of tests. The manager of the Test Centre may also want to
keep an eye on how the test sittings are going, without doing any active monitoring.
When you run a particular test sitting, you can see and monitor all the tests and
candidates in the sitting from a single screen. For example, the sitting shown below has
two tests, each of which can be independently started and monitored:
Lets look at an example. Say that you have small numbers of candidates taking a
number of different tests in the same room. You may be happy for all these candidates to
be in the same sitting. The Test Sitting Administrator will be able to control and monitor
the candidates taking all these tests simultaneously from a single screen.
On the other hand, if you have large numbers of candidates taking a number of different
tests in a variety of different rooms, you may prefer to split these candidates across a
number of sittings. You may, for instance want to put all the candidates taking a Maths
test in one sitting and all the candidates taking an English test in another sitting.
Alternatively, you may want to split a large number of candidates taking a Maths test into
two sittings. To split candidates across sittings, you need to create one or more new
sittings and move candidates into these new sittings. If the tests in these sittings are all
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taking place at the same time, you will need a number of Test Sitting Administrators, one
for each sitting.
If you have tests running simultaneously in multiple rooms, you may want to create a
sitting for each room, so that Test Sitting Administrators will only see on their screens the
candidates that are in their room.
Remember that all tests scheduled by an Awarding Body must be run at the time
timetabled by the Awarding Body.
For more details on running test sittings, see Running test sittings on page 51.
For more details on setting up rooms and computers for test sittings, see the Technical
Guide.
Creating an additional test sitting

You can only create a new test sitting after candidates are added to a test. For details on
adding candidates, see Managing candidates on page 30.
Note: Creating additional test sittings is entirely optional. You may be quite happy to
use the automatically created default test sitting for all tests on any particular day.
To create a test sitting:
1. Log on to the Test Centre Administrator website and click the Test Sittings tab. The
list of sittings displays.
2. Click Create New Test Sitting. The Create Test Sitting window is displayed.
3. Type the Sitting Name. Note that this field is mandatory (and is identified by
an asterisk).
4. Select the Sitting Date by clicking the calendar icon and choosing the appropriate
date. You can choose todays date, a date later this month, or you can choose a date
well in the future by selecting from the month and year drop-down lists.
5. Click OK. The Test Sittings tab is refreshed with the new Test Sitting details
displayed.
Having created your Test Sitting, you now need to allocate candidates to the Test Sitting.
For details, see Managing candidates on page 30.
Renaming a test sitting

From time to time you may want to rename a test sitting to reflect the addition of a test, or
the room being used.
Note: You cannot change the date for a test sitting once set up you have to delete
the test sitting and create a new one.
To rename a test sitting
1. Log on to the Test Centre Administrator website and click the Test Sittings tab.
2. Tick the box to the left of the test sitting you want to rename. Note you can only do
this to one test sitting at a time.
3. Click Rename Sitting. The Rename Sitting window is displayed.
4. Type the new Sitting Name. Note that this field is mandatory (and is identified by
an asterisk), and that you cannot change the Sitting Date.
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5. Click OK. The Test Sittings tab is refreshed with the new test sitting details displayed.
Removing a test sitting

Note that you cannot remove a test sitting if there are test candidates allocated to it, or if
it is the only test sitting for that day. For details on how to remove candidates from a test,
see Removing candidates on page 38.
To remove a test sitting:
1. Log on to the Test Centre Administrator website and click the Test Sittings tab.
2. Tick the box to the left of the test sitting that you want to remove. Note that you can
do this to more than one test sitting at the same time.
3. Click Remove Sitting.
4. Click OK to confirm the removal.
Moving candidates between test sittings

You can only move candidates between test sittings before they have logged on to the
test.
To move one or more candidates to a different test sitting:
2. Click on the name of the test within which you want to move one or more candidates.
The test details display, showing the list of candidates.
3. Tick the appropriate box(es) to the left of the candidate(s) you want to move between
sittings.
4. Click Move Candidates. The Change Candidate Sitting window is displayed.
5. Do one of the following from the drop-down list:
select a sitting into which you want to move the candidates
or:
select Create New Test Sitting, then type the Sitting Name (the date is set
automatically and you cannot change it) and click OK.
Click OK. The test details refresh with the changed sitting details displayed.
Viewing files provided with each test

For each test, the relevant Awarding Body may include some files that provide
instructions or other information for Test Centres; for example, a file about the marking
scheme used for the test, or general guidelines about supervising test sessions.
A Test Centre Administrator should view these files and carry out any required actions
before running the test.
To view provided files:
2. Click on the name of the test for which you want to view provided files. The test
details display, showing the list of candidates.
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3. If there are any provided files, these will display at the top right of the screen, In the
above example screen, two files are provided. To view and optionally save a file
locally, select the file then click Open File.

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7
Running test sittings
Running a test sitting
Closing down a test sitting
Checklist of things to do
before, during and after a
test sitting
Dealing with problems

during and after a test sitting
To run a test, you need to run the relevant test sitting and then start the test.
Either Test Centre Administrators or Test Sitting Administrators can run test sittings.
For most tests it is best for both Test Centre Administrators and Test Sitting
Administrators to log on using the Test Sitting Administration software. This ensures that
you can continue to administer tests if your Internet connection fails.
However, you can log on online if you wish, even if candidates are using the Candidate
software. This may be particularly appropriate for managers of Test Centres who want to
keep any eye on how the days test sittings are proceeding. For details, see Chapter 8,
Monitoring test statuses and actions on page 80.
As either a Test Sitting Administrator or Test Centre Administrator you can run tests
online by opening your web browser and navigating to the Test Sitting Administration
website:
As a Test Centre Administrator you can also run tests online by opening your web
browser and navigating to the Test Centre Administration website:
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On the home page, click on a test sitting name to view the sitting details, then click Run
Test Sitting. This takes you to the Test Sitting Administration website.
The flowchart below provides a quick guide on test administration tasks. For more details,
see Checklist: what to do before, during and after a test sitting on page 60.
Quick Guide for Test Sitting Administrators

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Running a test sitting

1. If Test Sitting Administration software has been installed on your computer, either
click the Connect Plus Test Administrator software option on the Start menu or
double-click the Connect Plus Test Sitting Administrator icon on your desktop:
Alternatively, if permitted by the Awarding Body, you may be able to log on online by
opening your web browser and navigating to the Test Sitting Administration website:
2. If there are a number of test sittings today, you are asked to select a test sitting.
3. Click the test sitting you want to open. The test sitting overview displays, showing the
total number of candidates and how many candidates have access arrangements,
details of all tests in the test sitting, and controls to enable you to start and monitor
each test:

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4. Using the available buttons beneath the Overview tab, you can control the running of
the test sitting for all candidates.
For each test, the Open Test, Show Instructions, Start Reading Time and End Test
buttons may or may not be present, depending on how the Awarding Body has
configured the test.
Use the buttons shown under the Test Controls as follows:
Open Test: If this button is present, click it to allow candidates to log on. If this
button is not present then candidates can log on at any time between the earliest
and latest start times on the day of the test.
Show Instructions: If this button is present, click it to permit candidates to read

the instructions for a test.
Start Reading Time: If this button is present, click it to allow time for you to
explain how the test will operate.
Start Test: Use this button to start the test. You do not need to wait until all
candidates are logged on and ready before starting the test. If a candidate arrives
late, or is delayed logging on for some reason, they can log on and start the test
as soon as they are ready. They will still be allowed the full allotted time for the
test.
Pause: If available, you can pause a running test for all candidates by clicking
Pause. To resume the test when you are ready, click Resume and enter a
reason. Depending on how the Awarding Body built the test and associated test
player, candidates may need to click a Resume button in order to continue.
Log Off Candidates: If available, this button becomes visible when you click
Pause. It enables you to log off all candidates in the test sitting. The candidates
will be able to log in again (at the same or different computers) and complete
their tests at a later time.
You can also pause and resume or log off selected candidates from beneath the
Candidates tab, as described below.
End Test: If available, you can end the test early for all candidates by clicking
End Test and entering a reason.

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Warning! Use the End Test button with extreme caution. Usually, candidates
will be allowed the whole test duration and the test will end automatically, but
once you click End Test, you cannot change your mind and let the test
continue. This option ends a test early and no further candidate logons are
accepted.
You can also end the test for selected candidates from beneath the Candidates
tab, as described below.
To monitor individual candidates as they log on and proceed with the test, click the
Candidates tab. For example:
5. Use the filter options at the top of the screen to filter the list of candidates
appropriately, and watch the Status column as candidates log on. If a candidate
arrives late, you can still let them log on and they will be granted the full time for the
test.
6. Use the buttons across the top of the page to manage selected candidates.
Pause: To pause the test for one or more candidates, select the candidate(s)
then click Pause. Click Resume to resume the test for selected candidates. You
might need to pause a test (subject to Awarding Body regulations) if the
candidate has a temporary problem, for example they need to go to the toilet.
Log Off Candidates: If the candidate is temporarily unable to continue the test,
you can click Pause then Log off Candidates to close the candidates test. Their
work will be saved and they can log on again, either using the same or a different
computer, and continue at a later time. If a candidate cannot continue today then
you may need to add them to a test on another day. Depending on the type of
test, you may need permission from the Awarding Body to do this.
End Test: Usually, tests end automatically. However, the Awarding Body may
have permitted you to end candidate tests manually if you need to, by selecting
the candidate(s) then clicking End Test. This ends the test for the selected
candidate(s) and submits their test response to the Awarding Body.
If you want to add a note about attendance against particular candidates, click Add
(or Edit if a note has previously been entered) in the Attendance Note column for
each candidate in turn, type your note then click Save. For example, you may want to
add a note if a candidate left the test early due to illness.
When all candidates have finished and each test ends, click the Close Down tab to
check that all candidate responses are collected and uploaded, and optionally enter a
reason for each absence. For more details on this, see Closing down a test sitting on
page 56.
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Note: If you dont close down a test session on the day of a test, a Test
Centre Administrator can do it later on.
Note: If a candidate is at status Out of contact, you cannot pause, log off or
end their test, and the time they have remaining shown in the Time Left
column will not update.
For more information about pausing and resuming tests and other emergency actions,
see Dealing with problems during a test sitting on page 62.
Closing down a test sitting

When all candidates in a test sitting finish their tests, you need to check that their test
responses are collected and safely uploaded to the Awarding Body. Optionally, you might
also want to enter a reason for absence against any candidates who were not present.
To carry out the necessary checks and close down a test sitting, you use the Close Down
tab.

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You will see two progress bars that tell you how many candidate responses have been
collected and uploaded. These progress bars refresh every 30 seconds.
You will also see a list of absent candidates (those who have not yet logged on).
Optionally, you can select one or more candidates and use the Add Notes button to add a
reason for absence.
Once the responses for all candidates that are present have been collected and
uploaded, and you have entered any reasons for absence that you want to, click Close
Down Test Sitting to close the test sitting.

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Note: The Close Down Test Sitting button will be greyed out and unavailable
until the responses of all candidates who are present and who have finished
their tests have been collected and uploaded, and the test window for each
test in the test sitting has ended (the latest start time has passed, after which
time no absent candidates can turn up late and log on). If you are happy that
there are no further candidates likely to arrive, and you want to close down
the test earlier than the end of the test window, go to the Overview tab and
click End Test and give a reason. You can now go back to the Close Down
tab and click Close Down Test Session.
For guidance on how to deal with any problems with the upload of test
responses, see
Test responses fail to upload on page 67.
Note: Do not tell candidates to turn off their computers until you are sure that
all responses have been collected.
Monitoring the progress bars

As candidates finish their tests, the progress bars will start to show how many candidate
responses out of the total number who are present have been collected and uploaded.
This example shows that two out of three (2/3) candidate responses have been collected
and two out of three uploaded:
When all candidate responses have been successfully collected and uploaded, the
progress bars will show green and the count alongside each progress bar will tell you that
all responses have been collected and uploaded, as shown here:

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Printing a close down report

You can click Print attendance list on the Close Down screen to print a close down
report, whether or not the test session has been closed down. This gives details of each
candidate, whether they were present or absent along with any attendance notes, and
whether their test response was collected and uploaded. Here is an example:
Printing candidate responses for local marking

If the Awarding Body permits Test Centres to mark a test, then after a test has run Test
Centres can print a report detailing each candidates responses for local marking.
2. Click on the name of the test you want to mark. The test details display, showing the
list of candidates.
3. If local marking is permitted, the Response Status column will show Report Available,
and you can click on this status to print a report detailing the candidates responses.

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Checklist: what to do before, during and after a test

sitting
Guidance on test procedure will be provided by the Awarding Body. For example, the
Awarding Body may advise you to ensure that all candidates turn off mobile phones (and
you turn off your own if you have one); ensure that candidates do not have any materials
or equipment that may give them extra help with the test; and ensure that candidates
work quietly and do not attempt to communicate with each other, and that there are no
distractions or disturbances.
The following guidance covers what you need to do to ensure that Connect Plus is
operating correctly.
Before a test sitting

Before a test, you must ensure that:
you are familiar with Test Sitting Administration tasks and have a correctly configured
computer. Your Test Centre should install Sitting Administration software on one
computer for every 100 candidates and also have a spare Sitting Administration
computer installed and switched on.
there are sufficient connected computers with Connect Plus candidate software
installed, and there is adequate space for candidates to work independently.
there are one or two spare candidate computers for use if a computer fails (we
recommend at least one spare per 20 candidates) and a selection of replacement
parts such as mice, keyboards and cables.
the time and date is set correctly for all computers to be used in the test (this must be
checked and adjusted before the date of the test).
you are aware of any individual needs, for example candidates permitted additional
time.
changes are made to computers that cater for candidates with individual needs, for
example enabling accessibility features.
you can locate each candidate either by name or candidate number, both of which
display under the Candidates tab.
sufficient time is allowed to seat candidates; for candidates to log on to the test
successfully; for you to check all candidates are ready and begin the test; for you to
provide candidates with all necessary information before the test starts.
candidate logon details are printed out and available for you to distribute to each
candidate.
you know who to contact in the Test Centre for general advice and technical
assistance.
you have logged on to Connect Plus and are viewing the correct test sitting.

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At the start of a test sitting

At the start of a test sitting, once the candidates are present, ensure that:
all candidates have a working configured computer, keyboard and mouse.
all candidates have individual printed test logon details.
candidates are aware of the length of the test.
candidates know that if they need any help they should put up their hand or attract
your attention in some other way, and wait for you to come to them.
depending on which controls the Awarding Body has made available to you, open
and start each test in the test sitting in the following sequence:
1. where required, use the Open Test button to open a test for candidates to log on.
2. wait for candidates to log on, and watch their statuses under the Candidates tab.
Alternatively, under the Overview tab, you can see a summary of how many
candidates have logged on for the entire test sitting. Ideally, wait until all
candidates have logged on to each test before proceeding further, but you do not
need to wait late arrivals can log on when they arrive.
3. if present, use the Show Instructions button to permit candidates to read the
instructions for a test.
4. after allowing candidates time to read the instructions, and if present, use the
Start Reading Time button to explain to candidates how the test will work.
5. when you are ready, and ideally when all candidates are logged on, click Start
Test to start the test.
During a test sitting

During a test, you must:
monitor each candidates status to ensure that they are proceeding as expected
without problems.
observe the candidates to ensure that they are following the correct exam practice as
laid down by the relevant Awarding Body
deal with any problems that arise, as advised in Dealing with problems during a test
sitting on page 67, subject to Awarding Body permissions. For example, you may
need to pause and resume, log off or end individual candidate tests or all candidates
taking a test.
After a test sitting

After a test:
unless you have used the End Test option, each test will close automatically when all
candidates have had the full amount of time, and you will see a message on your
screen telling you this.
from the Close Down tab, check that responses for all candidates who were present
at the test session have been successfully collected and uploaded; if not, then you
need to reconnect the computers of candidates whose responses failed to be
collected and/or uploaded. Also enter a reason for each absent candidate, then close
down the test session.
Test Centre Administrators will need to monitor the home page on the Test Centre
Administration website to check for any issues.

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Dealing with problems during a test sitting

Candidates cannot log on
There are a number of reasons why candidates may be unable to log on to a test:
Incorrect password. Check the test and date details on the printout and make sure
the candidate is entering their candidate id and password correctly. Candidate
passwords are case sensitive and are only valid for a particular test and date.
Out of contact. Use the Candidates tab to ensure that the candidate is sitting at a
computer that is in contact. If they are out of contact, check that the network cable
has not been removed. If necessary, move them to another computer (this is why you
need spares).
Test not opened. If no candidates can log on, you may have forgotten to open the
test (this is required for some tests and a button will then appear on the Overview
screen). Candidates will be unable to log on if this button is present but has not been
clicked. Once clicked the green indicator shows the test is open.
Test content not downloaded. If the computer has only been switched on and in
contact for a short period before the test, the content may not yet be available. Use
the Computers tab on the Test Centre website to view the computer in question and
see what test content is available on it. If the expected test is not present, wait a few
minutes and refresh the page. Provided the computer is in contact, the test content
will be downloaded. The candidate may then log on.
Invalid access mode. If an Awarding Body has specified that this is an online
(website access only) test, and the candidate is attempting to log on using the
candidate software, they will be unable to proceed. Conversely, if the test is specified
as requiring use of candidate software and the candidate is attempting to log on to
the candidate website, they will be unable to proceed.
Wrong sitting. Confirm that the candidate does appear in the list of candidates
shown beneath the Candidates tab. They could have arrived a day early (or late!).
I cannot add or remove candidates from a test

Test Centres will only be able to add and remove candidates from tests if the Awarding
Body has permitted them to do so. You can only add and remove candidates up until the
latest start time for a test.
Candidate asks for assistance

Go over to the candidates computer and investigate.
If the candidate needs a short break, subject to Awarding Body regulations, you can
pause their test session then resume it when they are ready to continue.
If the candidate cannot continue, for example because they are ill, you can log off their
test session and allow them to continue at a later time (subject to Awarding Body rules).
Candidate status changes to Out of Contact

If there is intermittent Out of Contact status on various candidate computers during the
test, you do not normally need to take any action. This indicates that computers are
temporarily unable to communicate with administrator computers, but candidates will be
able to continue working unaffected. If the status persists, you should check that the
candidates computer is switched on and the network cable is plugged in correctly.

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Candidate arrives late

For individual candidates who arrive late but before the rest of the candidates have
completed the test, Awarding Body regulations may allow them the full time to complete
the test. The test software automatically controls the amount of time available to them.
A candidates test stops responding

If a candidates test stops responding for example the screen freezes or keyboard
actions have no effect pause the candidates test, log them off and then try and log
them on again so they can continue. If this doesnt work, reboot the candidates computer
then ask them to log on again. If this still doesnt work, move the candidate to a spare
computer.
A candidate computer fails

If a candidate computer fails, and you cannot get it going again, then subject to Awarding
Body rules you can pause the candidates test, log them off and move them to a spare
computer. The candidate may see a message telling them that not all of their answers
could be restored, but this is nothing to worry about as their answers will have been
returned from the previous computer. The candidate can continue the test where they left
off.
An admin computer fails

If a Test Sitting Administrator computer fails during a test, and you cannot get it going
again, move to another admin computer (you should always have a spare admin
computer available). If there is no spare available, then you can either install the Test
Sitting Administrator software on another computer and use that or administer the test
online by directly accessing the Test Administrator website from a working computer.
Start Test button remains greyed out and unavailable

This may happen if the Awarding Body has set up your Test Centre for the wrong region
and time zone, and therefore the earliest start time for each test relates to a wrong time
zone. The Test Sitting Administration page shows the current time. If this time is incorrect,
you will need to inform the Awarding Body.
A computer part fails (for example, mouse stops operating)

If convenient, replace the part so the candidate can resume their test at the same
computer. You are advised to keep a selection of parts such as mice, keyboards and
cables available in the room, so that you can replace them quickly if necessary.
Alternatively, move the candidate to a spare computer so they can resume, and follow the
instructions for a failed computer given above.
Internet failure or other major technical problem

If you have a major technical problem during a test, for example Internet or local network
failure, you will need to inform technical staff at your Test Centre.
While the problem is being looked at, candidates who are logged on using the Connect
Plus software will be able to continue their tests, on battery power if necessary.
If candidates are doing the test online, they will be unable to continue until the problem is
resolved. However, their work will be saved and as soon as everything is working again
they can log on again and continue where they left off.
For more details on dealing with technical problems, see the Technical Guide.
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Test sitting cannot continue

If a serious problem occurs during a test sitting, for example a fire in the test room, you
can click Pause then Log off Candidates to close the test sitting for all candidates. The
candidates can continue their tests at the point they left off as soon as convenient within
the test window.
An error message is displayed on a candidate workstation

The following list shows the error messages that candidates may see on their computers
during a test, in order of likelihood with the most likely messages first.
You did not enter either your candidate number or password. Please enter the
correct details and try again.
Details: The candidate clicked SUBMIT on the login page without entering their
username and password.
Solution: Ask the candidate to enter the correct username and password and try again.
The candidate number and password you entered were not recognised. Please
enter the correct details and try again, making sure you use upper and lower case
letters correctly.
Details: The candidate has incorrectly entered their username and password.
Solution: Ask the candidate to re-enter their credentials correctly.
This test is not yet opened for log in. Please try again when test is opened.
Details: The candidate has tried to log in before the test has been opened by the Test
Administrator.
Solution: Ask the candidate to retry when you have started the test.
Test content not yet available. Please try again after a few minutes or contact your
administrator.
Details: The candidate has tried to log in before the test content has been downloaded
from the Test Sitting Administrator computer.
Solution: Ask the candidate to wait until the test content has been downloaded.
You cannot log on because you are already logged on to another workstation.
Please try again after a few minutes or contact your test administrator.
Details: Either the candidate has moved from one computer to another but has not
been paused and logged off by the Test Administrator, or the candidate has logged on
with another candidate's credentials.
Solution: Ensure that you pause and log off a candidate before moving them to another
computer.

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You cannot log on because your workstation does not have a network connection.
Please inform the test administrator.
Details: The candidate's computer is not connected to the network.

Solution: If you can find an obvious cause (for example, a loose or unplugged network
cable) connect the candidates computer yourself. If not, ask your technical staff for
assistance.
Connection Problem
Details: This message indicates connection problems.
Solution: Check the connection cables on the candidates computer and make sure that
the Test Sitting Administrator computer is running, then ask the candidate to try to log
on again. If the problem was a temporary one this could resolve itself, otherwise ask
your technical staff to reinstall the candidate software or move the candidate to another
computer.
The latest start time for your test has now passed. Please contact your
administrator.
Details: The candidate has tried to log in after the latest start time.
Solution: There is no action to take; the candidate is too late to take the test.
Your test has already finished. Please contact your administrator.
Details: The candidate has tried to log in after the test has closed. The latest start time
may passed, or the test sitting may have been closed down.
Solution: There is no action to take; the candidate is too late to take the test.
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The player or plug-in required by the test is not available. Please contact your
administrator.
Details: The candidate has tried to log in to a test that can't be opened because
prerequisites are missing (for example, Adobe Flash Player).
Solution: Update the candidates computer with the required prerequisites then ask the
candidate to log in again.
A communication issue has occurred on this computer. Please try again or inform
the test administrator.
Details: A network connection problem occurred while attempting to authenticate the

candidate credentials.
Solution: Ask the candidate to try logging on again, as the problem may have been
temporary due to network conditions. If this doesnt work, move the candidate to
another computer.
An unexpected issue has occurred on this computer. Please inform the test
administrator.
Details: An unknown error has occurred.

Solution: Ask technical staff to reinstall the Connect Plus candidate software, or move
the candidate to another computer.
Your test has expired. Please contact your administrator.
Details: The candidate has tried to log in to an old test (possibly from an earlier day). It
is likely that the candidate has been given the wrong username and password.
Solution: Check that all candidates have the correct credentials for the current test.
Invalid test content. Please try again after a few minutes or contact your
administrator.
Details: The candidate has tried to log in to a test that is invalid (not able to be opened).
It is likely that the candidate has been given the wrong username and password.
Solution: Check that all candidates have the correct credentials for the current test.
It is not yet possible to log on to this test. Please try again after a few minutes or
contact your administrator.
Details: This will only happen if a candidate attempts to log on to a test before the
earliest start time. It will occur if the test key release period before the earliest start
time (which is set by the Awarding Body) has not yet been reached.
Solution: Ask candidates to wait until the earliest start time before logging on.

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An authentication issue has occurred on this computer and the Connect Plus
software must be reinstalled. Please inform the test administrator.
Details: The candidates computer cannot authenticate the candidates credentials

A security issue has occurred on this computer and the Connect Plus software
must be reinstalled. Please inform the test administrator.
Details: The candidates computer cannot decrypt the test content.

Dealing with problems after a test

Test responses fail to upload
If a candidate logs off quickly at the end of a test, their test response may fail to upload.
An alert will appear on the home page of the Test Centre Administration website, and on
the Close Down tab for Test Sitting Administrators, warning you that some test responses
failed to upload.
To check which candidates responses failed to upload, go to the test sitting and, under
the Close Down tab, click See details. This will show you a list of all candidates whose
responses failed to be collected and/or uploaded.
For each candidate whose response has not yet been collected, this screen shows you
the candidate details along with the name of the computer the candidate is using and
whether this computer is connected or not.
The most likely reason for a failure to collect and upload a response is that the
candidates computer is out of contact. Go over to the candidates computer (if it is still in
the test room) and check that it is plugged in correctly and connected to the network.
As soon as you can see on your test admin computer that the candidate is in contact and
their test response has been collected and uploaded, it is safe to turn off the candidates
computer.
If you cannot successfully upload responses, seek assistance from technical staff at your
Test Centre.

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Cannot close down a test sitting

You can only close down a test sitting if all candidate responses have been uploaded (the
Close Down Test Sitting button will be greyed out and unavailable if this is not the case).
If a candidates response fails to upload, and it is not possible to retrieve their response,
for example, because the candidate was out of contact at the end of the test and has now
taken their computer home, you will need to liaise with the Awarding Body. In agreement
with you, the Awarding Body can process a partial response for the candidate, which will
enable you to close down the test sitting.

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Appendix A
Logging on
Logging on as a Test Centre Administrator
Logging on as a Test Sitting Administrator
Logging on as a candidate
This chapter tells you how to log on and get started with Connect Plus as a Test Centre
Administrator, Test Sitting Administrator or candidate. The easiest way to familiarise
users with Connect Plus is to use practice tests, which are provided by Awarding Bodies.
For details, see Preparing and running familiarisation and practice tests on page 11.
Logging on as a Test Centre Administrator

Test Centre Administrators must always log on to the Test Centre Administration website;
there is no Connect Plus software for Test Centre Administration. Note however that Test
Centre Administrators can navigate from the Test Centre Administration website to the
Test Sitting Administration website in order to run tests (in online mode).
To log on:
1. Open your web browser and navigate to the Test Centre Administration website:
The Test Centre Administration logon page displays:

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Logging on
2. Type your Username and Password. The Username is the email address entered
when creating your account. The password is the password provided when creating
your account (if you have not changed it) and is case-sensitive, so make sure that
CAPS LOCK is off and that you enter the correct mix of upper- and lower-case letters
and numbers.
Click Login.
3. On first login, if you havent already responded to an email requesting you to confirm
your email address, the following screen will appear:
As instructed go to your email. You should have received an email similar to this:

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Logging on
Click on the link in the email. This will take you back to the Connect Plus logon
screen. Now, when you log on, the Test Centre Administration website Home Page
displays, for example:
The screen displays a variety of information and prompts you where you need to take
action, as follows:
Todays Test Sittings

This section provides information about todays test sitting(s) and the tests they
contain. You can either click on a test sitting name or the Action Required button
to view and modify the test sitting details, and optionally run the test sitting.
Alternatively, you can click the section title to manage todays test sittings, and
optionally create, remove or rename test sittings.
Past Test Sittings With Outstanding Issues

This section lists any past test sittings that have outstanding issues that you need
to deal with, for example test responses that were not uploaded, with details of
the problem computers. Either click the test sitting title or the Action Required
button to manage a past test sitting with outstanding issues.
Forthcoming Test Sittings

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Logging on
This section lists any forthcoming test sittings that have been scheduled and
prompts you if you need to take action, for example add candidates to tests. You
can click on a test sitting name to view and modify the test sitting. Alternatively,
either click the section title or the Action Required button to manage forthcoming
test sittings, and optionally create, remove or rename test sittings.
Current Computer Status

This section shows the number of computers at your Test Centre that have the
Connect Plus Admin or Candidate software installed and are currently connected.
You can click the section title to go to the Computers tab to see more details and
download the latest versions of the software. For more details, see the Technical
Guide.
Non-Timetabled Tests
This section lists any tests that Awarding Bodies have made available for your
Test Centre to schedule. To schedule a test, click the section title.
Logging on as a Test Sitting Administrator

To log on as a Test Sitting Administrator to run tests:
1. If Test Sitting Administration software has been installed on your computer, either
click the Connect Plus Test Administrator software option on the Start menu or
double-click the Connect Plus Test Sitting Administrator icon on your desktop:
Alternatively, if permitted by the Awarding Body, you may be able to log on online by
opening your web browser and navigating to the Test Sitting Administration website:
A message telling you that Connect Plus is registering and launching displays briefly,
followed by some synchronisation checks, then the Test Sitting Administration logon
page displays:

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Logging on
2. Type your Username and Password. The Username is the email address entered
when your account was created. The password is the password provided when
creating your account (if you have not changed it) and is case-sensitive, so make
sure that CAPS LOCK is off and that you enter the correct mix of upper- and lowercase letters and numbers.
Click Login.
3. On first login, if you havent already responded to an email requesting you to confirm
your email address, the following screen will appear:
As instructed go to your email. You should have received an email similar to this:
Click on the link in the email. This will take you back to the Connect Plus logon
screen. Now, when you log on, a page telling you about todays test sittings displays.
If there are no sittings today, or none of todays sittings have any candidates, a no
sittings to administer message will be displayed.
If there is only one test sitting that you can administer today, the Test Sitting
Overview page displays, as shown in step 4.
If there are a number of test sittings that you can administer today, a selection page

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Logging on
4. Click on the test sitting you want to administer. The Test Sitting Overview page
5. This screen shows you details of all the tests included in this test sitting, with buttons
to control each test. Each test has different controls. You can only start tests between
the specified earliest and latest start times.

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Logging on
6. Click the Candidates tab to see all candidates taking all tests in the test sitting, along
with their statuses, for example:
Logging on as a candidate
Wait until the test administrator tells you to log on and then follow these steps:
1. Either click the Connect Plus Candidate Software option on the Start menu or doubleclick the Connect Plus Candidate Software icon:
Alternatively, the test administrator may tell you to open your web browser and go to
the following address:
https://candidate.connectplus.rm.com/
Note: Most Awarding Bodies only permit candidates to access high stakes tests
via the candidate software.

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Logging on
Some start-up messages display briefly and then the test login page displays:
Note: If the start-up messages display for a long time, it may be because future
tests are being downloaded. If this is the case a Download Later button will be
visible to allow the candidate to proceed to the login page. An example of this is
shown in the Test Centre Technical Guide.
2. Look at the Candidate Logon Details printout that the test administrator has given
you, and enter your candidate number and password. The password is casesensitive, so make sure that CAPS LOCK is off and that you enter the correct mix of
upper- and lower-case letters and numbers exactly as shown on the printout.
Click SUBMIT. Your candidate details display:
Note: The following screens may vary for tests from different awarding bodies.

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Logging on
3. Check the details and if they are correct, click CONTINUE. A screen telling you to
wait may display.
4. After a few moments, the display may change to show you some test instructions, for
example::
5. Read the instructions then click Proceed. If the Test Administrator has not yet started
the test, the Please wait screen displays again.
6. After a few moments, the test opens. Here is an example:

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Logging on
7. When the Test Administrator tells you, you can start the test.
8. If you run out of time, the test finishes automatically and you may briefly see this
screen:
Wait until your answers have finished uploading:
You can now click OK and log off from the test.

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Logging on

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Appendix B
Monitoring test statuses and actions
The home page in the Test Centre Administration website allows Test Centre
Administrators to monitor the tests and test sittings being run by your Test Centre:
the tests due to be run today
any past tests that have outstanding issues you need to resolve
forthcoming tests you must prepare for
tests available to schedule
computers requiring preparation or with connection issues
Any number of Test Centre Administrators can log on simultaneously and monitor the
same test sittings.
Here is an example home page:
Possible statuses for test sittings are:
Action Required (if the status is Action Required, you can click on the status to see a
summary of the test details and any actions required)
Future Action Required (this alerts you to actions you will shortly need to take)

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Ready
No Action Required
No Tests (this will appear if you have added a new test sitting but have not yet moved
any candidates into the sitting)
To see details of a particular test sitting, click on the test sitting name. Details of the test
sitting display, for example:
This screen lets you prepare and check that a test sitting is ready to run, and enables you
to monitor that test response uploads progress automatically after the test. For details,
see Preparing test sittings on page 43.
To run the test sitting, click Go to Test Sitting.
Note: The Go to Test Sitting button is only available on the day of a test sitting.
You are taken to the Test Sitting Administrator website, and the Overview page for the
test sitting displays, as for a Test Sitting Administrator.

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From here you can start tests within the test sitting and monitor them in the same way as
a Test Sitting Administrator.
Each test will have one of the following statuses:
Not in Window
Candidates may log on but the test cannot be started.
Ready to Open
The administrator has not yet opened the test. If a candidate logs on at this status,
they will see a please wait for the test to start message.
Showing Instructions
Candidates are currently being shown the test instructions.
Reading Time
Candidates are currently within the reading time period and may have access to
reading or familiarisation materials.
Running
The test is running.
Paused
The test is paused for all candidates.
Completed
All candidates have finished the test or the latest start date has passed and there are
no candidates still working.

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Appendix C
FAQs
What do I do if Ive forgotten my password?
If you are a Test Centre Administrator or Test Sitting Administrator and you forget your
password, another Test Centre Administrator can reset it for you (give you a new
password). For details, Resetting a users password on page 22. Once you have
regained access, you can change your own password, as described in Changing your
own password on page 22.
Can my Test Centre run tests published by many Awarding Bodies?

Yes, when you register with the first Awarding Body, this enables you to create users at
your test Centre and run tests published by this Awarding Body. Thereafter, you can
register with as many Awarding Bodies as you wish. For more details, see Registering the
Test Centre on page 13.
Can we run tests published by different Awarding Bodies in the same

test sitting?
Yes, you can run a variety of tests in the same sitting, either from the same or different
Awarding Bodies. For more details, see Preparing test sittings on page 43.
In what circumstances can I run tests online through my preferred

web browser?
If permitted by the Awarding Body, candidates can log on to take a test through their
preferred web browser (this is called running tests online). The test details may tell you
whether candidates can log on online. Test Sitting Administrators always have the option
to log on online. However, for most tests it is advisable for both candidates and Test
Sitting Administrators to use the Connect Plus software, as this protects against Internet
failure; it enables candidates to continue their tests and administrators to continue to
administer tests, even if your Internet connection fails.
Do I have to create test sittings?

No. A default test sitting is created automatically, and all tests for the day are
automatically added to this sitting. You may be quite happy with this. Creating additional
test sittings is entirely optional.
Can I run each test in its own test sitting?

Yes, you can do this if you want. You have complete flexibility to organise tests into
sittings as you wish. The advantage of running a number of tests in the same sitting is
that Test Sitting Administrators can see and control all these tests simultaneously.
However, if you have large numbers of candidates taking a variety of tests in different
rooms or locations, it may be better to split these tests across a number of sittings. For
more details, see Preparing test sittings on page 43.
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FAQs
Can I set up as many administrators as I like?

Yes, you can create as many Test Centre Administrators and Test Sitting Administrators
as you like. All Test Centre Administrators will have the same rights, as will all Test Sitting
Administrators. Test Centre Administrators have greater privileges than Test Sitting
Administrators. For more details, see Setting up users on page 19.
How do I run a familiarisation or practice test?

These are tests provided by an Awarding Body for use in staff familiarisation and may
also be used for candidate familiarisation. Familiarisation tests are provided as NonTimetabled tests so that Test Centres can schedule to run these tests as often and
whenever desired. For details on how to run a Familiarisation Test, see the instructions in
the Quick Reference Guide provided from the Test Centre website and the Test Sitting
Administration software, via the Help link at the top of the page.
Can I run multiple versions of a test in the same sitting?

Yes, if the Awarding Body has set up one or more versions of the same test that must be
sat concurrently by different candidates, you can run these test versions in exactly the
same way as you would any other type of test. When you log on to the Test Centre
Administrator website, you will see the test versions listed as separate tests under the
Tests tab. The test version naming convention will be decided by the Awarding Body.
The candidate entries will be allocated across the tests in line with Awarding Body rules
and guidance. This may, for example, involve following a specified seating plan where
provided by the Awarding Body.
The Test Sitting Administrator will see each version as a separate test within the test
sitting. For example, here is a test sitting containing three versions of the same test:
The Test Sitting Administrator will need to repeat the start test process for each of the
test versions (see Running test sittings on page 51 for more details).

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FAQs
At the end of the test sitting the Test Sitting Administrator must follow the usual close
down process.

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Glossary
Accessible view Individual users can select
Accessible view to get the most out of using
their screen reader and other accessibility
aids with Connect Plus.
Awarding Body An accredited authority
that publishes tests and awards
qualifications.
Candidate software The part of
Connect Plus that can be installed on
a candidate computer. It enables candidates
to take tests in the absence of an Internet
connection.
Lockdown mode By default, when a
candidate runs a test the test fills the whole
screen and they are unable to access other
applications. This prevents them, for
instance, from looking up answers on the
Internet or emailing a friend for assistance.
Accessibility software will not always work in
locked down mode, so you may need to
allow tests for candidates with access
arrangements to run without lockdown mode.
Online test If permitted by the Awarding
Body, a candidate can run a test online
(using their preferred web browser) by
opening their web browser and navigating to
the Connect Plus candidate website.
Practice test A test that is used for
formative purposes, and for introducing the
Test Centre staff and candidates to Connect
Plus.
Registered Test Centre A Test Centre that
has successfully completed the registration
with the Awarding Body.
Registration code The code issued to
a Test Centre by the Awarding Body that
must be provided when the Test Centre
registers with them.
Scheduled test A test to be run on a date
and time determined by the Awarding Body.
These appear on the home page under
Todays Test Sittings or Forthcoming Test
Sittings.

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Test Centre Administrator Test Centre

Administrators can carry out all Connect Plus
activities at a Test Centre, including
managing tests, candidates, users, test
sittings and computers. The Test Centre
Administrator role is commonly granted to
Exams Officers at Test Centres.
Test key Each test has a key which controls
access to the test content. The Awarding
Body specifies how long before the earliest
start time for the test the key will be
automatically downloaded to Test Centres.
When candidate log on, the key is used to
check their credentials and unlock test
content.
Test Sitting A test sitting is a grouping of
candidates taking tests on the same day.
The candidates may all be taking the same
test or different tests. The Test Sitting
Administrator can see and monitor all these
tests and candidates from a single screen.
By default all tests and all candidates are
added to a single sitting on each day, but
you can if you wish set up and run a number
of separate sittings.
Test Sitting Administrator Test Sitting
Administrators can start and monitor tests at
a Test Centre, but they cannot carry out any
other administration activities.
Test Sitting Administrator software The
part of Connect Plus that can be installed on
a Test Sitting Administration computer. It
enables Test Sitting Administrators to
administer tests in the absence of an Internet
connection.
Test type There are two types of test
you can run using Connect Plus:
Scheduled by the Awarding Body or made
available for Test Centres to schedule within
a test window defined by the Awarding Body.
Tests of either type may be for practice and
training purposes or may be formal tests.
Test window This is the period specified by
an Awarding Body between which Test
Centres can schedule a specific test.
86
Connect Plus Test Centre Administration Guide, Version 2.01.12.00, January

2015
2012 RM Education plc and University of Cambridge Local Examinations
Syndicate
All rights reserved.
Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
MAC is a registered trademark of Apple Inc.
Other trademarks appearing in this document are acknowledged as the trademarks
of their respective owners.

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Connect Plus Test Centre Administration Guide

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Quick Reference Guide

About Connect Plus

Connect Plus Test Centre Administration Guide

Manage candidates (see Chapter 5)

Connect Plus user roles

Connect Plus Test Centre Administrator

Connect Plus Test Sitting Administrator

Connect Plus Test Centre Administration Guide

Scheduled by an Awarding Body

Scheduled by your Test Centre

Accessing Connect Plus

Test Sitting Administrator access

Using a supported browser of your choice, go to the Test Sitting Administrator

Connect Plus Test Centre Administration Guide

Using a supported browser of your choice, go to the Candidate website:

Test Centre tasks

Connect Plus Test Centre Administration Guide

Managing tests scheduled by Awarding Bodies

Connect Plus Test Centre Administration Guide

Managing tests scheduled by your Test Centre

Connect Plus Test Centre Administration Guide

Reminders about forthcoming tests

Close down required

Preparing and running familiarisation and practice

Connect Plus Test Centre Administration Guide

Connect Plus Test Centre Administration Guide

Registering with the initial

Registering with additional

Connect Plus Test Centre Administration Guide

Registering the Test Centre

Registering with the initial Awarding Body

Connect Plus Test Centre Administration Guide

Registering the Test Centre

Connect Plus Test Centre Administration Guide

Registering the Test Centre

Connect Plus Test Centre Administration Guide

Registering the Test Centre

Registering with additional Awarding Bodies

Connect Plus Test Centre Administration Guide

Registering the Test Centre

Connect Plus Test Centre Administration Guide

Creating, editing and

Updating a users roles

Changing your own

Resetting a users password

Unlocking user accounts

Training staff users,

Creating a user account

Connect Plus Test Centre Administration Guide

2. Click New User. The Create New User window displays.

Connect Plus Test Centre Administration Guide

Updating user roles

Editing a user account

Deleting a user account

Connect Plus Test Centre Administration Guide

Changing your own password

2. Select Change Password. The Change password window displays.

Resetting a users password

Training staff users

Test Centre Administrators

Test Sitting Administrators