Technical support for exam day

Having problems on the day? Jump straight to the exam day section.

Preparing for your exam

Make sure the technology you plan to use for the exam is ready in advance.

Devices

The exam will be accessible from a number of devices, including:

• laptops
• desktop computers
• tablets

Using a device that is not supported by the platform, such as a mobile phone, could lead to issues during your exam.

Your device needs to be in landscape mode, not portrait. A larger screen will also offer you the best chance of viewing the exam in its entirety without having to scroll.

Please check that any software updates are carried out before the exam, so that your exam is not interrupted. It is your responsibility to ensure that software updates are in place before the exam and that you have tested your device sufficiently before the exam.

Force and personal devices

If you are using a force-issued device or connecting through a force network (such as a VPN), please check the following before your exam:

• the exam URL has been approved or whitelisted by your force IT department
• the device or network does not block content from the exam platform, such as pop-ups, secure files, or images
• you are aware that force networks may have restricted bandwidth or security settings that could affect performance, even if you have fast home broadband.

If your force device has limitations that cannot be adjusted, it is recommended that you use a personal device to take the exam instead.

Device cache and saved answers

Your answers will be temporarily saved on your device (called the cache) while you work. This allows the exam to continue if your internet connection drops.

To make sure your answers are saved correctly:

• check that your device or browser is not set to clear cache automatically
• do not use private or incognito mode, these modes delete cached data automatically
• avoid antivirus or security software that deletes cache or temporary files while the exam is open
• some force-managed laptops have cache restrictions or security policies that prevent answers from being stored, confirm this with your IT department before exam day if you are using a force device

If your cache is cleared or restricted during the exam, your saved answers may be lost and cannot be recovered. Testing your device beforehand helps prevent this issue.

Checking your device

You can test whether your device meets system requirements using this System check webpage.

Operating system

You may experience issues if you're accessing your exam on a device using an old operating system. The following operating systems are supported by the platform: 

• Windows 10+
• MacOS Big Sur+
• iPadOS 15+
• Android 12+

Please check what system you're using by locating the 'about' information on your device (often located in the settings menu) and reviewing the operating system specifications, where the operating system will be defined.

If your device does not meet the requirements, or if the platform is unable to confirm that your device meets the requirements, please do not use this device, as you may experience issues during the exam. For example, answers may not be saved correctly if you use a device that does not meet the specifications.

If you do not have access to a different device that meets all specifications, please contact the College before you begin your exam. We will then be able to monitor your exam progress to check that you have submitted all your answers. We also monitor all candidates’ exam connections, so if we detect a loss of connection or submission issue, we will contact you by email to help resolve it.

Please note that MacOS Catalina is not supported by the platform and is known to cause issues when loading the exam. If your device uses this operating system, you should source an alternative device to take your exam.

Web browsers

You can use the following browsers (the software you use to access the internet).

• Google Chrome 100+
• Microsoft Edge 100+
• Safari 15+

Please do not access the exam using an earlier version of the browsers listed here, or using a different browser, as you may experience issues. Ensure that you upgrade your browser to the latest version before the exam. 

You can check which version of the browser you are using by opening your browser, navigating to the browser settings and viewing the ‘About’ area. This will display the version number for the browser.

You should avoid using ‘in private’ or ‘incognito’ browsers, as these will not retain any locally stored answers in your device cache if you lose connection during the exam. If the cache is automatically deleted, we cannot recover your answers.

Screen resolution

The minimum screen resolution should be 1280 × 720.

You can check this by opening the settings on your device and reviewing the display resolution setting.

If your screen resolution is set too low, you might not be able to view all the content on a page. This means you will need to scroll to view all content and the 'next' button to proceed through the exam. This should not prevent you from accessing or completing the assessment.

If your screen resolution is set too high, this could make text difficult to read.

Some display issues can be resolved by:

• hiding the Windows taskbar
• increasing or decreasing the browser zoom level
• using a different web browser

Internet connection and WiFi

Before the exam

• Make sure you have a strong and stable internet connection.
• Minimum speed: 2 Mbps – you can test this using the Which broadband speed test website.
• Whenever possible, connect using an ethernet cable rather than WiFi for greater stability.
• Close all unnecessary browsers, apps, or streaming services on your device and in your household to reduce bandwidth use.

Test your connection a few days before the exam at the same time of day you will be sitting it, to check for peak-time slowdowns.

If you lose connection during the exam

• The system automatically saves your answers after each question.
• If your internet drops, the exam will continue offline, and your answers will be stored on your device, as long as there are no restrictions on your device.
• Once your connection returns, your answers will resync automatically - you may not even notice a disruption.
• If your connection does not return before finishing, the system will ask you to download an encrypted file containing your answers.

If you are prompted to download your answers

1. Download the file immediately and do not rename or open it.
2. Email the file as an attachment to:
   • NIE: examsinvestigator@college.police.uk
   • NPPF: nppf.enquiries@college.police.uk
3. Include your candidate number, exam date, and a short description of what happened.

If you do not send the file, we will be unable to recover your responses.

After the exam

If you closed the browser during the exam, you will be asked to record a reason before continuing. You can provide supporting evidence to us within three days of the exam date for review.

We cannot accept appeals relating to local connectivity or equipment issues. Please make sure your connection is reliable before starting your exam.

Online exam platform

Before the exam you will be sent an email that includes:

• the URL you need to use
• your unique username
• your unique password

Take a note of your username and password. If you do not know these on the day of your exam, this will delay you starting your exam, as you will need to request the College to resend this information. 

You will be asked to change your password when you first log into the platform. You must change this to a password that you will be able to remember when you take the exam.

If you have taken an online exam with us on the Civica platform in the preceding 18 months, your password will remain as whatever you previously set it as – it will not be the new temporary password. If you cannot remember this password, you will need to contact us to have your password reset. Please ensure this is done ahead of exam day to prevent any delays.

In the email, you'll be provided with guidance on how to check your device ahead of the exam using the ‘check system requirements’ box in the bottom-right corner of your login page. Please complete this before your exam so you can ensure that your device meets the system requirements.

What to do if you do not get an email

If you have not received an email with login details for the exam 24 hours before your exam date, please inform your force exams contact.

Before exam day

• Complete the familiarisation exercise even if you have taken a previous online exam. The system is updated regularly, and this will confirm your device and browser are working correctly.
• When you first log in, there may be a message asking you to update the assessment player. Select ‘Yes’ to install the update, then continue with the exam.
• If you have blocked pop-ups in your browser, the player may not load. Make sure pop-ups are allowed before the exam.

Please ensure that you follow the above guidance to avoid issues on exam day. 

Connection issues

If speed is an issue, check whether there are service issues first by:

• internet service provider
• location

You can also test the speed and performance of your internet connection. To do so, close your exam and run the internet speed test. If your internet connection is slow and you are completing the exam at home, check whether other devices at home are using bandwidth (such as laptops, phones or gaming consoles).

If speed is an issue or if the screen has frozen, try closing your browser and reopening.

Device or browser issues

Please check that your device and browser settings are compatible with the exam.

If you are using a device, operating system or browser that does not meet the minimum requirements, you may experience buffering or issues loading your exam, which we are unable to resolve for you. We cannot accept appeals from candidates who choose to take their exam on a device that does not comply with these requirements (if you subsequently experience issues).

If the exam will not load

• Close all browser tabs.
• Clear your internet cache and browser history.
• Reopen the browser and reload the exam.
• Only do this if you have not yet opened any questions, do not close the exam or clear your cache once the assessment has started.

We recommend all candidates load the familiarisation exercise before the exam day to ensure that you do not experience any loading issues on the day.

Contacting us if you need help on the day

If this does not help, get in touch by email. 

• National investigators' exam (NIE): examsinvestigator@college.police.uk
• National police promotion framework (NPPF) sergeants' or inspectors' exam: nppf.enquiries@college.police.uk

To help us understand the issues you are facing, please provide the following information in your email:

• Your candidate number or exam username (if you do not know this, please provide your full name, date of birth and force).
• Full description of the current issue (do not send screenshots of any questions).
• Details of the device and browser you are using.
• Whether you are using a force or personal device.

We will reply to all emails as quickly as we can. However, please note that exam days can be very busy and our response may not be immediate. Please remain patient and avoid sending multiple emails regarding the same issue. We respond to all emails in the order we receive them. Make sure that you have taken all steps possible to resolve the issue yourself first.