Safe Exam Browser for a Student's Tests
Some students should sit their tests in a locked-down computer — for example mocks run in your computer lab, or a student whose results back a score guarantee. Safe Exam Browser is a free app for Windows, Mac and iPad that closes other apps and websites while the test is open. There is nothing to set up on your side.
You can require it in three places. Students without it keep using their normal browser.
For one student — every test they are assigned
Management → Student & Course Dashboard → Student Management → the student's Manage panel → Safe Exam Browser → Required for assigned tests.
- Every test you assign this student from then on needs Safe Exam Browser — IELTS, SAT or any other language test, including their test plan tests.
- Tests already assigned that the student has not started switch over too.
- A test the student has already started is never changed, so nobody is stopped in the middle of a test.
- Switching it off works the same way in reverse.
The same switch appears on the student's test plan form, so you can set it while setting up the plan.
For one assignment
On Create Assignment, tick Require Safe Exam Browser to require it for the students you are assigning to. A student whose switch is on always needs it, ticked or not.
To change it later, use Edit on the assignment — it changes only tests the student has not started.
What the student sees
- Their assignment email (and the test plan's "your test is open" email) says the test needs Safe Exam Browser, with a link to the two-minute device check.
- My Assignments shows a Safe Exam Browser badge on the test.
- Opening the test in a normal browser shows Open Safe Exam Browser. One click opens the test inside Safe Exam Browser, already signed in. If the app isn't installed, the page offers the download for their device.
- Before they start, the same page lists what to expect in Safe Exam Browser (other apps close, one screen only, video-call and remote-desktop apps are closed, how it closes after submitting) and what the test records. Inside Safe Exam Browser, the assignment page shows both again under Before you start.
- After they submit, the result opens in any browser.
Answers are never lost
If Safe Exam Browser crashes or closes in the middle of a test, the student's answers and their final submission are still saved and scored, and the timer still finishes the test. Opening the test page again needs Safe Exam Browser; saving does not. You can see these on the Secure-browser attempts page.
Students who can't run it
Safe Exam Browser runs on Windows 10/11, macOS 12+ and iPad/iPhone. It does not run on Chromebook, Android or Linux. For a student on one of those, open Secure-browser attempts (linked from the Create Assignment option), find the test — shown as Assigned test — and waive it with a reason. That student can then take that test in a normal browser.
Before the first test
Send students the device check link (from the Manage panel or the Create Assignment option). It needs no sign-in: it installs the app if needed, checks the setup and tests the microphone.