IT Support for NCUK’s Assessment Platform
Receive help from the NCUK IT Support team regarding
- Minimum IT requirements and system tests
- Technical problems accessing or using* the NCUK assessment platform
Please see below some of the most frequently asked questions.
- Click on the Forgotten password? link below the logon screen.
- Fill in your email address and click on Send request.
You will receive an email with a link to set a new password.
If after 5 minutes you have not received this email, please check your junk folder.
For security reasons, your account will lockout after 10 incorrect attempts.
After 5 minutes your account will automatically be unlocked and you can try again.
If you believe you are using the correct password, please type the password in the username field to verify.
Sometimes the characters on the keyboard differ from the characters on the screen.
If you have forgotten your password
- Click on the ‘Forgotten password?’ link below the logon screen.
- Fill in your email address and click on Send request.
You will receive an email with a link to set a new password.
If after 5 minutes you have not received this email, please check your junk folder.
- Click on this link
- Click on Download Acrobat Reader in the top right hand corner
- Follow the instructions on screen
- Click on the Windows icon and click on Settings.
- Select the About menu on the left-hand side
Use the following links to obtain the latest edition of the browser you will use with the NCUK assessment platform:
Microsoft Windows Operating System
- Google Chrome: Click here to download
- Firefox: Click here to download
Apple MacOS
- Firefox: Click here to download
- Google Chrome: Click here to download
Safari is preinstalled on all Apple computers and updates are automatic.
- Browse to one of the following websites:
http://bandwidthplace.com/
http://www.speedtest.net - Click on Start, Go respectively to start the test
The minimum requirements are 2Mbps download and 750 kbps upload.
- Open Chrome and click the Menu button in the top right corner. Now select Settings from the menu.
- Scroll all the way down and click on Advanced.
- In the Network section click on Change proxy settings.
- Internet Properties window will now appear. Go to the Security tab and select Trusted sites. Now click the Sites button.
- Enter the URL of the website you wish to add and click the Add button.
- After you’re done, click on Close. Now click on Apply and OK buttons to save changes.
To disable System Auto-updates on a Windows computer:
- Go to ‘Start’ -> ‘Run’ -> Type Services.msc and then stop ‘Automatic Updates’ service.
To disable System Auto-updates on an iMac or Macbook:
- Go to the Apple logo on the top left -> open System Preferences.
- Click on ‘App Store’ -> click on the tick mark next to ‘Automatically check for updates’ to uncheck it.
- Disable security patches, updates of the anti-virus definitions and/or application updates (manually) during the assessment to avoid any interference while taking the assessment
Use the “allow once/always” pop-ups function from your browser settings to allow test window to open
Optionally, you may disable the pop-up blocker for the duration of the test or exam. Here is how you can do it:
- For Google Chrome: Go to ‘chrome://settings/’ –> Click on ‘Show advanced settings’ (at the end of the page). Under ‘Privacy’, click on ‘Content Settings’ –> Under ‘Pop-ups’, select ‘Allow all sites to show pop-ups’ –> Click on Done.
- For Mozilla Firefox: Go to ‘Tools’ –> Select ‘Options’ –> Click ‘Content’ tab and then uncheck ‘Block Pop-up windows’ check box.
After performing the above steps, please restart the browser.
Clear browser cache/cookies before starting any assessments. This is especially important where the assessment will be remotely proctored.
For most browsers, pressing “CTRL+SHIFT+DELETE” and selecting Clear Cache (for Chrome) helps clear the cookies.
It is recommended to also shut down the system once clear cache has been performed and then clear the cache again.
How to open firewall ports in Windows 10
- Navigate to Control Panel, System and Security and Windows Firewall
- Select Advanced settings and highlight Inbound Rules in the left pane
- Right click Inbound Rules and select New Rule
- Add the port you need to open and click Next
- Add the protocol (TCP or UDP) and the port number into the next window and click Next
How to open an application’s port in OS X firewall
- Open System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Firewall > Firewall Options
- Click Add
- Choose an application from the Applications folder and click Add
- Ensure that the option next to the application is set to Allow incoming connections
- Click OK
No, you must not use an iPad or any other tablet to take your exams.
Yes, you may use microsoft Office 365.
Yes, although certain VPN connections can impact access to Microsoft Office 365.
The documentation for Study Centres about the NCUK assessment platform technical requirements and system tests is available from the Welcome Document Library.
*Students, please note that during on the day of an NCUK test or exam if you experience a technical problem you must inform your Study Centre, not the NCUK IT support team. Your Study Centre will tell you who to contact and how to contact them. Your Study Centre will report the problem to NCUK and we will ensure that you are not disadvantaged by the technical problem.