Compass Cloud - Test Candidate Guide

COMPASS CLOUD – TEST CANDIDATE GUIDE

Version 2.4.2

Updated: 4/24/2024

This guide outlines the process and best practices for taking exams with Compass Cloud as a Test

Candidate. Compass Cloud cannot be used for remote proctoring Test Candidates at home, and is

only intended for use in-person at a Certiport Authorized Testing Center (CATC) with you and the

Exam Administrator (Proctor) in the same room. It is recommended that you log in to the Certiport

website prior to exam day to verify that your username & password are working, and to ensure that

the profile/transcript is where you want your exam results to be associated.

• Laptop or Desktop with Windows 10, Windows 11, or Mac OS X Monterey 12.x or higher

• Chromebook with a current operating system (OS)

• The language of the OS on the testing workstation must match the exam language of the scheduled session

• Full keyboard and a 2-button mouse

• Recommended minimum screen resolution of 1280 x 800

• The preferred internet browser is Chrome. Edge and Safari are also acceptable

• You can only take exams using Compass Cloud in-person at a Certiport Authorized Testing Center (CATC)

• A bandwidth download speed of at least 10Mbps

The desktop application will be installed for you by the CATC. The desktop icon looks like this 

1. Prior to the scheduled start time, double-click the desktop icon to

launch the software. The user interface for Compass Cloud has

options for help, selecting the user interface language (lang), and

logging out.

Guide Summary

Technical Requirements

Using the Compass Cloud Application



Important:

Immediately upon launching the desktop application,

the computer will go into lockdown, and you will not be able to alt-

tab or access any other programs. You may exit the app by clicking

“Close Window” at the bottom of the screen or by clicking your

name and clicking log out, but only until the actual exam launches,

at which point you will need to finish or time out of the exam to

exit.

Help

Compass Cloud User Interface

Lang

User & Log out



Note: After launching the application, it may take a minute to apply

the lockdown and connect to the server. You will see a loading icon

during this time.

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COMPASS CLOUD – TEST CANDIDATE GUIDE

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2. Log in using your Certiport username and password.

3. Enter your Access Code and click Continue.

4. Look over everything on the Candidate & exam information screen and ensure it’s correct.

5. If the exam is incorrect, you can click Change exam, but only if your desired exam was originally scheduled

by your Exam Administrator (Proctor) and is one of the other exam titles available within the active session.

Notify your Exam Administrator (Proctor) immediately if the exam is incorrect.

 Important: If you are more than 30 minutes after the scheduled start time, you will not be able to begin your

exam. See detailed info in the FAQs of this guide.

6. If the information is correct, click Next.

 Important: You can only join the session 5 minutes prior to the scheduled start time or you will receive a notice.

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COMPASS CLOUD – TEST CANDIDATE GUIDE

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7. You will now enter the lobby. You will wait at this screen until your Exam Administrator (Proctor) sees your

request and unlocks your exam. If you are in a large group of Test Candidates, the Exam Administrator

(Proctor) may wait until all Test Candidates are ready and unlock all the exams at once.

8. When the Exam Administrator (Proctor) unlocks your exam, click the Start exam button to proceed.

9. At this point you will enter the actual exam and will not be able to exit until you have completed the exam,

or the timer runs out. The remainder of your launch pathway will be as follows:

a. Accepting any agreements or terms of use

b. Reviewing the exam tutorial (how to navigate through the exam)

i. Note: Tutorials can also be found here in PDF format, which will allow you to review the

material ahead of time)

c. The exam questions (the timed portion of the exam)

d. After all questions have been answered, you will be asked to Finish the exam (submitting your

answers for scoring)

e. You will be asked to leave Feedback about the exam (optional)

f. You will be presented with your detailed Score Report

g. The Exam Score Summary page will appear that can connect you to your My Pathway details

(optional)

h. To exit Compass Cloud completely, click the End Exam Session button

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Q Q: My computer froze, how do I get back to my exam?

A: In case of a power outage or hard freeze, etc., on your local workstation, quickly restart the computer, launch the

Compass Cloud desktop application again, sign in, enter the same access code, and you will be prompted that you have an

exam in-progress. Click the "Enter exam" button to resume. Please note that since your exam is occurring in the cloud, the

exam timer will continue while you are disconnected. As such, prolonged outages may result in you having to reschedule

your exam.

Q: In Autodesk (ACU), "Alt+Tab" is not working to switch between the exam and the application, what can I

do?

A: When taking ACU exams in English (ENU) that are using the Classic exam user interface, you may use the icons on the

toolbar located on bottom of the screen to navigate quickly between Compass and the ACU application. Please review

the tutorial for detailed information on the new toolbar. If for any reason the toolbar fails to move you back and forth

between the exam and the application, the keystrokes below can be utilized:

• Windows: ALT+PageUp or ALT+PageDown

• Mac: Opt+FN+ up arrow

• Chromebooks: You must use the Autodesk toolbar

 Note: If you are using a Windows laptop or mini-keyboard that does not have dedicated PageUp and PageDown keys

they will need to add the Function (Fn) key to your keystroke. Example: Fn+ALT+PageUp or Fn+ALT+PageDown.

 Important: Test Candidates taking ACU exams with the "Next Generation" exam user interface will not need to use

any of the tabbing or keystrokes described here as the exam window and software application are on the same

screen. Tell me more about the Next Generation UI.

Errors & Troubleshooting

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COMPASS CLOUD – TEST CANDIDATE GUIDE

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Q: What happens if I try to join a session before the session is active?

A: You will be presented with a notice that you cannot join until 5 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.

Q: What if I have not received my session info by the time my session has begun?

A: Since Compass Cloud is an in-center, in-person delivery solution, your Exam Administrator (Proctor) could provide you

with your Access Code immediately preceding your start time and still have no issues launching your exam. The most

important detail here is that your Exam Administrator (Proctor) scheduled you for the correct exam title.

Q: I have logged in but need to exit the Compass Cloud application, how do I do that?

A: In Windows and Mac you can click the "Close Window" button/link in the footer of the application. For Chromebooks,

you can click your name in the top right corner and click “Log out”. Please note that after you exit the Lobby and enter the

actual exam, you cannot exit until the exam has been completed.

Q: I require an ADA accommodation; can I still apply for one with Exams from Home?

A: Yes. ADA accommodations are supported in the Compass Cloud solution in the form of extended testing time for pre-

approved candidates. However, accessibility tools such as JAWS and other screen readers are not supported. Certiport’s

Compass for Windows and Compass for Mac locally installed solutions still support all forms of accommodations detailed

on our ADA page.

Q: What happens if I am late to my scheduled session?

A: It is important for you to arrive on time and begin your exam or you may have to reschedule (see below).

A Note on Session Time (Live-in-the-Application exams only):

When using the Compass Cloud solution please note that there are two time limits you need to be aware of when

taking Live-in-the-Application (Adobe, Autodesk, or Microsoft Office Specialist) exams. Only Live-in-the-Application

(LITA) exams employ the use of virtual machines on Compass Cloud, so Session time is only applicable to that type

of exam delivery, but you must arrive and be ready to test at least 5 minutes prior to your scheduled start time no

matter which exam you are taking.

• Session time: the amount of time the virtual machine is active (approx 2 hours) or until you finish the exam

and disconnect from the session

• Exam time: the actual timed portion you have to complete the certification exam - between 45-60 minutes

for all standard exams

You will use Session time to log in, review the tutorial, ask the Exam Administrator (Proctor) any questions, review

your results, send feedback, or to complete other similar tasks. If you begin later than 30 minutes to your

scheduled session, you will be locked out and need to reschedule your exam as there may not be enough overall

time to complete all session time tasks as well as the exam itself.

 Important: It is imperative that Test Candidates with ADA accommodations that are taking Live-in-the-Application

exams do not start their exam late or they may run out of session time.

Frequently Asked Questions

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COMPASS CLOUD – TEST CANDIDATE GUIDE

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 Warning: Do not follow the instructions below to associate a pre-assigned voucher to a scheduled Compass Cloud

exam session unless directed to by your Exam Administrator (Proctor).

To associate your assigned voucher to a Compass Cloud session conducted by a CATC that is employing the use of

a "User assigned voucher" payment type, you must log in to the website at www.certiport.com, scroll down to "My

Exams", enter your Access Code in the field, and then click "Associate session".

Learn how to pre-assign a voucher.

For the Compass Cloud desktop application, use the information in this guide to resolve any issues, or reach out

to your Exam Administrator (Proctor) who can contact our Technical Support team.

If you cannot remember your username or password, please use our recovery tool. For any other non-urgent

issues with your Certiport profile, please contact Candidate Services.

Associating an Assigned Voucher to a Session

Contact Support

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