TYPO3 Certification with ProctorU

Until 2020, the only way to register for certification was to attend one of the many TYPO3 events and take the exam there on the spot. However, it is now (once again) possible to complete the certification online. The ProctorU service (https://www.proctoru.com/) is used to schedule and monitor the online certification.

In this article, I’d like to share my experiences with online certification as well as some useful tips.

First step: Buy a voucher and schedule an appointment

First, you need to get a voucher to apply for certification.
You can find a good overview of the entire certification process at https://exam.typo3.com/guide.
Under point 3, there’s also a link to purchase a voucher.

You’ll also find a link there to ProctorU’s system requirements (https://support.proctoru.com/hc/en-us/articles/115011772748-Equipment-Requirements), which you should definitely check before purchasing.

If you don’t have a ProctorU account yet, you’ll need to create one. After that, you can select a date and time for the exam.

Preparation

Before the exam (about 1 to 2 hours beforehand), you should take several preparatory steps.

The Computer

• I recommend using a laptop for the exam (you’ll see why below)
• The battery should be charged (and last long enough).
• Your desktop should be tidy
• Install the ProctorU browser extension
  • You should NOT use the browser you use every day for this.
    Open tabs could be a problem, and at least in my case, the browser history was empty after the exam.
  • The extension is available for Firefox (https://www.proctoru.com/firefox) and Chrome (https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/proctoru/goobgennebinldhonaajgafidboenlkl)
• Test the camera and microphone (using the browser)
• Enable Wi-Fi and connect
• No external monitor may be connected

Additionally, you can also run a system check within your ProctorU account:

Desk and Surroundings

• The desk should ideally be completely empty
  • If there’s a monitor on the desk, you should put it away or at least turn it toward the wall so you can’t see it.
  • Nothing should be lying around on, next to, or under the desk
• Your ID should be ready
• Your smartphone should be ready (or, alternatively, a small mirror)
• It’s best to remove phones from the room
• As a precaution, have a few towels or blankets ready in case something needs to be covered
• If you’re not alone in your apartment or office: lock the door if possible
• Headphones must be removed
• Wristwatches must also be removed

Visit https://www.proctoru.com/live-plus-resource-center#how for more information on the test conditions and videos showing the procedure. It’s definitely worth watching these beforehand.

Right before the exam

You can start the exam in your ProctorU account about 5 minutes before the scheduled exam time.
There are a few preparatory steps that follow, but the time required for these does not count toward the exam time.

First Steps

1. First, you’ll need to accept a few “Terms and Conditions”
2. A download for a chat/recording program will start:
   (detailed instructions will be displayed in your browser
3. Launch the chat program.
   After a short while, you’ll be assigned to a proctor.
   The proctor will then message you via chat and provide further information.

The chat program requires permissions for screen access and remote access.
Depending on your operating system, you’ll receive instructions on where to adjust the settings.

A quick note: For the permissions (Mac), you should restart the program. However, there was no information about this in the instructions, so I didn’t do it. Everything still worked out fine anyway.

The proctor calls

After the initial contact via chat, the proctor calls you through the chat program.
This step came as a bit of a surprise to me, since I hadn’t expected to be addressed out of the blue (so don’t be alarmed).

The proctor then briefly takes control to check the computer and its settings.
You can always see what the proctor is doing and which windows they’re opening.

Specifically, the proctor does the following:

• They check whether any programs are still running and, if so, which ones.
• They check whether any devices are connected.
• They disable the keyboard shortcuts for taking screenshots.
• ... and a few other minor things.

Identification

• For identification, you must now show your ID to the proctor via the webcam
• Using your phone in selfie mode, you must show the proctor the edges of the screen and the surrounding area (a mirror would certainly work here as well)
• The proctor wants to see that you don’t have anything in your ears (e.g., in-ear headphones).
• You must show the proctor your arms

Inspection by the proctor

The proctor will now check whether your workspace and the room are in order. To do this, you can walk around the room a bit with your laptop
and show the proctor everything they want to see via the webcam.

In my case, the process went as follows:

• The proctor wants to see all four walls of the room
• They want to see the desk, both the surface and what’s underneath it.
• The door to the room must be shown (it should be closed)
• The proctor wants to see that the cell phone is no longer within reach
• The proctor may want to take a closer look at other things; they will then give appropriate instructions

If the proctor identifies a problem, you must try to resolve it.

For example, if there are still items on or next to the desk, the proctor may ask you to move them to a more distant location or
to cover them with something. You can use the prepared blankets or cloths for this purpose.

During the exam

The exam begins

If everything looks good so far, you can now proceed to the exam.

First, you need to log in to my.typo3.org with your account. In my case, however, there was a small problem: my login credentials are stored in a password manager, and I had closed the program before the exam.
I informed the proctor of this and obtained his permission to restart my password manager.
After logging in, I closed the program again immediately.

The proctor briefly takes control again and starts the exam by entering an activation code.
The phone call with the proctor ends at this point so you can take the exam in peace. However, you can contact the proctor via chat at any time if you encounter any problems.

The Exam

ProctorU also sets a few rules to follow during the exam:

• You are not allowed to speak loudly during the exam
• You must not stand up
• It’s best to always look at the screen
  (=> Your face should always be within the webcam’s field of view)
• No one else is allowed to be in the room or enter during the exam (lock the door)

Exam Complete

Once you’ve finished the exam, there are just a few more small steps to take:

• Contact the proctor via chat and let them know you’re finished.
• After the proctor responds, you must (!!) close the browser window. This is the only way to end the recording.
• You can also close the chat window
• The browser will automatically open with a short survey about the exam
• You can now “clean up” your computer
  • Remove the browser extension
  • Delete the chat program
  • Restore settings
  • etc...

That's it—you've passed the test.

Conclusion

The ProctorU exam worked very well for me and was a good alternative to taking the certification exams at an in-person event. My concerns about communication (in English) were unfounded; the proctor was very easy to understand and gave clear instructions.

Another positive aspect was that I received my results very quickly. In my case, it actually took only a few minutes before I could see the results in my my.typo3.org account.

I would definitely take other certifications with ProctorU again.