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Synoptic Best Practices & Trouble Shooting

Our recommendations for best practices around using Synoptic and managing proctored exams

Synoptic overview

Synoptic is a Chrome browser extension that records and monitors users through out their exam, designed to record and flag behaviours considered as breaches as per the exams configuration. When selecting the type of online proctoring to use on your exams there is a trade off between the requirements for a user to get set up (Set up costs) and the level of proctoring security. Theres more details about proctoring options in the article below

Proctoring

Synoptic is a medium level set up and proctoring security options, as a browser level solution (Chrome plugin) and a record and review approach.

  • Browser solution: Operates entirely within the web browser, flags when users are not on the active exam page.

  • Record and review: The approach to proctoring where by when users are flagged as breaching / cheating they are not prevented from finishing the exam, instead all off the session information is stored for a human to review and make a final decision on.

Best practices

We have established these best practices to minimise disruptions and ensure a seamless exam experience for both candidates and administrators. These guidelines are based on our experience, as well as insights from our clients, who run thousands of exams each year. By following these best practices, administrators can proactively prevent common technical issues, reduce last-minute support requests, and create a more efficient, fair, and secure testing environment.

System check style exams

To ensure a smooth exam experience, we strongly recommend having a system check style exam that is just a few sample questions with the same configuration (timed, proctored, question types etc) as your real exams. Let users take this exam a week or two before their real exam to help them:

  • Get familiar with logging in - reduce on the day account queries

  • Ensure their device / browser is up to date - important for any proctoring solution

  • Grant the necessary permissions - for webcam and screen sharing

Overall the system check is a helpful way to make sure users are comfortable with the system before trying to do everything on their exam day.

Pinned FAQ page

Pinned note pages are a great way to provide users with important information about your exam processes and technical details about Synap and proctoring. Videos, links, images, gifs can be added to notes and they can be pinned to the main menu for a user type for easy access. Learn more about pinned note pages below. And if you would like a template note added to your platform please get in touch via the chat and one of our team will add it for you. There will be a list of FAQs and answers provided in this guide.

User Access

Use proctoring + anti cheat features

Synoptic is designed to add an extra layer of security to an exam, there are a combination of other features and processes you can use to increase security. See our Anti Cheat features guide for more system configurations to provide an extra layer of security to your exams

Anti-Cheat features

Synoptic Troubleshooting / FAQs

1. Chrome Version & Compatibility Issues

❓ "I got an unclear error message, and Synap wouldn’t work until I updated Chrome."

Solution:

  • Synap supports older versions of Chrome, but we highly recommend keeping Chrome up to date to avoid compatibility issues.

  • To check and update Chrome:

    1. Open Chrome.

    2. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner.

    3. Go to Help → About Google Chrome.

    4. If an update is available, install it and restart Chrome.

  • If installation is slow, it could be due to your internet speed—try connecting to a stronger network.

2.Screen Sharing Not Recognised

❓ "Synap says I'm not sharing my screen, even though I am."

Solution:

  • Some computers have settings that restrict sharing only one window at a time, instead of the whole screen.

  • Make sure you select ‘Entire Screen’ when prompted.

  • If your screen still isn’t recognised, try:

    • Restarting Chrome.

    • Checking if another app (Zoom, Teams, etc.) is interfering with screen sharing.

    • Restarting your computer and trying again.

💡 Important: Synap cannot override your computer’s privacy settings. If your system blocks screen sharing, we cannot detect why—so ensure permissions are enabled.

3.Repeated Screen Sharing Prompts

❓ "Synap keeps asking me to confirm my screen sharing every few seconds."

Solution:

4.Camera Not Working with Synap

❓ "My camera stops working when Synap is running, but works fine otherwise."

Solutions

Check Chrome Permissions:

  • Go to chrome://settings/content/camera

  • Ensure Synap/Synoptic is allowed to use the camera.

Mac Users: Check System Preferences:

  • Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera.

  • Ensure Google Chrome has access.

Try Restarting Chrome & Your Device

  • If permissions were recently changed, Chrome might need to restart to recognise them.

5.Sleep Mode & Session Issues

❓ "If my computer goes into sleep mode, I have to confirm all permissions again."

Solution

  • If your device goes to sleep, Chrome may pause Synoptic’s background processes, requiring reconfirmation of permissions.

  • Before your exam, disable sleep mode:

    • Windows: Go to Settings → Power & Sleep → Set "Sleep" to Never.

    • Mac: Go to System Settings → Battery → Set "Turn display off" to Never.

❗ Does this count as a breach? Not necessarily, but it could interrupt the proctoring session. Avoid this by keeping your device awake.

6.MacBook Users Need to Restart Chrome

❓ "After starting the exam, I had to close Chrome, re-confirm laptop settings, and restart."

Solution:

  • MacOS does not grant permissions until an app requests them.

  • If permissions were not granted before the exam, you may need to restart Chrome after granting them.

  • Before the exam, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Check permissions for:

    • Screen Recording

    • Camera

    • Microphone

  • Restart Chrome to ensure changes take effect.

7. Issues loading Synap, question content or Synoptic

❓ "I'm having problems launching Synoptic."

Solution:

  • Ensure that the following domains are whitelisted on your network

https://<<your-portal-subdomain>>.synap.ac/ # or your custom CNAME domain if using one
https://synap.ac/
https://api.synap.ac/
https://web-app-assets.synap.ac/
https://service.prod.api.synap.ac/
https://synap-files-prod.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/
https://widget.synap.ac/
https://files.synap.ac/
https://k9v6y2xuhl.execute-api.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/

There is a detailed candidate guide below which includes a video walkthrough of sitting a synoptic exam. You can use this guide to help with instructions or pinned note pages on platforms as well as the content above.

Sitting a Synoptic Proctored Exam

PreviousSitting a Synoptic Proctored ExamNextProctor Pricing

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