Compass Cloud - Test Candidates

Scheduling an exam session

All scheduling will be performed by your Exam Administrator (Proctor). They will provide you with the access code needed to launch your exam and facilitate the delivery through the Compass Cloud desktop app at a Certiport Authorized Testing Center (CATC).

Session Time (LITA exams only)

If you are taking an Adobe Certified Professional, Autodesk Certified User, or Microsoft Office Specialist Live-in-the-Application exam in Compass Cloud, please note that there are two time limits you need to be aware of:

• 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

Session time will be used 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 arrive 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 tasks as well as the exam itself.

Important info

Please review these items prior to your scheduled exam session. If you have any questions about Compass Cloud please contact your Exam Administrator (Proctor). Below is a summary; for detailed instructions on the use of Compass Cloud for Test Candidates, please review the user guide.

• You must take your exam in-person at a Certiport Authorized Testing Center (CATC) using the Compass Cloud desktop app, which will be set up for you by the center.
• Your Exam Administrator (Proctor) will schedule the appointment for your session.
• Review the Tutorial of the exam you signed up for prior to your appointment; doing so will allow you to save more session time by skipping the tutorial just before starting the actual exam timer.
• You will need your Certiport login/username and password and the access code provided to you by the Exam Administrator (Proctor). Please have this information ready before your scheduled exam time. If you have lost your username or password click here. Test your credentials by logging in to the Certiport website and verify that the profile/transcript of that account is where you want your exam results to be associated.
• You will have to reschedule your exam if you begin later than 30 minutes after your scheduled start time.
• Make sure your Exam Administrator (Proctor) knows the exact exam title and version year you wish to take. After the session is scheduled, this information cannot be changed and would require a new session to be scheduled. If you have merely been given an incorrect access code to another exam title that is being administered within the exact same session, you can click the "Change exam" button after logging in to the Compass Cloud software and enter a different code.
• Compass Cloud is available to Test Candidates with ADA accommodations in the form of extended time only - see FAQs for details

Compass Cloud technical requirements (Test Candidates)

• Laptop or Desktop with Windows 10, Windows 11, or Mac OSX Sierra 10.12 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
• Keyboard and 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

User training

Please review all available training materials before joining your first session. For a detailed look at the process for Test Candidates, refer to the user guide.

1. The Exam Administrator (Proctor) will provide you with the access code needed to begin your exam.
2. At the scheduled session time, launch the Compass Cloud application from the desktop.
3. 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, but only until the actual exam launches after leaving the lobby, at which point you will need to finish or time out of the exam to exit.
4. Log in using your Certiport username and password.
5. Enter your Access Code (XXX-XX-XXX).
6. Confirm your information is correct.
7. Read and agree to any terms & conditions, and wait for the Exam Administrator (Proctor) to unlock your exam.
8. If your Exam Administrator (Proctor) is not ready, you will wait in the lobby until your exam has been unlocked. 
9. When ready, you will be presented with a "Start exam" button. Click the button, read the tutorial, then begin your exam.
10. Review your exam summary, feedback, score report, My Pathway progress, then exit Compass Cloud by clicking the "End Exam Session" button which will return you to the desktop.

Autodesk exam users

Autodesk Certified User (ACU) in English:
When taking ACU exams in English (ENU) that are not in the Next Generation format, 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 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

Frequently asked questions

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 the "X" in the top right-hand corner. Please note that after you exit the Lobby and enter the actual exam, you cannot exit until the exam has been completed.

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 not in the "Next Generation" format, 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

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.