We have integrated with Safe Exam Browser (SEB) to provide a secure environment for completing assessments. This functionality allows teachers to configure existing EP assessments to be delivered within a specially configured SEB environment, ensuring students cannot access external resources or applications during an exam. This article outlines how teachers and students can use this integration and what they can expect
In this article:
What is Safe Exam Browser?
Safe Exam Browser (SEB) is a secure, third-party browser used worldwide to administer assessments and high-stakes coursework, preventing academic dishonesty.
SEB is installed on students’ devices, and once an assessment begins, students are confined to the browser until they complete their work.
EP assessments can be configured to run within SEB to provide an increased level of security.
⚠️Important: To use this integration, students must have SEB installed on their devices. If SEB is not detected, EP Assessments with SEB enabled will prompt students to download the browser. Assessments cannot be completed outside SEB if it has been enabled in the EP assignment settings.
⚠️Recommended: For departments planning to use EP’s SEB integration for assessments, we recommend that the School IT Department bulk install the software on all provided student devices. For schools with a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy, it is recommended that teachers have students download SEB before the assessment start date.
⚠️Student Self Serve: For schools that use device management software and allow students to download apps and programs through a self-service portal, please instruct students to ONLY download SEB through that method to avoid errors.
⚠️ Known limitation: Students enrolled in multiple schools
Students who are enrolled in more than one school on Education Perfect may be unable to access SEB assessments. Upon logging in via Safe Exam Browser, the student may be placed into a school that does not have the assessment assigned, and they will not be able to switch schools from within SEB.
What to do: We recommend checking whether any students sitting SEB assessments are enrolled across multiple schools ahead of assessment day. If a student reports this issue before or during an assessment, contact your EP administrator as soon as possible.
Our team is actively working on a fix. We'll update this guide once resolved.
How teachers use SEB for EP Assessments
To enable SEB: Teachers must select the SEB option in the assessment assignment flow.
This action automatically enables an access code that students will need to enter to start the EP assessment.
Configuration for Remote vs. In-Person Assessments:
Remote Assessment: If you are assigning this as an at-home exam, we do not recommend setting a quit password. Without a quit password in this configuration, students may encounter issues leaving or unlocking the assessment if they close it unexpectedly.
In-person Assessment: For an in-person assessment with a designated proctor, we recommend setting a quit password. This configuration will keep students in SEB until they are provided with the quit password by the proctor.
Note: Ensure students have their login details readily available in addition to the access code, as they will be required to log in again.
Optional Exit Code: For in-person assessments, teachers can set an optional exit code to better proctor the exam. This is a separate code from the access code and, if enabled, will be required for students to enter at the end to close SEB.
An exit code MUST be used if your students are taking the assessment on iOS devices.
How students use SEB for EP Assessments
⚠️Please note: SEB can be installed on Windows, Mac, and iOS devices. Chromebooks are not supported by SEB.
If students are using an iPad, they should access EP via the Progressive Web EP. For Mac devices, we recommend using the Chrome web browser for the best experience with EP.
Install SEB:
a. Schools that do not use IT device management software, please have students navigate to https://safeexambrowser.org/download_en.html on their device and choose the suitable version.
SEB will automatically launch when a student clicks on an SEB-enabled assessment in the student zone of EP.
b. For schools that use device management software and allow students to download apps and programs through a self-service portal, please instruct students to ONLY download SEB through that method to avoid errors.
Access the assessment: Students will see the assessment appear on their EP student dashboard, marked with a Safe Exam Browser indicator. Students will be prompted to open the assessment inside SEB, which they must do
⚠️Please note: Students need to know their EP login credentials before they take the SEB-enabled assessment, as any autofill and/or password managers they might use will not work once the lockdown browser is running.
Start the assessment: Once SEB opens, students click Start Assessment.
Students are required to log in with their normal EP credentials and then must enter the access code provided by their teacher.
⚠️Please note: Safe Exam Browser blocks the use of most accessibility tools, particularly Chrome extensions. This includes (but is not limited to) popular assistive technologies such as:
Screen readers (e.g., ChromeVox, Read Aloud, Natural Reader)
Text-to-speech tools
Speech-to-text extensions
Color contrast or high-contrast overlays
Font and text styling aids (e.g., OpenDyslexic, BeeLine Reader)
System level screen readers like VoiceOver still work in SEB, this is mainly for any assistive browser extension students may be using.
Complete and exit: Students work through the assessment as normal and submit their attempt at the end.
If a quit password has been enabled by the teacher, students must enter it. Otherwise, they are free to leave SEB and return to their main browser.
Note: If your students are encountering persistent issues, they can restart their computer to force exit SEB
SEB- Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Can I use SEB for EP Quizzes?
A. Yes, you can.
Q. One or more of my students cannot download SEB on their device. Can I have them run the assessment normally while the other students go through SEB?
A. Unfortunately, no. You will need to assign the relevant students the same assessment again, but without SEB enabled.
Q. Can I use SEB for EP Tasks?
A. No, the integration does not support lessons, EP Create activities, or lists.
Q. Can students leave a SEB-enabled assessment and return later?
A. Yes, students can return to finish an assessment. Upon clicking the assessment again, SEB will open once more, and they can continue.
Q. What about multiple attempts?
A. We support students accessing the assessment to work through multiple attempts.
Q. What does SEB actually lock down for my students?
A. SEB transforms students’ devices into a secure workstation. It controls access to resources like system functions, other websites, and applications, preventing unauthorized resources from being used during an assessment. When in SEB, a student will be unable to do anything other than their EP assessment, including browser manipulation and other common cheating methods.
Q. Does Monitor still work in EP when SEB is enabled?
A. Yes, EP’s monitoring functionality remains active even when students are doing an EP assessment through SEB. Teachers can expect to see loading and submission timestamps.
Q. Do external links for embedded videos, like YouTube or ClickView, work when SEB is enabled?
A. No. Any external video links that might be used to navigate out of an assessment are automatically blocked. If you're building your own assessments, we recommend not including external links.
Q. Help, my student is stuck in SEB.
A. If you have configured the EP assessment to use an exit password, click the ‘power off’ symbol in the bottom-right of SEB – this will allow them to leave. If there is still an issue, or if an exit password was not specified and the ‘power off’ symbol does not let the student leave, you can restart the student’s device to exit SEB.
NOTE: In the unlikely event of an EP assessment becoming inaccessible, a teacher can delete it and re-assign.
Q. What should I do if I have software installed for my NAPLAN testing, and Safe Exam Browser is conflicting with it?
A. Unfortunately, this is an interaction issue at the third-party level. We recommend uninstalling your NAPLAN software if you are wanting to use EP’s Safe Exam Browser integration.
Q. Does Safe Exam Browser work with SSO?
A. Yes it does, just log in via SSO through the EP login page that will appear as normal.
Q. Does Safe Exam Browser work with Chromebooks?
A. No. As Chromebooks use a version of Android, SEB is not supported via that OS as this stage.
Q. Does Safe Exam Browser work with iPads?
A. Yes. SEB can be downloaded on iOS devices for our integration to run through. It is important to note that teachers MUST enable an Exit Code during assigning an SEB assessment so that student iOS devices are correctly locked down.