Remote Testing
SANDARC supports remote exam sessions conducted via ExamTools combined with a video conferencing platform (Zoom, Google Meet, or any other suitable platform). Remote sessions follow the same FCC rules and SANDARC policies as in-person sessions, with the additional requirements in this section.
SANDARC Policy
- All recording at SANDARC remote sessions is prohibited. Do not record the session, applicant IDs, exam screens, or any other session activity. This applies to all VEs and applicants.
- The one exception: still photos for the promotion of SANDARC are welcome, provided they never capture personal information (IDs, Form 605s, or exam screens) and are never used to monitor applicants or document suspected cheating.
Disabling AI Assistants, Note-Taking, and Recording
AI meeting assistants transcribe and summarize everything said in a session — that is a recording, and it is prohibited at SANDARC sessions just like any other recording. Both platforms now ship with these features, so the hosting team must switch them off before the session.
Zoom
- In the Zoom web portal under Settings → AI Companion, turn off Meeting Summary with AI Companion, AI Companion Questions, and any other AI Companion features. Account admins can instead use the universal Zoom AI toggle (Admin Center → Settings → Zoom AI) to shut off all AI features at once.
- Under Settings → Recording, turn off Local recording, Cloud recording, and Automatic recording. With these disabled, participants cannot record either.
- If AI Companion is somehow active in a meeting (participants see an on-screen notice and a sparkle icon), the host clicks the AI Companion icon and selects Stop summary, then Turn off.
Google Meet
- Gemini's "Take notes for me", meeting transcripts, and recording are three separate features — all three must stay off. Unlike Zoom, there is no per-meeting setting to disable them ahead of time: they remain available in the meeting (including on the SANDARC-provided account), so it is on the hosting team to make sure none of them is ever started.
- Turn Host management on for the meeting. Then only the host and co-hosts can start notes, transcripts, or a recording — and they simply never do.
- If Gemini note-taking is running, a pencil icon is visible to everyone and the host can stop it from the same "Take notes for me" control.
Third-Party Notetaker Bots
Applicants and VEs sometimes have AI notetakers (Otter.ai, Fireflies, Read.ai, and similar) hooked to their calendars; these join meetings as ordinary participants, usually with a name like "Fred's Otter.ai". The waiting room (Zoom) or knocking (Google Meet) is your checkpoint: never admit a bot, and immediately remove any that appears in the participant list mid-session.
VE Technical Requirements for Remote Sessions
- Working computer or laptop with a webcam, microphone, and speaker.
- Reliable internet connection.
- Zoom (or another agreed platform) is installed and tested before the session.
- Test your camera, microphone, and speaker before each remote session.
Applicant Technical Requirements for Remote Sessions
- Working computer, laptop, tablet, or phone with a webcam, microphone, and speaker. No headphones or earbuds are permitted.
- Reliable internet connection.
- Zoom (or agreed platform).
- Only one active monitor or screen. Additional monitors must be disconnected or covered.
- No virtual or blurred backgrounds.
SANDARC Policy
One camera is the standard and the default for remote sessions. A second camera is used only when it is necessary, never as a routine requirement.
Most teams run remote sessions using breakout rooms — a main room as the lobby and a private room per applicant under exam. See Breakout Rooms for platform-specific setup on Zoom and Google Meet.
Remote Session Procedures
- Start the video conference early so VEs can convene before applicants arrive.
- Verify the applicant's identity via camera by visually inspecting their photo ID. Do not record or photograph the ID.
- Conduct a 360° slow camera pan of the room to verify no unauthorized materials are present. Check the desk, floor near the testing area, and walls for notes, posters, or whiteboards.
- Verify the desktop is clear. The only items permitted are the computer, keyboard, mouse, one sheet of scratch paper, and a writing instrument. Physical calculators are not authorized for remote exams.
- Have the applicant share their screen and open ExamTools. Verify no unauthorized programs are running.
- Instruct the applicant of the exam rules and begin the exam.
- VEs will turn off cameras while the applicant is taking the exam; mute microphones unless speaking.
- If the applicant looks away from the exam area repeatedly, warn them; further violations terminate the exam.
- If the video connection drops please contact the team lead immediately. You can evict the applicant until they rejoin the video chat, or if the connection drop is too long you may need to invalidate the exam entirely!