PVTC Facility Requirement

Provide a quiet testing environment

Test centers are required to provide a distraction-free, secure testing environment with continuous
candidate surveillance. If your test center is already administering exams, the layout of your office may
be sufficient if it meets the requirements below.

Facility Requirements

Test Center building and surrounding area

• Provide adequate parking and/or access to public transportation.

• Provide access to people with disabilities, in compliance with the Republic Act No. 7277.

Candidate check-in area

• Provide an area separate from the exam delivery room for checking in candidates. There should be a
workspace for the test administrator where the computer (must be a desktop workstation) that will
serve as your administration workstation is located.

• The ESP Security kit will be connected to this administration workstation that will be used for check in.
(If purchasing the ESP security kit through Pearson VUE, you must be an approved site with a Site ID
number before making this purchase.)

• There should also be seating for candidates who are waiting.

Lockable storage

• Provide lockers or other suitable storage for personal belongings, such as a lockable file cabinet,
closet, or backpacks with locks.

• The candidate cannot take items such as pagers, paper, books, and briefcases into the exam delivery
room. See Storing Personal Belongings in the policy & procedures guide for details.

• Lockable storage must be outside the exam delivery room.

Exam delivery room area
• Provide an enclosed, professional environment that is clean, comfortable, smoke-free, and conducive
to testing.

• Place the exam delivery workstations in a permanently enclosed area that is separate from the rest of
the office space. It should be in a low traffic area away from any training rooms. Also, avoid placing the
exam delivery room near an area where people gather.

Tips:

o Insulate the exam delivery room to minimize noise. In addition to insulated walls, an insulated ceiling
will help minimize noise.

o Commercially available acoustic privacy systems (or "white noise" generators) use sound-masking
technology to effectively mute external noise. These may be helpful in areas where traffic or street noise
is sometimes a problem.

• Provide adequate lighting and ventilation, along with comfortable seating and work surfaces. Room
lighting should provide sufficient light for keyboard and noteboard while avoiding screen glare.

• In the exam delivery room, remove equipment such as printers, fax machines, copiers, or telephones
while testing is in progress.

• Minimize noise and distractions during testing.

Tips:

o While testing is in progress, place a sign alerting people in your office to be especially quiet near the
exam delivery room. For example, you might post a sign that says: Quiet! Testing in Progress.

o Headphones that cover the entire ear are successful in blocking most sounds. They should not be
connected to any device. Some candidates prefer to use earplugs.

Workstation setup
• Place each exam delivery workstation on a clean surface that has no obstructions overhead and
underneath. The desk space established for each workstation should measure approximately four feet
(1.2 meters) wide. Only one workstation should be placed on each four feet (1.2 meter) of space.

• Separate candidates within the exam delivery room. Separate exam delivery workstations with at least
four feet (1.2 meters) of empty space on all sides or use privacy partitions.

If you are using partitions, please follow these guidelines:

• Though optional at Pearson VUE Authorized Test Centers (PVTCs), if you are using privacy partitions,
which will create privacy and also absorb sound between workstations, you are required to have
permanent partitions or walls that are at least 1.5m (5’) in height from the ground up and extend
outward from the wall at a 90 degree angle. Desktop partitions are acceptable as long as the height
measured from the floor is at least 1.5m (5’).
Note: If using partitions, the partitions must allow an unobstructed view of each candidate (including
their hands) within the exam delivery room.

Three candidate proctoring/monitoring options are available

Note:
 Please note you must only meet one of the 3 options.
 Whichever surveillance method is used, it must allow an unobstructed view of each
candidate (including their hands) within the exam delivery room. See Proctoring an
Exam in the policy and procedure guide for more information.
 Multiple proctors are required to monitor exams if more than fifteen candidates are
taking an exam at one time (1 proctor per fifteen candidates).

1. Clear glass viewing window or wall

Proctor sits outside the exam delivery room and looks through the window to monitor candidate
testing.

2. Live feed video surveillance system

You must configure camera(s) inside the exam delivery room with a video monitor outside the
exam delivery room. The proctor sits outside the exam delivery room and uses the video
surveillance equipment to view candidates during testing.

3. Proctor inside exam delivery room

The test administrator is seated within the exam delivery room. The Proctor cannot have a
computer inside the exam delivery room. They may be provided a desk and a chair.
PVTC Technical Requirements
Workgroup scenario you are limited to no more than 15 exam delivery workstations.

The following items are strictly prohibited:

• Mac hardware running any operating system

• Virtual environments in any form

• Laptops as exam delivery workstations or as Servers

Note: Sites that will install Palm Vein admissions equipment must view the “Install the Palm Vein
Device” topic in the Site Installation Guide for installation instructions.

Any Windows user account that interacts with the VTS software on the Server, Administration, Proctor,
or exam delivery workstation is required to have local administrator rights on that workstation. This
includes both installing and running the VTS software.

Workgroup scenario installation

In a Workgroup scenario installation, exam delivery workstations are connected through a local area
network (LAN) or workgroup to the Administration workstation which provides shared file storage.

System requirements
Hardware configuration
All-in-one PC’s are permitted as long as they meet the minimum Technical Specification and the Touch
screen is disabled. Pearson VUE highly recommends that All-in-one PC’s meet the Recommended
Technical Specifications.

Software licenses
All test centers must have Windows operating systems that have completed online activation.
Application software installed on all exam delivery workstations must also have current licensing.
Windows Operating Systems must pass Genuine Windows Validation. Evaluation copies are not
supported.

Network configuration
Pearson VUE strongly recommends that all machines with VTS Software installed remain in the same
domain or workgroup, VLAN, and subnet. Network configurations that do not follow this guideline may
experience decreased exam delivery performance. You may be asked to make changes to your network
configuration to comply with these guidelines as part of problem resolution.
Internet bandwidth
The minimum connection speed (Base Network) requirement of 5.0 Mbps down/ 3.0 Mbps up is
required for all test centers. Some exam deliveries will require an internet connection. For Internet
Based Tests (IBT), internet requirements depend on the number of delivery workstations. See the table
below for details.

BASE NETWORK BANDWIDTH + 512 Kbps FOR EACH EXAM DELIVERY WORKSTATION
1 – 15 delivery workstations 5.0 Mbps down/ 3.0 Mbps up base and 512 Kbps up/down for
each workstation
For IBT exam deliveries, latency should not exceed 150 ms

24” Monitors – exam delivery

All test centers are required to use 24” monitors.

REQUIREMENTS
Monitor • Must allow for the following display resolution settings and be set to
the highest resolution:
o 1920 x 1080 (set to this resolution)
o 1280 x 1024
o 1024 x 768

• Monitor must be connected to the computer using DVI, DisplayPort,

or HDMI
Desktop graphics adapter • Exam delivery workstations must have a graphics adapter that
supports GPU Scaling (ability to Maintain Aspect Ratio)

• Exam delivery workstations must have the GPU Scaling feature

enabled in the graphics adapter software

• The latest version of graphics drivers must be installed

Pearson VUE specific hardware

Some exams may require test center admissions equipment. Please consult with your Pearson VUE
representative to determine if these components are required for your test center. If required, these
components may be purchased from Pearson VUE or a third-party source.

REQUIREMENT ADMINISTRATION WORKSTATION

Web camera Logitech HD Webcam C615, or Logitech Pro C920 Pro HD Webcam, or
Logitech C920e Business Webcam
Signature device ePadLink: ePad Signature Pad – Model VP9801 or ePadLink: ePad II
Signature Pad – Model VP9851
Warning: Pearson VUE strongly recommends purchasing 2 web cameras. If the first camera breaks
down, you will not be able to deliver any more exams until a replacement is in place.
Administration and proctor workstations
MINIMUM REQUIRED RECOMMENDED SPECIFICATIONS
Operating System *Windows 10 Professional or Enterprise (64-bit mandatory).
*Windows 11 Professional or Enterprise 10th generation or higher (64-bit
mandatory)
*If you are using Windows 10 or 11, you must have the latest version OS with
all patches installed. You should run monthly updates for any OS updates.
**Windows 10 support ends October 2025.
Processor Intel: i5 Generation 4 or higher Intel: i7 Generation 2 or higher
i3 Generation 8 or higher AMD: Ryzen 5 or higher
AMD: Ryzen 3 Generation 5 or higher
**Please refer to the Microsoft website to ensure the i3/i5/i7 or Ryzen 3/5
processor is compatible with Windows 11.
RAM 8 GB of RAM 16 GB of RAM or more
Hard drive 128 GB free disk space
Graphics adapter Video Adapter must support DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver or
higher. Latest drivers installed.
128 MB of dedicated Video RAM or the ability to increase the dedicated video
memory to 128 MB via bios change.
All computers and monitors must be connected via DVI, DisplayPort, or HDMI.
Display 24” monitor
Mouse & keyboard • English QWERTY Keyboard
• 2 Button Wheel Mouse
USB ports 4 available USB 2.0 ports for: 6 available USB 2.0 ports for:
• English QWERTY Keyboard • English QWERTY Keyboard
• 2 Button Wheel Mouse • 2 Button Wheel Mouse
• Signature Pad admissions equipment • Signature Pad admissions
• Camera admissions equipment equipment
• Camera admissions equipment
• 2 spare ports
Network connection 100 Mbps Full Duplex WIRED 1 Gbps Full Duplex WIRED
connection to the network switch. connection to the network switch.
Strongly Recommended: All machines with VTS Software installed should
remain in the same domain or workgroup, VLAN, and subnet.
Warning: Wireless Networks are strictly prohibited. 3G/4G/5G connections
are prohibited.
Internet connection 5.0 Mbps down/ 3.0 Mbps up base
Additional software .NET 4.0 is installed with the VTS software.

If installing on Windows 10, .NET 3.5 must be enabled on the

Administration/Proctor workstation to complete the VTS installation.

All workstations must have Anti-Virus software installed with a current

update.
Additional notes Windows 10 allows for up to 15 simultaneous exam deliveries.
 Candidates must not have free access to the Administration or Proctor
workstations at any time.

The Windows account used to install the VUE Testing System Platform must
have full local administrative rights to properly install and update the
software.

Exam delivery workstation

MINIMUM REQUIRED RECOMMENDED SPECIFICATIONS
Operating System *Windows 10 Professional or Enterprise (64-bit mandatory)
*Windows 11 Professional or Enterprise 10th generation or higher (64-bit
mandatory)
*If you are using Windows 10 or 11, you must have the latest version OS with
all patches installed. You should run monthly updates for any OS updates.
**Windows 10 support ends October 2025.
Processor Intel: i5 Generation 4 or higher Intel: i7 Generation 2 or higher
i3 Generation 8 or higher AMD: Ryzen 5 or higher
AMD: Ryzen 3 Generation 5 or higher
**Please refer to the Microsoft website to ensure the i3/i5/i7 or Ryzen 3/5
processor is compatible with Windows 11.
RAM 8 GB of RAM 16 GB of RAM or more
Hard drive 128 GB free disk space
Graphics adapter Video Adapter must support DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver or
higher. Latest drivers installed.
128 MB of dedicated Video RAM or the ability to increase the dedicated video
memory to 128 MB via bios change.
All exam delivery workstations must have a Graphics Adapter that supports
GPU Scaling (sometimes called Maintaining Aspect Ratio).
All exam delivery workstations must have the GPU Scaling feature enabled.
All computers and monitors must be connected via DVI, DisplayPort, or
HDMI.
Display 24” monitor
Audio Windows compatible audio playback capability.
Keyboard & mouse • English QWERTY Keyboard
• 2 Button Wheel Mouse
USB ports 2 available USB 2.0 ports for: 4 available USB 2.0 ports for:
• English QWERTY Keyboard • English QWERTY Keyboard
• 2 Button Wheel Mouse • 2 Button Wheel Mouse
• 2 spare ports
Network connection 100 Mbps Full Duplex WIRED 1 Gbps Full Duplex WIRED connection
connection to the network switch. to the network switch.
Strongly Recommended: All machines with VTS Software installed should be
in the same domain or workgroup, VLAN, and subnet.
Warning: Wireless networks are strictly prohibited. 3G/4G/5G connections
are prohibited
 Internet connection 512 Kbps up/down for each workstation
Internet browser Latest version of Microsoft Edge, Chrome, or Firefox
Printer 600 DPI Laser Printer
Additional software .NET 4.0 is installed with the VTS software.

If installing on Windows 10, .NET 3.5 must be enabled on exam delivery

workstation to complete the VTS installation.

All workstations must have Anti-Virus software installed with a current

update.
Additional notes The Windows account used to install the VUE Testing System Platform must
have administrative rights to install properly.

The Windows account profile logged into the exam delivery workstation must
have full local administrative rights to launch the Delivery Manager software.

If there is an approved accommodation for Assistive Technology (such as

JAWS software) the exam delivery workstation requires more advanced
technical requirements, such as 16 GBs of RAM. A Pearson representative will
confirm with test center staff prior to scheduling this type of Assistive
Technology.

Server: file storage

The file storage server must be accessible to the Administration workstation, Proctor workstation, and
all exam delivery workstations. These requirements apply to Administration workstations with 1 – 15
exam delivery workstations.

REQUIRED FOR 1 – 15 EXAM DELIVERY SEATS

Operating System *Windows 10 Professional or Enterprise (64-bit mandatory)
*Windows 11 Professional or Enterprise 10th generation or higher (64-bit
mandatory)
Windows Server 2019 (64-bit)
Windows Server 2016 (64-bit)
(Windows Server Core is not currently supported)
*If you are using Windows 10 or 11, you must have the latest version OS with
all patches installed. You should run monthly updates for any OS updates.
**Windows 10 support ends October 2025.
Processor Intel: i5 Generation 4 or higher Intel: i7 Generation 2 or higher
i3 Generation 8 or higher AMD: Ryzen 5 or higher
AMD: Ryzen 3 Generation 5 or higher
*Please refer to the Microsoft website to ensure the i3/i5/i7 or Ryzen 3/5
processor is compatible with Windows 11.
RAM 8 GB of RAM or more. 16 GB of RAM or more.
Hard drive SATA II Interface Standard or faster Interface Standard.
128 GB available disk space.
Network 100 Mbps Full Duplex WIRED connection to the network switch.
 Pearson VUE strongly recommends that the server be dedicated to the VTS
software, to ensure the highest quality experience for candidates during exam
delivery. Pearson VUE strongly discourages that the server provides additional
services such as: domain controller, DHCP, SQL Server, WINS, etc.
Warning: Wireless networks are strictly prohibited. 3G/4G/5G connections are
prohibited.
Power UPS is recommended.
Internet connection
Internet browser Latest version of Edge, Chrome, or Firefox
Additional software Server must have Anti-Virus software installed with a current update. .NET
3.5 framework must be enabled.
Additional notes The Windows account used to install the VUE Testing System Platform must
have Administrative rights to install properly.
Candidates should never have free access to the Server machine at any time.
Photo/video checklist- required for test centre applications
Important information:

• If your photos/videos are not ready, go to the end of the application, Print a copy for yourself, then
click Submit. You will receive a confirmation email that contains a URL for submitting the photos/videos
later.

• You may submit either photos, videos, or a combination of both - whatever is easiest.

• If one video illustrates all aspects of your test center, submit one file under Video - Other.

• The application is not considered complete until photos/videos have been submitted.

• Preferred photo formats: .jpg, jpeg, png, gif, pdf. Also acceptable: doc, docx, xls, xlsx.

• Acceptable video formats: mpg, flv, avi, mov, mp4.

1. Floor Plan
Floor plan (hand-sketched or digital) of test center layout, showing the location of the check-in,
test administrator, lockable storage and testing stations.

2. Test administrator’s Position

This photo should show where the administrator will be located during delivery of the exams.
The photo should show the administrator's table and chair in the test room if monitoring will be
done in the test room during exams.

3. Test Administration Area

This photo should show the administrator's view of the candidates. All the delivery
workstations, including the desktop of each workstation, should be visible. If monitoring will be
done via a viewing window, the photo should be taken from the test administrator's position,
showing what can be seen through the window from that position. If monitoring will be done via
camera, the photo should be of the screen the test administrator sees, showing that all
candidates can be continuously and simultaneously monitored. If monitoring will be done in-
room, please provide photo(s) taken from the test administrator’s seated position of all testing
stations. Whichever surveillance method is used, it must allow an unobstructed view of each
candidate (including their hands).

4. CCTV View
This photo should show the CCTV monitor with all workstations visible. It needs to show exactly
what a Test Administrator would see while monitoring candidates during testing. This field is
required unless you are monitoring via a viewing window or you are monitoring with a Test
Administrator in the testing room.

5. Test delivery Area

 You may upload multiple photos to this section if needed. This photo should show all exam
delivery workstations in a permanently enclosed area that is separate from the rest of the office
space. It should also show all exam delivery workstations that are being requested for approval.
Be sure to include a photo of the exam delivery workstation which clearly shows the dimensions
of the desk to ensure there is space for a keyboard, mouse and erasable noteboard. Each
workstation must be separated from the neighboring workstation by at least 4 feet (1.2m), or a
partition. [Partitions should be solid, permanent partitions or walls that are at least 1.5m (5') in
height and extend outward from the wall at least 1.2m (4'). Desktop partitions are acceptable as
long as the height measured from the floor is at least 1.5m (5’), and the width measured
outward from the wall is 1.2m (4’).] Cardboard partitions are not acceptable. If there is not
enough space between the workstations, you may use alternate workstations.

6. Building Exterior
Provide a photo of the exterior of the building showing the address, school/company signage
and the parking area. If your testing site is located in a building without individual signage,
please provide a photo of the building directory which clearly lists your company name.

7. Reception and Check-in Area

The check-in/reception area must be near, but not inside the test room as the check-in process
must be performed before allowing a candidate to go into the test room. The check-in/reception
area must show that there is a desktop PC for checking in candidates. Photos should also show
available seating for candidates who arrive early. If the waiting area is separate from the check-
in area, please provide a photo of both.

8. Neutral background at Reception / Check-in Area

A neutral background is required in the check-in area to provide a background for the digital
photo of the candidate (e.g., white painted wall). This must be near the check-in desk as it is
used to capture the candidate's photo upon admission. The entire candidate's face and neck
should be visible and centered in the picture. Only the candidate and the neutral background
can appear in the photo and no other visible items are allowed in the photo. This space should
allow roughly 2-3 feet from the camera in order to capture an approved photo.

9. Lockable Area
Provide a photo of the lockable area where candidates will secure items outside of the testing
area (e.g., lockers, lockable cabinet, lockable drawer). The locking mechanism must be visible in
the photo (e.g., if it's a key lock, the key must be in the lock).

10. Photo – Other

To be used if there are any additional photos.
11. Special accommodation Testing Area
Provide a photo of the test delivery workstation that can accommodate testing candidates with
disabilities. This photo should illustrate how the candidate will be monitored as described in
Test Administration Area above.