Guidance for the Remote Delivery of Surgical Exams

We, The Intercollegiate Committee for Basic Surgical Examinations through the four Surgical Royal Colleges of the United Kingdom and in Ireland, provide online invigilation as a service to our candidates via our supplier, ExamSoft. If one of the four Surgical Royal Colleges of the United Kingdom and in Ireland offer you an examination through the online invigilation platform that ExamSoft provides (powered by ExamMonitor), and if you apply to take such an examination through the platform, you agree that you are being monitored through your computer via your webcam and microphone during your exam session. Computer based invigilation means that you will download a test platform and exam through the internet to take your assessment and you will be monitored, through video and audio recording using the camera and microphone in your device, during your entire assessment session so that your face, voice, desk and workspace will be captured and a recording will be made of these for the purposes of assessment of security and the integrity of the assessment process. It is your responsibility to ensure that only you will be recorded during an online invigilation testing session and that no one else will be physically in the room where you are testing and that no one speaks to you during your examination sessions.

If you use the online invigilation service to take assessments, ExamSoft may also collect and record further information about you when you take the exam which is online invigilated, such as your name, email address, captured facial photo, captured ID photo/government issued ID, physical (visible) health data/condition (by virtue of video recording), racial/ethnic origin/religious beliefs (by virtue of video recording), IP address, and operating system identifiers, screenshots of your PC, your exam room setting (home, office etc), all recorded video streams (computer, webcam and mobile), name of the exam you are sitting and other assessment based data that may be collected, including information about appVersion, appName, product and appCodeName, video frame size, type and library used for encoding, framerate, jitter, packet loss and bandwidth.

The video and audio recordings are standard test procedures for all awarding organisations’ online invigilated tests and your video and audio recording will be used for purposes of identity verification, observation, incident resolution such as fraud prevention, test security and for the integrity of the test and testing process.

All of the same personal data that ExamSoft collect or receive as described above applies for all awarding organisation’s online invigilated test. Prior to the start of your computer based invigilated exam you will be required to take a picture of yourself. You understand that the audio and video recordings of your exam sessions, as well as photos, will be supplied in certain circumstances to us, the four Surgical Royal Colleges of the United Kingdom and in Ireland, to assist with the management of your examination.

ExamSoft will retain your personal data no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which it is processed. The length of time for which ExamSoft retain information may also depend on the specific retention periods set out by us, the four Royal Surgical Colleges of the United Kingdom and in Ireland, and applicable laws.

When you use the online invigilation service, ExamSoft use selected third party service ProctorExam, to process your data on our behalf. As part of the provision of the service by ExamSoft to the Four Royal Surgical Colleges of the United Kingdom and in Ireland, you agree that some or all of the above personal data may be processed outside the UK and EEA. In such circumstances, and if you are based in the UK or EU, we will, as required by GDPR, ensure that your privacy rights are protected by appropriate safeguards.

As part of the computer based invigilation services you also agree to allow your personal data to be transferred by ExamSoft to the four Royal Surgical Colleges of the United Kingdom and in Ireland, from whom you seek certification. We require your personal data so that examinations can be correctly administered, and certification can be processed, granted and administered.

By applying to the sit the examination you are agreeing to the use of your data as specified above.