Inspera — Support & FAQs
- Final & supplementary exams
- In-term assessments
Help during final or supplementary Inspera exams
Centrally managed exams
Your exam is centrally managed if:
- There is an on-campus location on your exam timetable on myUNSW; and/or
- Inspera is listed as the exam platform on the timetable, regardless of the location.
For centrally managed exams, always reach out to the Exams Team during final or supplementary exams for any and all urgent enquiries, including technical issues, exam errors, special circumstances etc. There will be exams staff who will effectively troubleshoot your issue and, where necessary, provide extra time.
Do not contact your teachers during a centrally managed Inspera exam: Final and supplementary exams are centrally managed exams. These exams are supervised by the Exams Team, NOT by your course authority, lecturer or tutor. Your teachers can't provide any direct support on exam day.
Exams managed by Schools
Your exam may be managed by Schools if they are not listed on your exam timetable on myUNSW. If you require help during your exam, flag it with an invigilator or your course coordinator by raising your hand, or contact the School after your exam.Ìý
Remote (off-campus) final & supplementary exams
Contact the UNSW Examinations Team. Phone +61 2 9385 4292 or email exams@unsw.edu.au.
On-campus final & supplementary exams
Raise your hand and one of our specialist invigilators (exam supervisors) will attend to you. A technical support team will be present to help out as well.
On-site IT support (before your exam)
During the main exam period for each term, an onsite IT helpdesk will be available for you to ask your questions about the Inspera platform.
Find it in the foyer of the .ÌýNo booking required!
🕛 Operating Hours:
- General queries: Monday to Saturday, 10am - 12pm & 2pm - 4pmÂ
- Students sitting an exam only: Monday to Saturday, 8.30am - 10am & 1pm - 2pm
Help during in-term Inspera assessments
Reach out to the EdTech team through The Nucleus: Student Hub for support with the Inspera platform.
For questions about exam content only, your best contact is the course authority running your in-term Inspera assessment (e.g. lecturer, tutor etc.).
IT support for in-term Inspera exams
- Digital assessments
- Getting ready
- During the exam
- Software & hardware
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No, Inspera isn’t only for final exams - your supplementary exams and in-term assessments (e.g. weekly quizzes, essay submission, reports etc.) may also be delivered through Inspera.
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No, Inspera is an additional resource to other UNSW . The purpose of a digital assessment platform is to provide a primary site to host online assessments. It does not replace learning sites or specialist feedback systems.
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If you have registered with , they will inform us about your adjustment requirements for final and supplementary exams. We will work with you to ensure that you are able to complete your exam, either using the Inspera platform or with an alternative arrangement, if required.
For in-term assessments, email your course convener or authority about your Equitable Learning Plan (ELP) by Week 1 of your teaching period to give them adequate time to arrange adjustments.
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Inspera is specialist software that hosts online assessments and exams - similar to how Moodle hosts your course content.
Inspera as a digital assessment platform provides you with a simple, standard way to access online assessments, especially if they are remote.
The questions in assessments on Inspera are still set and marked by your lecturer, tutor or relevant course authority.
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For in-term assessments
If you think you have lost any answers, contact your teacher immediately.
For final & supplementary exams
Contact the Exams Team immediately on +61 2 9385 4292Â or email exams@unsw.edu.au. Make sure to include your name, zID, course code and screenshots of your issue to help us quickly resolve any problems.
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If you are taking a final exam on Inspera remotely and need assistance, contact the Exams Team on +61 2 9385 4292 (Mon-Sat 8am-6pm AEST) or email exams@unsw.edu.au.Ìý
If you are taking face-to-face exams on campus, you will be supported by specialist invigilators at the venue, as well as the technical support team, who have a range of options to address any scenarios, including having available some replacement laptops.
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We encourage you to provide any other feedback at any point through exams@unsw.edu.au. The information you provide helps us improve assessment experiences for you and future students alike.
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For your in-term assessments, please refer to your assessment instructions in your course outline or as provided otherwise. If unclear, ask your teacher.
For final or supplementary exams, read our information about Inspera carefully to familiarise yourself with the Inspera platform.
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No – if your exam has been set as an Inspera assessment, you must complete it through Inspera.
Exceptions may be made if you require alternative arrangements, including specific requirements communicated to Equitable Learning Services (ELS).
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Access your exam directly by logging into Inspera ().
Inspera will take you to your dashboard, where you can enter your exam. To begin your exam, click on ‘Start test’. The timer will start counting down from the start of your exam and always show exactly how much time you have left.
Many exams are scheduled for 15 minutes longer than the time it takes to complete them. This gives you some time to log in and get settled, and to deal with any technical issues that may arise.
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We recommend you to install on your device. If you run into any issues, the support team may ask you to share your screen through MS Teams to assist you with the Inspera issue.
For on-campus invigilated exams and assessments, you will need to install Safe Exam Browser on your device before completing your exam and bring this same device to your exam. Failure to install SEB on your device before the exam may result in you being unable to take your exam.
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It is important that you are ready to log into your assessment or exam before the scheduled start time.
For in-term assessments, contact your teacher.Ìý
For final or supplementary exams, contact the Exams Team on +61 2 9385 4292 8am-6pm AEDT or email exams@unsw.edu.au. If you have an on-campus invigilated exam, raise your issue with one of the supervisors or invigilators on site.
For any extenuating issues outside of your control, you will be required to apply for , which will require supporting documentation.
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The laptop borrowing service has laptops with appropriate processing power and with all necessary software installed, including Safe Exam Browser (SEB).
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Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) exams allow you to use your own laptop over an unfamiliar device in an exam setting. If, however, you do not want to use your own laptop, you are free to  from the Library.
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You will see your countdown timer as soon as you enter your exam and it will always show exactly how much time you have left.
If your exam is a set-duration exam, for example, starting at 9:45am until 12pm with a 2 hour plus 15 minute duration, then the timer starts when the exam does. If you log in at 9:45am, you will get the whole 2 hours plus 15 minutes, and if you log on at 10:05am you will only get 1 hour and 55 minutes.
If your exam is open for longer than your test duration, then your countdown will start when you begin your exam.Ìý
As an example, if your exam opens at 8am and closes at 8pm with a 1-hour duration, then the exam will be open for 12 hours and you can start any time from 8am and as long as you start before 7pm you will get your 1-hour exam time. If you start at:
- 8am - your exam time will end at 9am,Â
- 7pm - your exam time will end at 8pm,
- 7:30pm - your exam time will still end at 8pm.Ìý
This does not take into account any ELS extra time. If you have an extra 30 minutes on your ELP, for this example, and start at:
- 8am - your exam time will end at 9:30am,Â
- 7pm - your exam time will end at 8:30pm,
- 7:30pm - your exam time will still end at 8:30pm.Ìý
That means, for ELS students, same as all students, you need to begin the exam at least the exam duration before the exam closes, and your extra time only is always added to the end time.
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For off-campus (online) exams, we recommend that you take a bathroom break before you begin your exam. If you need to take a break you may. However, this time is considered as part of your exam time. You will not be able to pause your exam timer.
For on-campus invigilated exams, please alert an exam supervisor if you need the bathroom. This time is also considered as part of your exam and the time is not paused.
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Yes, while you are in the test you will always see a countdown timer in the upper left corner.Ìý
Importantly, the timer keeps on counting down even if you are not connected to the internet.
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You may be given 15 minutes extra time for your exams when using Inspera. Please make sure you are ready to take your exam at the time indicated in your final exam timetable on . The timetable will indicate if you have the extra time.
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Yes, you can begin answering the questions straightaway after clicking ‘Start test’.
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No, Inspera will not give you a warning as your exam is ending. However, there is a countdown timer in the upper left corner so that you are aware of how much time is remaining.
Importantly, the timer keeps on counting down even if you are not connected to the internet.
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As long as you remain connected to the internet for a remote exam, Inspera will submit your exam automatically when the allocated time to complete the exam expires.
For on-campus invigilated exams that require the use of Safe Exam Browser (SEB), you will have to manually submit your answers at the designated finish time. Invigilators will be there to help with this process if required.
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Your teacher will provide you with instructions as to what materials are best used to complete your assessment or final or supplementary exam.
We recommend you carefully read the page What you can take into exams for all final and supplementary exam information.
Note: Copying material that you have not written without attribution constitutes academic misconduct. Should any form of academic misconduct be detected, breaching the Student Code of Conduct and Values, the University may take disciplinary action under the Complaints Management and Investigations Policy and Procedure.
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You can navigate between questions via the navigation bar on the bottom of the screen. This means you can go backwards and forwards in the question list, as well as attempt questions in a different order should you prefer.Ìý
You can also flag questions to remind yourself to go back to a question later if this functionality is enabled by your teacher.
We recommend you take the time to complete our to familiarise yourself with Inspera.
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In most cases, your assessment will be set to automatically submit your answers, provided you are online.
For in-term assessments, contact your teacher if you have any issues with submitting your assessment.Ìý
For final and supplementary exams held during the final exam period, you can call the Exams Team (Monday to Saturday, 8am - 6pm AEDT) on +61 2 9058 2453.Ìý
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If you cannot continue with your exam because you become ill, you must apply for .
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Please ensure you have internet connection before taking your Inspera assessment. Refer to our Inspera page for more information.
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If you are taking Inspera exams remotely and need assistance, contact the Exams Team on +61 2 9385 4292 8am-6pm AEDT or email exams@unsw.edu.au.Ìý
If you are taking face-to-face exams on campus, you will be supported by specialist invigilators, as well as the technical support team, who have a range of options to address any scenarios, including having available some replacement laptops.
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If there is a major disruption and you are unable to complete your exam, you may be required to apply for which will require supporting documentation.
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Please contact your teacher for in-term assessments.Ìý
For your final and supplementary exams, contact the Exams Team on +61 2 9058 2453 between 8am-6pm AEDT during the final exam period. Prior to your final or supplementary exam, please email the exams team at exams@unsw.edu.au for any questions related to your Inspera final or supplementary exam.Ìý
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Students can submit and leave the exam at any point. It is recommended you click ‘Submit and return to dashboard’ on the last page. If there is still time remaining, the ‘Start my exam’ option will be available on your dashboard so you can re-enter the exam.
For students taking their assessment on-campus under invigilation, you will need to properly quit Safe Exam Browser.
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If you want to check if something has been submitted, you should go to your dashboard via the URL and view your assessment tile. There is no email notification of submission to students.
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For on-campus invigilated final and supplementary exams, you will need to be connected to eduroam Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi has been tested in all scheduled exams rooms and where necessary, Wi-Fi access points were upgraded. The Wi-Fi test included the capacity for simultaneous download and upload within all our exam venues.
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The red lock screen is a security feature and is activated when SEB detects that the user may have changed, or connectivity is lost. Invigilators will be provided with the necessary passcodes to enable students to unlock the screen and provide further instruction should this occur.
Raise your hand in the exam room and you will be helped as quickly as possible.
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If you are taking Inspera exams remotely and need assistance, contact the Exams Team on +61 2 9385 4292 8am-6pm AEDT or email exams@unsw.edu.au.Ìý
If you are taking face-to-face exams on campus, you will be supported by specialist invigilators, as well as the technical support team, who have a range of options to address any scenarios, including having available some replacement laptops.
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Yes, this has been included in the design set-up.
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Yes, in some essay questions. If selected, you will see the word counter at the bottom right of the screen.
In some cases, you will only be able to write a certain number of words, as selected by your course convener.
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Safe Exam Browser (SEB) is only required by students in Australia taking their final or supplementary exam on campus under invigilation.
Please check with your teacher whether you need to download Safe Exam Browser for your on-campus invigilated exam.Ìý
Students taking exams off campus will NOT need SEB.
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Use the Quit Password: 1234 to exit the test.
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An older laptop will work as Inspera is a web-browser based platform. You are encouraged to upgrade to the latest operating system. Prior to the exam, please download Safe Exam Browser and test that it is working by completing the .
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Preparation for undertaking face-to-face invigilated exams includes the requirement to download SEB.
We have developed an to ensure that there are no issues with SEB on your laptop and in the rare occurrence that it does not work, there is time to fix any issues. Additionally, testing the software ensures that you are not seeing the interface for the very first time during an invigilated exam.
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SEB is a longstanding software consortium of which both Inspera and UNSW are contributors. We have conducted cybersecurity testing and consider it appropriate for use in UNSW exams. There should be no risk of malware or viruses if downloaded directly from our Inspera page.
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Yes! You will need to make sure that you are using the UNSW compatible version of SEB for your operating system. We provide UNSW compatible versions of Safe Exam Browser for Windows and Mac. You will need to uninstall SEB, then reinstall the latest version. For uninstall instructions, click on these links to uninstall SEB on or .
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For off-campus exams (e.g. at home), we recommend that you use a PC (Windows) or Mac (macOS) when using Inspera.
For on-campus invigilated exams, you must bring your own device (BYOD), i.e. a laptop, and your mobile phone. Both must be fully charged as exam rooms will have limited power supply. Make sure you download the latest version of Safe Exam Browser before coming to campus for your invigilated exam.
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The most common browsers are on aggressive release schedules and therefore the most current version is not explicitly listed. We recommend that you install new versions of the browsers as they release. Check the Inspera  for the most up-to-date web browsers for Inspera use.
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There may be questions that require you to listen to audio or watch a video. For this, you can use your computer speakers. If a question requires you to record audio you can use your in-built computer microphone. Alternatively, you may choose to use headphones or an external microphone.
We recommend that you always check with your teacher if unsure.
For on-campus invigilated exams, please check what BYOD and hardware requirements are acceptable.
