PAEA Assessment Exam Score Reporting Issue FAQs

• In some cases, students can re-enter the exam and resume where they left off.  
• Others may require assistance from PAEA to retake the affected section(s). 
• This has occurred mostly on Macs, but there have been a few isolated incidents on PCs as well. 

• On January 27, 2025, PAEA released a new version of SecureClient for Macs and iPads to the App Store to address this issue.  
• Students using SecureClient must update their app before every exam to ensure they have the latest fixes and improvements, and fully quit all apps (not just close them) to ensure adequate computer processing capacity for the exam. 
• If Apple Assessment Mode (which SecureClient uses to lock down the computer) fails, students will receive a popup to restart the app, which preserves progress and time.  
• Students should contact Exam Support at scorereport@PAEAonline.org  before restarting to submit a Feedback Assistant report. This will help PAEA investigate the underlying issue. These reports work best if submitted as soon as possible after the incident and take just a few minutes to send. The student may choose to restart their exam before the report is sent, but we ask that they complete the report right after the exam is completed. 

PAEA has removed the requirement for the SecureClient lockdown browser during in-person, proctored exams. While SecureClient remains required for unproctored exams, programs have the flexibility to choose whether to use it for in-person testing based on their needs and technical environment. This change will reduce technical complications experienced by Apple users while maintaining the same high level of exam security through programs’ existing proctoring procedures.  

Below are considerations on whether to proceed with this update and instructions for doing so.  

• Ensure you have a reliable internet connection. Without SecureClient, the exam is delivered over the internet, not downloaded to students’ devices. Surpass recommends an internet connection speed of at least 512 Kbps.  
• Do NOT remove the PIN from students’ exams or provide it in advance. Give the PIN to students in the test room to ensure only those in the required secured environment under proctor supervision can start the test.   
• Notify students of the preferred exam launch process before each exam. PAEA does not send the web delivery URL in advance to allow programs to enforce their requirements. Instruct students whether to use SecureClient in advance of the exam so they can check for relevant updates. 
• Monitor student behavior from the back of the room to ensure no unauthorized resources are used on their computers. There are no behavior alerts available. This is why it’s important to proctor exams and give pre-exam instructions to quit all apps and browser tabs, silence notifications, and set computers to Do Not Disturb.
• Compatible browsers are Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari.  
• Programs can still opt to require SecureClient.   

1. Schedule the exam as before using the In-Person delivery type.  
2. On test day, instruct students to close all other applications on their device, including messaging apps. Advise students to set their Focus to Do Not Disturb if possible or disable popup notifications for all apps. 
3. Direct students to enter https://paea.surpass.com/takeatest into the browser of choice.   
4. Direct students to enter their keycode, verify their exam details, agree to the Examinee Agreement, and then enter the exam PIN.  

• Exams scheduled before February 19 still require SecureClient 
• To switch the delivery method to web delivery, you must cancel and reschedule the exam.  
• Unproctored exams will still require SecureClient.  
• We will continue investigating the ongoing SecureClient technical issues despite removing this requirement. When utilizing SecureClient for your exams, please continue to report any issues with your students’ experience to aid our investigation. 

• Affected exams: PACKRAT, End of Rotation, and End of Curriculum 
• Date range: August 28 – December 5, 2024 
• Affected devices: Apple computers only 

• Score reports were fixed in the database and corrected in the Assessment Hub on January 2, 2025. 
• Affected scores were sent to Program Directors and Account Managers on January 3, 2025, via email. That communication included a spreadsheet indicating which scores were affected, with instructions to review carefully, update records, and release revised scores to students. PAEA did not communicate directly with students. Due to the sensitive nature of the data provided, this was only sent to the indicated individuals.  
• The last reported incident occurred on January 21, 2025.  

• Contact your Program Director for information about your specific scores. While students are welcome to reach out to PAEA, we will not be able to provide additional information beyond what we have shared with program directors. 
• Students need to be sure they are using the most recent version of SecureClient before taking any exams. We strongly recommend students check for updates the evening before their test. Apple users should turn on automatic updates for the SecureClient app or check the App store to be sure they’re using the latest version before every exam.  

What caused the exam score reporting issue? 

Surpass explained that the errors resulted from communication problems between the Apple version of SecureClient (the lockdown browser) and the response database. When examinees took the exam on Apple computers with a slow internet connection, some student responses were not uploaded correctly, resulting in inaccurate scores for those exams.  

Surpass deployed a software update that fixed the communication problem for all exams administered after December 5. After this date, the error rate dropped to below 0.1%.  

PAEA has been continually monitoring the database since the fix went into place. The last reported incident occurred on January 21, 2025. 

What does it mean if a student is included but their score didn’t change? 

If an overall score is unchanged but they are included on the report, this means that their subscores or keyword feedback statements have changed. The overall score was unaffected because the student got one additional question right but missed a different question. 

Several students who took exams at the same time as the ones listed are not included on the report. Should I be worried about them? 

Not all exams taken in the identified period were impacted. Only exams listed on the spreadsheets sent to program directors and account managers were impacted, and the list provided has been verified and is complete. If you have concerns about specific exams not included on the list, we can review those for you and provide a detailed report. 

I am missing a score from after the affected period. Can you help? 

PAEA is ready to help with any exam-related issues using our standard Exam Support channels. You can reach us via email at exams@PAEAonline.org, phone at 866-749-7601, or chat from the Assessment Hub or Contact Us page of PAEAonline.org.  

Please only reach out to scorereport@PAEAonline.org with questions related to the score reporting issue to ensure the most appropriate response.