CLEP Remote Proctoring Explained

Can you take a CLEP exam at home?

Yes. College Board offers remote proctoring on all 34 CLEP exams, and the at-home version has the same timing, content, format, and on-screen experience as the exam you would take at a CLEP test center. You register and pay in the My CLEP student portal, then schedule with Proctortrack, College Board's remote-proctoring vendor.

Remote proctoring costs $30 in addition to the $97 exam fee. Both fees are refundable up to seven days from the date of purchase, except for redeemed exams or redeemed remote proctoring sessions.

The catch is that the requirements are strict and checked before you are allowed to start: eligibility rules, a PC-only equipment list, a smartphone that acts as a second camera, and a private, stripped-down testing room. If your computer or your room does not meet the requirements on test day, you do not test. The sections below walk each rule exactly as College Board publishes it.

Who is eligible for CLEP remote proctoring?

College Board limits the at-home route in two ways. First, you must be 13 years old or older - except Illinois residents, who must be 18 or older - and you must be located in the United States, excluding U.S. territories. Second, DANTES-funded military test takers are eligible as a separate category.

Everyone else - including high school students, college students, adult learners, veterans, and professionals - is still welcome at any CLEP test center; the location and age limits apply only to the remote-proctored route.

Two program-wide bans are worth knowing before you register. Anyone involved in creating CLEP test-preparation materials is prohibited from taking a CLEP exam, and anyone who takes a CLEP exam is prohibited from CLEP-related instruction, preparation, or administration work for at least one year after the exam date - a violation means a permanent ban from all future CLEP testing.

If you need testing accommodations, remote-proctored exams support screen magnification, modifiable screen colors, extended time, untimed rest breaks, and medically necessary permissions such as food, drinks, or medication in view of the proctor. College Board recommends submitting the accommodations request two months before your planned test date.

What equipment does CLEP remote proctoring require?

The single biggest surprise in the official requirements: remote-proctored CLEP is PC-only. College Board permits only a Windows desktop or laptop running Windows 10 or 11 - no Macs, tablets, Chromebooks, or mobile devices - with the Chrome browser at version 100.0 or higher and one monitor only; any additional monitors must be physically removed from the test area.

You install two pieces of software on that PC: the ETS Online Test application (the installer is UnifyRPInstaller_PROD.exe, run as administrator) and Proctortrack. Administrative privileges on the computer are required, and College Board warns that firewalls and security applications can interfere with the test delivery software, so those may need to be disabled or reconfigured before the exam.

Peripherals are regulated too. You get exactly one keyboard and one mouse, and neither may be wireless. Sound comes from internal or external speakers - headsets and wireless earphones are banned. A microphone is required. Your camera can be the built-in one or a separate webcam, but it must be movable so the proctor can see a 360-degree view of the room and your tabletop surface before the test.

The second camera is your smartphone. For exams beginning July 1, 2025, the Proctortrack app on your phone watches you alongside the computer camera. The phone must run Android 10 or higher or iOS 12 or higher - HarmonyOS is not supported - have a working front-facing camera, start the exam at 100% charge, and stay plugged in for the duration. It sits in landscape position with the front camera framing you, the monitor, the keyboard, and the mouse at all times; a phone stand or even a clear glass cup works as a prop.

What are the room and workspace rules?

You must test alone in a private room, and no one may enter for the duration of the exam. Public spaces - parks, internet cafes, restaurants - are explicitly banned. The room may not display maps, periodic tables, posters, charts, or any other materials related to the exam subject, and you consent to Proctortrack by Verificient reviewing your testing environment before the exam starts.

Your computer and keyboard sit on a desk or another tabletop surface for the whole exam, cleared of everything not approved for the test. You sit in a standard chair - not a bed, couch, or overstuffed chair. Food and drink are not allowed unless approved as an accommodation.

The prohibited-items list is long and enforced by the room scan: any electronics beyond the testing device and smartphone, including TVs, which must be removed or covered; smartwatches, smart glasses, fitness trackers, and separate timers; flash drives; calculators, because a calculator function is built into the software for the exams that allow one; pens and highlighters; dictionaries, books, and reference materials; and hats. Simple non-digital watches are acceptable.

The only things permitted in the space are the testing device, the smartphone, approved testing accommodations, and the note-taking materials College Board specifies for your exam.

How does the remote-proctored CLEP process work?

Step one happens in the My CLEP student portal: you register for the exam and pay the $97 exam fee plus the $30 remote proctoring fee. Within 24 hours of registering, CLEP emails you a Ticket ID and a link to the Proctortrack site.

Step two is Proctortrack onboarding, and it gates everything after it. You give consent for ID verification and proctoring, then set up your profile with a face scan and an ID scan - the ID scan is not required for DANTES test takers. Approval can take up to 24 hours, so onboarding the night before your exam is a real risk. Only an approved profile can schedule.

Step three is scheduling. From your Proctortrack dashboard you pick an available date and time and get instant confirmation. You can reschedule or cancel up to one hour before the appointment; the first reschedule is free, and every additional one costs $10.

Before test day you download the ETS Online Test application and run its equipment check, which lists compatibility issues and unwanted background applications - all issues must be resolved before testing. On exam day itself, all proctor communication runs through a chat box. Screen-sharing and remote-access software - Zoom, Skype, TeamViewer, Microsoft Teams - must be disabled and set so it cannot auto-open, and the computer clock must match your actual time zone.

Check-in runs inside the Proctortrack desktop app: consent, guidelines, the face scan and ID scan, then the room scan, which the proctor must verify and approve. Only then does the proctor log you into the Unify Test Launcher - you place your cursor in the Exam ID and password fields and the proctor enters the credentials. You agree to the policies, take the test, and finish with an exit evaluation. Scores display on screen immediately after the exam, except College Composition and Spanish with Writing, which post to My CLEP two to three weeks later; every other exam posts one business day after testing.

If the Sitting Itself Is the Problem

Knowing the route solves the logistics. It does not solve the doing when a graduation deadline, a failed attempt inside the three-month retake window, or plain test anxiety is the real blocker.

That is the gap Exam Assist fills: your CLEP sitting is handled end to end - scheduling coordination, check-in preparation, and the sitting itself against the published remote-proctoring or test-center requirements - and the service fee is due only after the agreed result posts. The CLEP service page has the details, and the pay-after-pass terms are the same ones stated here.

Either way, you now hold the official shape of at-home CLEP: a $97 exam plus a $30 remote proctoring fee, PC-only equipment, a smartphone second camera, Proctortrack onboarding with up to 24 hours of approval time, and a scripted check-in. Book it yourself, or hand it to a team whose fee only exists if the credit-bearing score posts.