What is the Guardian browser?
Guardian is a secure internet browser made by Meazure Learning. It connects test-takers to their ProctorU proctoring sessions across all three ProctorU service lines - Live+, Review+, and Record+. Meazure Learning publishes that it acquired Examity on September 1, 2023, so the same company now sits behind both proctoring brands.
The browser's core job is lockdown. When you connect to a proctoring session, Guardian locks down your computer according to settings configured by your exam administrators, and it performs continuous checks against those settings throughout the entire exam. When you are not in a session, it functions like a familiar internet browser with full browsing capability, and you can download it and delete it like any other application.
ProctorU is the platform Guardian connects to. Meazure Learning states it pioneered online proctoring at scale in 2008, now proctors millions of exams, and in 2021 became the first remote proctoring vendor to guarantee that a professional proctor reviews every exam session. Most ProctorU exams require the Guardian browser; some instead use a Guardian extension for Google Chrome.
The three ProctorU service lines
Which service line your exam uses determines how much human involvement you see. Your institution or exam program picks the line - it is not the candidate's choice - and the official test-taker guidance is blunt about what that choice changes: whether a live human proctor takes you through the exam launch process, how and when you schedule, the launch steps, and what software you install.
Live+ is the most secure option, positioned for high-stakes exams. It combines advanced software with human validation: a live-proctored launch, continuous monitoring, active intervention of suspicious behavior, and comprehensive reporting. With a live-proctored launch you schedule an appointment, and ProctorU's own candidate instructions recommend scheduling at least 72 hours in advance because on-demand testing can carry premium fees and wait times.
Review+ is positioned for low- or mid-stakes exams. It keeps the live-proctored launch, then records the session end to end - available in real time or on-demand - with professional review and incident reporting afterward. Record+ is the automated option for low-stakes exams: an automated exam launch combined with session recording and professional review, and no appointment is needed - you can test at any time through your learning management system or test delivery platform.
One guarantee sits above all three lines. Meazure Learning publishes that human review and validation happen at every level, that certified proctors review and validate every exam session covering thousands of hours of footage within 24 to 72 hours, and that quality-assurance session auditing and free technical support come with every line.
Check-in: identity verification and room scan
Check-in runs through a published pre-check process. After you click Launch Exam on the ProctorU platform's My Sessions page, the system walks you through a series of steps to prepare your device and authenticate your identity. The exam's own rules appear first through an Exam Rules button, and any extra behaviors your institution prohibits are explained during the launch process when you agree to the exam rules.
Identity verification is multifactor. The published requirement is a non-expired government-issued ID, or another form of identification your institution or testing organization allows. Meazure Learning publishes that its verification tools range from ID capture and facial comparison to keystroke biometrics and public-record challenge questions.
On the live-launch service lines, a human proctor secures your physical and virtual environment before the exam opens. For Live+ and Review+, Meazure Learning publishes that the proctor performs a 360-degree camera pan around the room to confirm you cannot access unpermitted electronic devices, closes prohibited applications, disconnects additional monitors, and completes any extra security measures the organization requires. The proctor also enters the exam password on your behalf on those lines; on Record+, the platform inputs the password automatically so test-takers never see it.
The published preparation list is specific. Choose a quiet, well-lit room where you can be alone - ideally with your back toward the door so the proctor can clearly see whether anyone enters. Use a hard-surface workspace rather than a bed or couch, cleared of everything except allowed materials. Close all third-party programs, unplug additional monitors, remove any non-religious head coverings, restart your computer beforehand, plug in your laptop charger, and use a wired internet connection where possible. Many organizations do not allow breaks, so take one before you start.
What the browser locks down
Meazure Learning publishes the exact list of computer and browser controls the Guardian browser makes available to exam administrators: copy and paste functions, screenshot functions, the printing function, browser window size, browser tabs, URL allowlists, virtual machine detection, screen recording capabilities, an application blocklist, and a process blocklist. Your administrator chooses the configuration; Guardian enforces it and continually re-checks it for the whole exam.
In candidate-facing terms, the official rules article spells out what that means. Taking pictures or screenshots of the exam is not permitted - and on a Mac with a live human-proctored launch, the proctor will even turn off your keyboard screenshot hotkeys. Copying and pasting any elements of the exam is blocked in most cases, and ProctorU states its system captures all copy-and-paste events that occur regardless.
The blocked-software layer is published at the category level. Guardian's administrator controls include an application blocklist and a process blocklist, and Meazure Learning publishes that on Live+ and Review+ a script checks more than 300 applications it describes as potential threats to the testing environment when you connect. The vendor does not publish the list itself, and this page does not speculate about it.
Separately, ProctorU's equipment article states a flat candidate-facing rule: you will not be permitted to test with remote-control software running on your computer, and it names common examples - TeamViewer, GoToMyPC, and AnyDesk. That is a published exam rule about software that must be closed, stated here exactly as the vendor publishes it.
Monitoring and flag categories
ProctorU's official rules article publishes the behavior categories that get flagged during an exam. Talking aloud is not permitted unless you have an accommodation. Your face - chin to forehead - must stay in camera view at all times. No one else may enter your testing area or talk to you during the exam, including background voices. If no materials are allowed, your eyes should stay on the screen. Using materials your instructor has not allowed, taking pictures or screenshots, copying or pasting exam content, using a virtual machine, and using a secondary monitor are all published flag categories.
Virtual machines get their own published treatment. ProctorU states that virtual machines can be detected through the pre-exam system check and are not permitted; if you connect from inside one, you will be asked to exit and reconnect using your host operating system. Apple Bootcamp, unlicensed or inactive versions of Windows, and test builds or modes are likewise not permitted.
The monitor rule is absolute: one monitor attached to one computer. All additional monitors must be disconnected, and on the live-launch lines the proctor disconnects them as part of securing your environment. For a closed laptop driving an external display, ProctorU publishes a specific setup - mirror the display and connect the monitor directly to the computer, avoiding a docking station.
On Live+, the proctor can interrupt the exam itself. The published intervention reasons are technical issues such as connection or video feed loss, speaking or reading out loud, being out of the proper camera angle, another person entering your testing area, a need for an additional camera pan, and a suspected academic integrity breach. Whether or not a live proctor is present, the official guidance states your actions and behaviors are monitored by the ProctorU platform and reviewed by a professional proctor and/or your instructor.
Recording, review, and who decides
Every service line ends in human review. Meazure Learning's published model pairs the Guardian browser's recording with certified proctors who review and validate every exam session, and the company states it was the first remote proctoring vendor - in 2021 - to guarantee a professional proctor reviews every session. The published review window is 24 to 72 hours, covering thousands of hours of footage, so programs can make scoring decisions quickly.
Review quality has its own published machinery. Meazure Learning describes a six-week training process for proctors, internal auditing, and a secret shopper program that deploys testers to identify quality or security issues in the proctoring process. Administrators get real-time or retroactive session data, an Incident Report Center, a Facilitator Dashboard, and benchmark reporting against global proctoring averages.
Beyond the session itself, Meazure Learning publishes two wider security layers. Its security specialists run continuous surveillance of suspected cheating rings and proxy testing, tracking online forums and social media. And its data forensics service applies what it calls research-validated algorithms to post-exam data to identify suspicious test-taker patterns that may indicate collusion, walking the program through why a pattern is suspicious and how to address it.
The governance point matters most: a flag is evidence for human review, not an automatic verdict. ProctorU's official rules article states that without a live proctor your actions are monitored by the platform and reviewed by a professional proctor and/or your instructor, and with one the proctor may intervene - the decision about consequences sits with the humans who review, under your institution's academic integrity policy.
Equipment and connection requirements
The published minimums are precise. Operating system: Windows 10 or later, macOS 11.0 or later, or a recent compatible ChromeOS version - ChromeOS only through the Guardian extension workflow, and ProctorU notes Chromebooks are not supported for live-proctored launches. Memory: 8 GB of RAM. Processor: 4 cores at 2.4 GHz. Display: a single monitor at 1366 x 768 resolution. Camera: 640 x 480 webcam or better. Audio: a microphone that is not built into headphones, plus built-in or external speakers - headphones themselves are generally not permitted unless your testing organization allows them.
Connectivity has a hard floor: 3 Mbps (3072 Kbps) upload and download, on ports UDP/TCP 80 and 443. Mobile hotspots and tethering are discouraged because of stability problems, and ProctorU states a strong, stable connection is required to support screen sharing and the proctoring software - speed or stability issues can prevent you from testing or cause problems mid-exam. The published advice is to keep others off your network during the exam and to use an ethernet cable where you can.
Mobile devices, tablets, and iPads are not supported at all. You will also need administrative access to your computer to run the equipment test, and ProctorU recommends testing your equipment before exam day in an environment identical or close to your real testing location.
If your connection drops mid-exam on Live+, a lost video feed or connection is one of the published reasons a proctor may intervene. What a drop means for your score is not a platform-wide rule - that decision belongs to your testing organization's exam policy, so check it before test day.
Privacy, software removal, and data retention
ProctorU's candidate instructions address the impact question directly: the platform does not permanently impact your computer. You can see everything your proctor does while connected, and once your exam ends and you close the chat session and video page, the screen-sharing client is completely removed from your computer. You may also uninstall the Guardian browser after each exam session if you choose.
On data protection, the published commitments are specific. ProctorU states it stringently adheres to all Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) guidelines and that no student information can be shared without your direct approval. Meazure Learning states it does not use test-taker information for any purpose other than online proctoring, and that it removes images of test-taker IDs after seven days.
Session data lives on encrypted servers. Your organization sets the access period for recordings and data, and Meazure Learning publishes that it automatically deletes that information after two years. The platform is also described as fully ADA compliant, with a documented accommodations process that runs through your instructor before exam day.
If the Sitting Itself Is the Problem
Understanding Guardian's published checks is one thing; sitting a locked-down, recorded exam is another. Exam Assist exists for exactly that gap - we handle online exam sittings end to end, and the service fee is due only after your agreed result posts. Send your exam, your window, and your deadline, and you will get an honest feasibility answer first.
If you want the wider picture first, our guides to how online proctoring works and the comparison of online proctoring software explain where the Guardian model sits among its competitors, our ProctorU monitoring-layers overview goes deeper on the platform itself, our Examity overview covers the platform Meazure Learning acquired in 2023, and our what-to-expect walkthrough covers check-in day step by step.