To earn credit for the MITx MicroMasters® credential in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy, learners must pass a proctored exam for five online courses.

From Fall term 2022 (with courses starting on September 6, 2022), each proctored exam is now offered as part of the course it belongs to. This means that to pass a course, you will need to also pass its corresponding exam. You are only eligible to take an exam for the course in which you upgraded to the paid track. Learners who have paid for a stand-alone exam (available previously) will soon receive an email with more information on how to redeem your exam coupon. If you have already taken and passed an audit version of the course, your grade will be assessed and appropriately applied to the new version of the course the includes the proctored exam.

Preparing for your Exam

To prepare for the exam, you should go through all course lectures and assignments, especially the ones you struggled with during the term. The proctored exam covers all the units in the course and there isn't an emphasis on any particular subject. Your best point of reference for the proctored exams are the homework assignments and online finals.

As a paid MicroMasters learner, you can reach out directly to the course team through your MicroMasters dashboard regarding material you found challenging or confusing. We also recommend searching the DEDP forum, where many learners have posted about studying for the proctored exam! You can log in using your MITx Online account information.

Finally, you can check to see if your system meets the hardware requirements for Proctortrack here.

Proctored Exams on MITx Online

If you have paid for a course in the term you are looking to take the exam, the onboarding exam and proctored exam will be at the bottom of your course on MITx Online as the final assignments in the course.

ID Verification

Unlike in previous terms, learners will not be required to go through an ID verification process prior to taking the exam. However, learners will still need an ID that matches their name on MITx Online for the onboarding exam.

Onboarding Exam

The onboarding exam must be completed at least five days prior to the proctored exam to ensure sufficient time for review. You only need to complete the onboarding exam once and do not need to complete an onboarding exam for each proctored exam you plan to take. All learners will need to complete onboarding, regardless of your previous onboarding status. You can view your onboarding exam status on the exam home page on MITx Online.

The onboarding exam is designed to help you ensure that your system is compatible with the online proctoring system and is a requirement for taking the proctored exam. It does not count as part of your proctored exam grade.

During the onboarding exam, you will be required to do a face and photo ID scan. The photo ID must be a valid (unexpired) government issued ID that includes your name, photograph, and signature. The first and last name that you use on MITx Online must match exactly the first and last name on the ID that you present. Please make sure that your ID is clear and legible. ProctorTrack must be able to clearly read the name on your ID in order for your onboarding exam to pass.

Please ensure you have sufficient time to complete the exam from start to finish, including time for the software to download. It should take no more than 30 minutes total.

If you made an error during your onboarding exam, you will have the option to reset your exam immediately after you submit your onboarding exam.

Proctored Exam Policies and Procedure

You may start your exam any time during the testing period. Before starting your exam you must first conduct a face and room scan. You will not be asked to scan your photo ID again.

Once the exam begins, you will have 75 minutes to complete the exam. However, your exam must be completed by the end of the testing period. This means if you start your exam within 75 minutes of the end of the testing period, you will not have the full 75 minutes to complete your exam.

During the exam period, you will not be allowed to take breaks or to leave the room--so please plan accordingly.

During the exam you will NOT be allowed to:

• Use a physical calculator. There will be an on-screen calculator available for your use.
• Refer to notes, textbooks, or any other resources.
• Use headphones/earphones.
• Take breaks.
• Use any other applications (R, Stata, MS Word, MS Excel, etc.) during the exam.
• Visit any websites.
• Speak to other people.
• Be in the same room as other people.

You will be allowed two pieces of scratch paper. All pieces of scratch paper must be blank (i.e. not contain any writing), but can be lined, gridded, etc. Prior to the start of the exam, you must show both sides of the scratch paper to the screen to verify that the papers are blank.

You will be allowed unlabeled food and drink during the exam.

If you have any questions related to the policies, please feel free to reach out to MicroMasters Support at dedp-micromasters-support@mit.edu or the course teams.

Additional Information

If you start your exam in the last 24 hours of the proctored exam period and encounter technical difficulties, we WILL NOT be able to assist you before the end of the exam period. Thus, we strongly urge you to take your exam as early in the exam period as you can so we can better assist you if you encounter technical difficulties.

If you miss the proctored exam deadline, we will not extend it. You will be unable to take the proctored exam until the end of the next term in which the course is offered.

The graded results of your online proctored exams will be released within one month of the last day of the testing session. This gives the DEDP team enough time to review exams and grade appropriately.

Starting May 2023, if a learner receives technical assistance on a proctored exam and does not resume their exam within one hour of receiving this technical assistance, their exam will automatically be flagged for review. Flagged exams will be reviewed carefully for infractions. If no infractions are found, then your exam will be unflagged.

Learners in China

Learners in mainland China have reported issues accessing Proctortrack. Should this occur, you can find instructions here that can help.

Frequently Asked Questions

What grade do I need to pass the proctored exam?

There is no grade requirement for passing the proctored exam. You simply need to earn at least a 50% in the course.

Do I need to register for a time slot for the proctored exam?

No, you do not need to specify a time slot when you register for the exam. You can take the exam at any time during the testing period but you must complete the exam by the end of the testing period. If you start your exam within 75 minutes of the end of the testing period, you will only have until the end of the testing period to complete your exam, instead of the full 75 minutes.

What kind of questions can I expect on the exam?

The exam will consist of multiple choice and fill in the blank questions. Should you have more specific questions about whether certain topics will be on the exam, we recommend you reach out to the Course Team via your MicroMasters dashboard and they will be happy to assist!

Can I take more than one exam per day?

Yes. You may schedule the exams at your own convenience and there are no constraints on exam availability.

How can I cancel my exam?

Unfortunately, we are not able to cancel exams if you have paid for the exam. We strongly urge learners to only pay if they are certain they will take the proctored exam during the testing period.

I received an email from Proctortrack saying I passed the proctored exam. What does this mean?

If you received this email, it means that your proctored exam was free of violations. It does not necessarily mean you have passed the exam and earned the certificate.

How do I request disability accommodations?

MIT is committed to providing access to qualified students who have disabilities. If you need an accommodation to take the exam, please contact us at least one month prior to registration at dedp-micromasters-support@mit.edu.

How are disability accommodation requests reviewed?

Per the Americans with Disabilities Act, accommodation requests are reviewed on an individual basis to determine necessity and reasonableness in order to provide equitable access. Accommodations are not a guarantee of performance or exam completion.

How and when will I find out how I did on the exam?

Your proctored exam grade will be displayed on MITx Online. The grade will be uploaded within one month of the last testing day (but this usually happens before!).

What if I fail the proctored exam for a class? May I retake it?

Yes, but you may need to pay again. Learners wishing to retake the exam may do so during the next testing session, i.e. after the subsequent run of the class has been completed.

Can I retake the exam during the same testing window?

No. You will have to wait until the next testing session, i.e. after the subsequent run of the class has been completed.

Will we be required to use R on the proctored exams?

No, there will be no R programming required for the proctored exams.

Can I use translation software during an exam?

Yes, you can use translation software. However, the built-in Google Translate plugin in Chrome is currently bugged, and will cause issues with the calculator and exam timer. We recommend that you do not use the Google Translate plugin in Chrome.