TESTREACH SERVICE DEFINITION DOCUMENT (May 2024)

Please note that TestReach is a SaaS application with a continuous release cycle and is subject to revision of or enhanced features. This Service Definition document is applicable as of 7th May 2024

Service Description:

TestReach is a total solution for online assessment that can be used to set up and roll out any kind of test or exam. It enables the management of the full end-to end exam process including:

Test Authoring

Delivery

Marking (if auto-scored questions like multiple choice are used, then the system will automatically mark these, but for questions like essays, we have full online marking functionality)

Moderation

Results & Analytics

It is extremely flexible, allowing organisations to take a simple approach and only use specific parts of the solution, or all of the available functionality as shown in the diagram below, depending on the requirements.

Figure 1: TestReach's end-to-end Functionality:

TestReach is a SaaS offering (Software as a Service) so there are no IT infrastructure costs, plus TestReach does not charge an annual site license fee.

TestReach is extremely secure, very cost-effective and can quickly and easily be rolled out and scaled into new geographies and new user communities. It’s also important to note that TestReach has an open API, which means it is very straightforward to integrate with other systems, e.g. push exam results into a system of record.

Delivery

As well as powerful test creation, TestReach also provides full flexibility to roll out these tests in a number of different ways that include:

Online in Person at a Test Centre

With this option, candidates take a computer-based test at a test centre or at home and internet connectivity is required. Candidates can take the test on their own device (Bring Your Own Device – BYOD), or on a computer made available at the venue.

There are a number of key features with this delivery option, which include:

Test timer to limit time taken by candidates to complete the test

Test access code that must be entered before the exam can be accessed (for example this can be supplied by a live invigilator at an exam hall to make sure everyone starts at the same time)

Check-in facility to ensure candidates are on site with access to exams linked to check-in

Summary Dashboard that tracks all candidate's progress

Comprehensive functionality for test centre administrators that includes the ability to re-set passwords or resume exams, if for example the power is cut, and the computer	turns off for a short period of time

Auto-generated reports summarising attendance and supervision notes

Question review options for candidates, where placeholders/flags can be put on particular questions where they are unsure of the answer

Computer lock down, so once the exam commences candidates cannot navigate away from the testing application (for example to launch Google or look at a file). This is very important where candidates are accessing an online test. If an invigilator is walking around the room, without computer lockdown there is the risk that candidates could flick into Google, without the invigilator noticing, which is not possible with computer lockdown.

Offline in Person

With this option, candidates take a computer-based test at a test centre but internet connectivity is not required. Essentially the test centre downloads or is sent a secure exam package in advance, then at exam time candidates connect to a local computer to take their computer-based test. The candidate experience is identical to being connected over the internet. After the exam the test centre uploads or sends back a secure package of candidate responses so that any subsequent marking and moderation can be carried out on TestReach in the usual way.

This option is ideal in areas where internet connectivity is either no existent or unreliable and is delivered via the TestReach Offline Assessment PortalTM.

Remote Invigilation

With this option, TestReach recreates the exam hall invigilation experience in an online environment. Once a test has been created within TestReach, you can simply set a switch for the exam to be invigilated online and enrol the candidates.

Candidates log into TestReach via a browser to schedule or confirm their exam, then at exam time they are automatically connected to one of our trained supervisors via various secure technologies. At all times the supervisor can clearly see, hear and view the candidate’s screen. In addition, everything is recorded and so can be reviewed by the examination body at a later time.

The candidates are monitored at all times during the exam and any exceptional circumstances that arise are reported in full to the examination body. It is worth saying that the ratio of candidates per supervisor is much lower than in a typical exam-hall environment.

While there are other companies in the world providing online assessment solutions, TestReach is a unique and innovative provider because it is the only comprehensive online assessment solution that includes integral remote invigilation, where exams can be invigilated online by TestReach supervisors using audio, video and remote screen share.

Remote invigilation from TestReach is very cutting-edge and includes extensive and complex communications technologies that can scale to meet enterprise demands. This means that candidates can take assessments at any time and at any location - while examiners can be assured of the validity, authenticity, and security of the test delivery mechanism.

While there are other online exam invigilation companies in the world, and other online assessment solutions, they are very different to TestReach. The standard approach is for an invigilation application to ‘bolt onto’ an exam creation system. This means two different companies are involved, and it is not as effective in practice. For example, the invigilators from one company have no knowledge of the underlying assessment application, so they cannot answer questions from a nervous candidate to put them at ease. With TestReach, our invigilators are trained by us using our application, so they can always give a professional service. Also, all the data is in one system, so you can see both enrolment data and how many actually sat the exam all in one place. It is more secure as candidates have no way to by-pass the invigilation application e.g. via passwords, and access the test in the assessment system. Any exam can be both created and assembled within TestReach, and then remote invigilation can be easily switched on to deliver the exam. This is a fundamental USP or differentiator at the heart of TestReach – that you can have very sophisticated and feature-rich online assessment technology combined with integral remote invigilation, in one easy-to-use application.

Assignments

In cases where candidates have to submit course work assignments or complete tests as part of their continuous assessment, TestReach enables all of this to be carried out online.

Marking

TestReach has a wealth of functionality relating to the marking of scripts. This marking functionality can be used not only in the case where candidates take their assessment within TestReach, but also in cases where candidates complete paper scripts, which are scanned into TestReach for marking. TestReach would typically work with a scanning partner to perform scanning and any required OMR / OCR.

The extensive marking functionality includes:

Marker Role: specific roles in the system that can only mark scripts (can’t access any other parts of the application)

Markers can be based anywhere and access the solution via a browser

Automated workflows for multiple markers: Rules to route exam scripts between designated markers

Marker hierarchy: Allows for the specification of rules that route scripts through the specific hierarchy

Standardised Marking: More than one marker marking a script for quality assurance

Differences between the marks awarded by each marker are highlighted

Script Seeding: Standardised scripts are seeded into each markers allocation with the ability to have manual alerts and/or auto-stop if these scripts fall outside pre-set tolerances

Moderation marking: Every nth script automatically routed to a second marker for quality assurance purposes

Question seeding: can specify a number of times to ask a new question, after which its performance can be analysed and a decision taken to include it or not

Marking by script: An individual script can be routed to a designated marker

Marker guidelines: Instructions and guidelines for markers at a question level

Rubrics / Marking Schemas: Automated scoring rubrics at a question level

Annotation of scripts: Similar to the notes a marker might make in the margins on a paper script

Marker Notes: Notes that markers can make that are shared across markers

Optional Anonymous Marking: Markers are not able to see candidate names

Marker Reports: Statistical Results that allow for the analysis of markers

Moderation

There is extensive moderation within TestReach and it is possible to moderate results at either question or paper level. There are also specific moderator roles within the system and everything is completely audit-trailed.

The screen shot below shows one of our moderation screens, which allows moderation at question level. This is a simple test consisting of 4 multiple choice questions taken by 3 test-takers. In the top right-hand quadrant, the responses given to each of the four questions are shown (there are easy scrolling options when there are larger numbers of questions and it is also possible to sort questions in different ways, e.g. by facility index, so you see can questions that everyone answered incorrectly first). As question 1 is highlighted in this section, we can see the detail relating to question 1 in the bottom half of the screen.

In the bottom left area, we can see that 2 marks have been awarded for each of options a and d and in the bottom right quadrant we can see that no one answered a, one person correctly answered b, one person incorrectly answered c and one other person correctly answered d. In the top left-hand quadrant, you can see that at this point 67% of test-takers have failed the test overall and only 33% have passed.

It is very straightforward to adjust the marks awarded on the bottom left, so for example we could award 2 points for answering c. Immediately we can see the impact this has on the pass rate in the top left.

It is possible to easily adjust marks awarded for each question (possibly because there was ambiguity in the question, or a distractor was incorrectly marked as correct, for example), until such time as the moderator is happy with the results, at which case all of the various results can be applied and saved. At any point it is also possible to roll back any adjustments, as they are all tracked and audit-trailed. You’ll also see that there is extensive filtering possible, as per the various selection items at the top of the screen.

Figure 2: TestReach’s Question Moderation functionality

The screen shot below shows another of our moderation screens that allows you to moderate at test level.

In this example, the pass mark (as seen in the right-hand graphic in the blue circle) is set at 40%. On the left we can see that 38% of the test takers have passed (green section of circle), 4% have failed and 58% have submitted but have yet to receive a mark (this particular test required manually marking as it was text based).

The user can easily click on the Pass Mark (in the blue circle) and drag it left or right to change the pass mark. This in turn will dynamically update the circle on the left-hand side indicating the % of test-takers who have passed, failed, etc, based on the new pass mark. This can be very useful to adjust results in the case where tests on the whole are deemed to be too easy or too difficult.

Figure 3: TestReach's Passmark Moderation functionality

Results

There is a lot of flexibility as to how results are handled within TestReach. For auto-scored questions, results can be immediately provided to candidates, but for most of our customers, results are only issued after the marking and moderation steps are complete.

Templated results emails are available that can also include a pdf attachment with branded graphics and there are multiple ways in which results can be reported to test-takers that can include one or more of the following:

Grade

% Score

Points Score

Summary by Learning Outcome

Summary by Question Pool

Summary by Paper Section

Correct answers

Incorrect answers

Complete answers

Candidate transcript

Candidate transcript with marker annotations

It is also possible for TestReach to push results into a system of record or to a third party to print water-marked scrolls, for example.

Statistical Reporting and Analysis

TestReach has a wealth of reporting capabilities, specifically focused on improving exam quality. With TestReach there is easy-to-navigate reporting, with comprehensive filtering options and graphical data displays. This information has proved invaluable to many of our clients in a wide variety of ways. We have included a sample screenshot of one of our question reports below:

Figure 4: TestReach's Question Reports Functionality

There are a range of graphical and tabular views to assess item performance at a rolled-up level across all modules/banks/tests as well as a drill-down for a specific papers, per event, per test centre or indeed for a set period of time (between two dates).

As well as tabular data, graphical displays allow for distractor analysis.

Figure 5: TestReach's Facilitator Reports

A number of statistical indices are used to assess performance within the application and these reports can be exported for review in external performance management tools or in a CSV format that can be viewed / manipulated in Excel.

The statistics tracked include:

•	Facility Index

•	Discriminatory Index

•	Point Biserial

•	Median Score

•	Average Score

•	Standard Distribution

•	Frequency

•	Time per question

•	Timer per paper

•	Pass rates / fail rates / grade rates

It’s also worth noting that TestReach has comprehensive question tagging functionality, which allows questions to be associated with specific learning outcomes, parts of the syllabus, taxonomies., etc. When a candidate submits a test, based on this tagging, automated feedback can automatically be provided to give them an indication as to topics or parts of the syllabus in which they performed or did not perform well.

TestReach also has reports on markers, which allow for the comparison and tracking of marker performance.

TestReach offers comprehensive reporting functionality and feedback from our customer-base is that this functionality is significantly better and easier to use than other systems in the marketplace.

TestReach also has functionality to enable feedback to be given to candidates, which is becoming increasingly important to our customer base. Our comprehensive question tagging functionality, allowing questions to be associated with specific learning outcomes, parts of the syllabus, taxonomies., etc., means that when a candidate submits a test, based on this tagging, feedback can automatically be provided to give candidates an indication as to topics or parts of the syllabus in which they performed or did not perform well.

Data Exchange Centre

TestReach has recently implemented a powerful new module called the Data Exchange Centre, which will replace and improve some of our existing data analytics and reporting tools. This new tool was built with an emphasis on user experience and speed. The Data Exchange Centre will enable administrators to export and import data associated with candidate bookings and enrolments, exam papers, questions and results. The reports already available include the Booking and Enrolment report and the Download feature for paper content. These tools have empowered our existing customers allowing them to access and analyse their enrolment and paper data on-demand.

The Download feature for paper content allows test administrators to easily download the question content of a paper.

Figure 6: TestReach’s Data Exchange Centre

The Enrolments and Booking Report allows administrators to generate CSV files by date range, test, paper, and or exam window. This flexibility allows users to generate reports which include as much or as little booking data as they like.

Figure 7: TestReach’s Data Exchange Centre

The detailed report includes the following information for each candidate assignment:

Candidate Name, ID, and Email

Window ID

Status: Enrolled, Scheduled, Absent, Completed, etc.

Test Name, Paper Name, Test Centre ID, and Invigilator

Delivery Mode: Offline, Online, RI, etc.

Enrolment Date and Time

Booking Date and Time

Scheduled Start Date and Time

Max Exam Duration

Actual Exam Duration

Exam Entry Date and Time

Exam Submission Date and Time

Business Intelligence

TestReach has a Business Intelligence Tool (BI) which provides powerful dashboards and tables that display all the information your teams will need to successfully run exam sessions, and analyse the performance of your assessments and question banks (BI Tool access may incur additional costs).Providing powerful segmentation, custom formulae, summary information and a rich suite of graphical displays (image ) these dashboards aim to provide a quick answer to all questions relating to item validity and reliability, as well as candidate, marker and author performance ( Figure 8). They will also provide insights on “day of exam” events, showing everything from summary data on how cohorts have experienced the exam, down to individual audit trails of candidates, so more in-depth analysis can be conducted.

Figure 8: TestReach’s Business Intelligence Tool Dynamic Dashboards (sample data)

Figure 9: TestReach’s Business Intelligence Tool Question Analysis Dashboards (sample tabular data)

Integration

The TestReach solution has a set of open-API’s which easily and quickly enable our solution to plug-in to a wider eco-system of IT applications - the system has already been integrated with many different applications and is extremely flexible. We use a web-based protocol which can push data to and receive data from any web-based system. While most data interchanges are standard, there is always some analysis and configuration required as part of the set-up to confirm the data exchange, configure secret-keys and authenticate and verify once the integration is live.

It's important to ensure that the customer makes certain staff available to assist with any integration. Depending on the type of integration we would typically advise our customers IT staff to anticipate 2-5 days of effort to analyse the requirements and set-up the end points and configuration (in a test environment); the business owners up to 5 days to check the integration depending on the number of use-cases and the IT staff a further day to make the configuration switch from the test environment to the live environment. We would be happy to discuss integration options and cost in more detail as part of any integration project.

Other Value-Add Features

TestReach has a number of other features and functionality.

Exam timers can easily be set up within TestReach and are clearly visible to the candidate at all times on the top right-hand corner of their screen, as shown below:

Figure 10: TestReach’s Exam Timer

Timing notifications/warnings are automatically displayed to candidates when they have half an hour left in their exam and also when they have 5 minutes left.

With TestReach we have a number of features that create a “wow” factor when compared with other applications on the market.

We undertake extensive usability testing to ensure that the screen is laid out in the best possible way for ease of use. This includes testing with users of varying age profiles and technical abilities, and monitoring them as they interact with the application, so that we can clearly trace their movements and navigation through the screens. This has allowed us to build a very easy-to-use application, where screens are laid out in a logical manner and options are where you would expect to find them.

One example of where we are facilitating candidate performance is with our candidate “canvas” options, including our flexible canvas. When this is turned on, the candidate has full flexibility to re-size their entire screen, so that for example if they are reading a case study, they can make the resources area take over the whole real estate of their screen, but when they come to actually answering their question, they can maximise the answer box. This makes the whole experience within the exam much easier for the test-taker, as they can work in a way that suits them. In addition, with the flexible canvas the candidate has the option to zoom in or zoom out of any section of the screen, thus they can make the text in a resource much bigger, if they find it difficult to read. They also have the option to change how the resources appear, there are standard and tabular formats available.

The screen shot below illustrates our flexible canvas. By dragging the round grey “handle” in the centre, the candidate can completely re-size all parts of their screen. In addition, the ‘+’ and ‘–‘ zoom options are visible in the top right-hand corner of each screen section. In the screen shot, you can also see our annotation functionality, where users can highlight any word, sentence or paragraph of either the question stem or the resources and make a note. When they subsequently hover over the highlighted section, the note appears. We get very positive feedback on this functionality from candidates as it delivers a much more candidate-centric experience than other available solutions.

Figure 11: TestReach’s Flexible Canvas

Having had a lot of experience in the provision of exam software to candidates of all age profiles and technical abilities, we have developed a number of resources to ensure that candidates become fully familiar with our software well in advance, so that on exam day they can concentrate on the exam itself and not worry about dealing with a new application. We have configurable test tutorials that candidates can take multiple times in advance of their exam. These tutorials are like a test, but each question explores a specific area of TestReach functionality so that users become familiar with that area.

For example, there is a question stating, “At the bottom of your screen there is a horizontal grey bar with numbers, this is the navigation bar. Click on number 4 in the bar now, to move to question 4.”

TestReach has also invested significantly in accessibility. The TestReach canvas is WCAG 2.1 AA rated per the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. The TestReach solution will automatically apply the accessibility settings as configured in the operating system for each candidate, i.e. screen colour, background colour, font, and font size, plus some other accessibility settings. These include support for screen-readers for visually or partially sighted candidates and ability for candidates to zoom. The screens are very clean, and options are presented in a logical and easy to understand manner. This is hugely advantageous to candidates who require and are used to specific computer settings for certain medical conditions, as the solution picks up and applies their preferred settings to the TestReach canvas so that it looks and feels “familiar” and in line with expectations.

Another sample question from our Practice test (tutorial) is shown below:

Figure 12: TestReach’s Practice Test (Tutorial) Sample

Tutorials can be configured to include all of the different question types that will appear in the candidates’ exam.

For practice purposes, there are two options within TestReach:

Customers can author a specific practice test (tutorial) for any exam and it can contain similar question types and rules to the live exam. Any candidate who is enrolled in the live exam can be enrolled in the practice test and can take it as often as they wish, but answers are not saved. In addition, it is possible for the tutorial to be made available as a link, so the taker does not have to be enrolled in a test. There are no per-test fees associated with this option. Exam tutorial access reports are available to Customers to track data on candidate exam tutorial interaction.

Alternatively, Customers can create a full test for practice purposes and in this case answers would be saved. A Test Only fee would apply for each candidate taking a practice test, which can be taken up to 3 times. Full reporting is available for full practice tests, in the same way as it would be for live exams.

There is also extensive help functionality within TestReach that is completely configurable, so that organisations can insert instructions or explanations based on their own use of the system.

Figure 13: TestReach Help Features

Test Centre Management Functions

TestReach has a whole area of functionality within the application that specifically caters for test centres which allows for a totally decentralised approach to administration. A hierarchy of permissions is created where examining bodies can “sit” at the top of the tree and can set up as many test centres as required within the hierarchy. Each of these test centres can then be given permissions, so that they can for example, manage their own user base, set up exam “sittings” at their locations, etc.

Our clients with test centre networks have utilised the third-party management functionality within TestReach to streamline the delivery of exams through test centres. The decentralised administration model gives huge value as it means our clients can pass the running of exams locally to each test centre, while restricting access to the exam paper itself. This greatly reduces the daily administration of the exams by the HQ, while increasing the reliability and security of the process. Our reporting functionality means that all results can be passed back to a CRM to keep centralised records on all members.

The TestReach system is used by our clients to manage all the activities required when rolling-out exams in test centres e.g. to disseminate exam papers, enrol candidates, manage access of candidates to the exam. We deliver exams in test centres online or offline, depending on the location and access to internet connectivity.

TestReach functionality streamlines the rolling-out of exams through a test centre network, including assisting the centre invigilator with managing the candidates and exam access on the day.

The invigilator can see any tests in that test centre and, as standard, can see a list of candidates for each test.

There is check-in functionality, that allows the invigilator to confirm that each candidate is in attendance.

TestReach allows for learners to access their exam environment at any stage once they receive their login credentials. Access to tests is strictly controlled by valid window, access codes and check in facility. If preferred, credentials can be sent to invigilators rather than directly to candidates but we find that a lot of candidates prefer getting access to the system in advance to take test tutorials and become fully familiar with the in-exam environment.

There is comprehensive functionality for invigilators that includes the ability to re-set passwords, pause/resume exams, or give extra time, at an individual or a group level. The invigilator can make supervision notes to record details within the system, either at individual candidate or group level, and these notes will be included on the invigilation auto-generated report.

Administrators at test centres can be given various permissions so that they can pause / resume local exams. This covers the vast majority of situations, where for example the fire alarm goes off, or there is an interruption, and will not affect the time allowed for the learner to complete the assessment.

The levels of data backup and restore, and disaster recovery you’ll provide, such as business continuity and disaster recovery plans:

TestReach utilises the industry leader in data hosting Amazon Web Services (AWS) as its hosting provider. TestReach’s multi-tenant AWS instance is located in Dublin, Ireland and this facility utilises comodo issued security (SSL) encrypted servers and is protected by physical barriers and 24/7 guard to prevent unauthorised access. In addition, there systems and data are backed up to a secondary multi-tenant instance spread across different AWS data centres in the EU. All data is stored and processed within the EU, and TestReach is UK-GDPR and GDPR compliant.

TestReach has a detailed Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery Plan including Incident Response Team Protocols which govern all key functions and processes within the business. This covers data restoration in case of disaster, which is tested at least annually.

It’s important to state that TestReach is ISO27001 (Information Security) and ISO 9001 (Quality Management) certified, both of which are audited annually.

Any onboarding and offboarding support you provide:

TestReach provides several services to ensure the successful onboarding of our clients onto the solution. There options vary depending on the approach you would like to take:

These options are described below:

Option 1 – QuickStart Rollout

QuickStart is for customers who want to set up exams and roll them out in a short timeframe e.g. as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, there can be very quick turnaround times.

In this case TestReach carries out all of the set-up and roll out services to get you up and running quickly. You will work with a project manager on the exam set up team who will oversee your process for you.

This includes:

o	Set up a specific site for you with your logo

o	set up questions

o	set up your paper

o	configure your settings

o	enrol users

o	run some sample tests for quality assurance

o	roll out the paper

o	view and interpret the results

o	deliver transcripts of papers for marking (for constructed response questions)

o	deliver csv file of results for auto-scored questions.

Note that with QuickStart, management access is not provided on the client side as all administration of the system is done on your behalf. This means that marking of constructed response questions takes place outside the system.

The above activity assumes that questions and lists of users to be enrolled in the exam are provided to us in our standard csv templates.

Option 2 –SelfServe Rollout

This is for customers who intend to roll out multiple assessments and who want to be trained so that they can administer TestReach in-house.

With this option, we provide you with training and hand-holding during your first exam, after which you carry out the ongoing administration of your system in-house. More details on this option are provided below:

Training

Although TestReach is intuitive and easy to use, it is a very functionally rich enterprise application, so it’s important that you properly understand how it works. We offer various training modules that cover each of the key areas within TestReach.

Each module is typically delivered as one or more online webinars (around 1 to 2 hours per module) and includes various exercises for participants to complete.

This is a very effective way of learning, as you’re not presented with all the information in one go at the start and then left to your own devices.

Instead, you have an initial webinar, you then practice what you’ve learned via our tailored exercises and then typically there are additional follow up webinars to address any questions and present additional learning material.

First Project Support

TestReach services help you set up and roll out your assessment paper, which reduces the risk and ensures that everything is done under the guidance of our experienced consultants.

We work with you to set-up and configure key settings such as messaging (emails to be sent to candidates), key dates, questions/banks, marking schemes, score feedback, etc., and include some time for you to dry run the test and make sure you’re happy with everything, as well as providing you with guidance on the post-test administration (results viewing).

Key tasks include assisting you to:

o	set up questions

o	set up your paper

o	configure your settings

o	enrol users

o	run some sample tests for quality assurance

o	rollout the paper

o	view and interpret the results

o	set up and roll out a feedback survey if required

The bottom line is that it’s important that you know how to do things in the correct way. If you’re training to be a pilot, you go through a course, experience simulators and read the materials, but you are still accompanied by a trained pilot on your first few flights, and this is the exact approach that we take for your first roll out on TestReach.

Option 3 - Customer Specific Rollout

This is for customers requiring a more enterprise-level rollout of TestReach that includes for example, one or more integration points, data migration e.g. moving questions from a third-party application into TestReach and/or the development of new functionality to meet that specific customer’s needs.

TestReach has a full project management methodology that is easily scaled to meet the requirements of enterprise rollouts – this ensures that everything is tightly controlled and mitigates the associated risks. The effort required for all requirements is scoped and estimated on a case-by-case basis. It is worth noting that TestReach has an open API, which typically means integration with third party systems is straightforward.

Typically, a Customer Specific Rollout will include all services required for the rollout in line with the customer’s requirements – technical services as well as training, SelfServe, etc.

In some cases, the customer can progress a number of the service options above, commencing with a QuickStart examination and then once the client team is up and running partake in the SelfServe for key users.

Off Boarding

If a client wishes to stop working with TestReach, then if a request is received within 30 days of the contract termination, we will return the client’s data as requested through the use of our data exchange centre. All client data is then deleted 30 days after contract termination.

Service constraints like maintenance windows or the level of customisation allowed:

TestReach is developed using the Agile development methodology with a continuous development and release cycle (costs may apply for some development enhancements). Incremental updates are deployed seamlessly having passed comprehensive QA processes, so we seldom have a need for maintenance windows. If required, these would be scheduled at times where there is the lowest level of system usage.

As regards customisation, the TestReach Solution allows presentation elements to be presented to reflect organisations Logos and Branding and in some cases CSS to be modified to the organisational colour pallets.

Integrations with 3rd Party solutions are also available TestReach’s full set of open APIs, which are mature, and proven to integrate into existing technical landscapes. Integration is typically straightforward. These support actions such as adding users, assigning examinations assessments, and authentication.

Service levels like performance, availability, and support hours:

TestReach is globally accessible and has 99.95% availability.

TestReach has a lot of automated monitoring and logging tools, that continually check performance levels. Data from our monitoring tool shows that the candidate experience currently complies with the performance requirements outlined below:

Maximum Response Time, i.e. the time spent to receive the last byte from a Server (URL):

5000 milliseconds for each user action’ server response (webpage reload, a new page, action is taken, etc)

2000 milliseconds for each API call response time.

The Average Response Time, i.e. the time spend to receive the last byte from a Server (URL or IP) or the time spent to receive the URL (website) header:

600 milliseconds for each user action’ server response (webpage reload, a new page, action is taken, etc)

300 milliseconds for each API call response time.

All above numbers achieved in under 3000 requests per minute (RPM).

Support Services

TestReach offers a very comprehensive support service that ranges from standard support during office hours, through to 24 x 7 x 365 support for high priority incidents(additional fees may apply).

After sales support:

TestReach has a full service offering to assist our customers, which includes:

Project management

SelfServe/ Training

Exam set-up services

Process mapping – where we map the way you want to run assessments onto our system

Integration services

Data migration services

Custom development services

Any technical requirements:

TestReach is a cloud-based offering and can be used on Windows and Mac-OS computers.

Candidates taking exams through the TestReach platform can take them through the any modern web browser including:

Internet Explorer 11

Microsoft Edge

Chrome

Safari

Ensuring that the exam is available anywhere with a stable internet connection. Where Remote Invigilation is required a laptop or personal computer with a built-in camera and microphone is required to support the invigilation functionality. In addition, there is a dedicated Candidate Application that we recommend as this brings the candidate through a series of local technical tests, and a Test Tutorial in the application to ensure smooth onboarding. Furthermore, the TestReach application allows Local System Lockdown to stop the candidate accessing other resources during the exams.

Outage and maintenance management:

In line with our ISO 27001 certification, TestReach has a detailed incident management process with pre-defined actions which take place should there be an incident during the delivery of our service. Users of the service may report an incident to our customer support team, who will monitor this to see if it is an isolated issue or will escalate the issue if it is a wider problem. Depending on the severity, the incident management process may be activated, which includes a range of activity to ensure exam candidates and our customers are kept updated on the incident status.

Hosting options and locations:

TestReach utilises the industry leader in data hosting Amazon Web Services (AWS) as its hosting provider. TestReach’s multi-tenant AWS instance is located in Dublin, Ireland and this facility utilises comodo issued security (SSL) encrypted servers and is protected by physical barriers and 24/7 guard to prevent unauthorised access. Our network provider has significant protection against traditional network security issues and TestReach implements further application-level protection. Instances cannot send spoofed network traffic. The host-based firewall infrastructure will not permit an instance to send traffic with a source IP or MAC address other than its own. All of the APIs are available via SSL-protected endpoints which provide server authentication. SSL Protocols accepted are TLS 1, 1.1 and 1.2 using SHA-256 signed certificates.

TestReach Services are all provided through Amazon Web Services (AWS) in their EU-West-1 Region (Ireland) and backups made in Ireland and to the separate EU-Central-1 region (Dispersed across different AWS data centres in the EU).

Access to data (upon exit):

If a client wishes to stop working with TestReach, then if a request is received within 30 days of the contract termination, we will return the client’s data as requested through the use of our data exchange centre. All client data is then deleted 30 days after contract termination.

Security:

The TestReach application architecture is a secure multi-tenant system with auto-scaling, failover and multiple redundant systems at all levels of the application infrastructure. TestReach has been fully certified under ISO 27001 as complying with the highest standards of data and system security. TestReach is also fully certified under ISO 9001 for Quality Management.

The application, backups and all other TestReach data is held within Amazon’s secure data cloud (AWS) within the EU, with primary servers in Dublin and back-up servers spread across different AWS data centres in the EU. As all TestReach data is held in the EU it is subject to EU data protection and processing laws, and all data is encrypted using 128-bit encryption and SSL.

Amazon is a Tier 1 global leader in the provision of IaaS and has successfully completed multiple SAS70 Type II audits. AWS has the relevant BCP’s/DRP’s that cover TestReach’s platform and these are built into the TestReach contract for services and is attested to in their SOC2 reporting as well as compliance with relevant industry standards.

Amazon publishes both SOC 1 / ISAE 3402 and SOC 2 Type II reports, and is certified under multiple accreditations including ISO 27001, ISO 9001, HIPAA and PCI DSS.

In addition, they have been successfully validated as a Level 1 service provider under the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS) and have completed the control implementation and independent security testing required to operate at the FISMA Moderate level.

It is worth noting that at this time, Amazon offers by far the most secure and reliable hosting option globally, which is far superior not only to offering from other hosting vendors but also to anything that could be hosted by a company in-house. The guaranteed uptime provided by Amazon of physical network and server resources is no less than 99.95%.

In addition, TestReach as a company is ISO 27001 compliant, which covers a whole range of system and procedural measures relating to data security that are independently audited each year.

It’s also important to note that TestReach has a comprehensive data isolation strategy to ensure that each customer’s data is held and processed completely separately. This strategy is based on a combination of two elements represented on the following diagram and detailed below:

Figure 14: TestReach's Data Segregation

A role-based access control model that determines which actions a user has sufficient privilege to execute in the system. In this model, permissions are assigned to user roles (Permission Assignment) which, in turn, are assigned to users (User Assignment). The set of actions a user can perform in the system is defined by the combination of all permissions assigned to all roles assigned to the user.

A data ownership mechanism that determines the specific datasets to which a user has access. TestReach implements interceptors that check the relationship between users and objects, in order to identify the objects on which a user can perform the actions as defined in (1) above.

Candidate comfort and exam integrity are key strategic pillars for TestReach. We pride ourselves on giving candidates the tools, support and flexibility needed to make their exam experience as positive as can be, and we also appreciate that a significant amount of resources have been invested by our customers in building a reputation for the fairness and validity of their assessment programmes. We often hear stories of new customers that prior to TestReach a chief complaint was that the content of their exams was not secure or was being shared around ahead of test time. TestReach has a host of measures in place to prevent this from happening.

Going back to our integrated approach, the fact that authoring, delivery and marking all happen in the same platform greatly reduces risk of content becoming available to anyone who does not have the appropriate permissions. Given that content is all stored and managed on the TestReach platform, it no longer needs to be shared between platforms or instances, it does not need to be exported, hosted on different services, transferred as attachment, stored as files on computers, etc. Everything is securely kept behind TestReach’s security measures.

TestReach invest a great deal into ensuring that any content on our platform is secure. We operate under the ISO 27001 Information Security standard which includes detailed processes and procedures governing Physical & Environmental Security as well as Access controls for all electronic devices and data storage media.

TestReach has a detailed Logical Access Handbook which assigns team members access only on basis of least privilege (users are provided with the least possible level of access to allow them to perform their duties) and all employees sign non-disclosure agreements as well as detailed IT user agreements governing use of TestReach's systems and access to data. TestReach environments, hosted at AWS, are completely isolated in terms of network, permissions, credentials and software. Within TestReach access to all information is tightly controlled based on roles and permissions. Each user has their own unique login and they cannot access data to which they do not have permission. In addition, there are detailed audit logs, so all access is tracked to an individual and is date and time stamped. Daily backups are performed of all data to two separate and geographically dispersed Amazon buckets which are subject to Amazon's strongest security controls. TestReach log auditing relies on AWS Cloud Trail Services, which provides real time secure access to detailed logs. Candidate exams are sat using a Lockdown browser. This is a toolkit compatible with Mac and Windows which prevents candidates from accessing any information on their device that is not part of the exam experience. Assessments are displayed full-screen and cannot be minimised. All navigation is dependent on the application itself. Other applications, including messaging, screen-sharing, virtual machines, and remote desktops as well as printing and screen capture functions are all disabled. Copying and pasting anything to or from an assessment is prevented, as are right-click menu options, function keys, keyboard shortcuts and task switching. Finally, any assessments that are set up for use with lockdown Browser cannot be accessed with other browsers.

Our endpoints are hosted on a world-class infrastructure. Proprietary DDoS mitigation techniques are used. Additionally, networks are multi-homed across a number of providers to achieve Internet access diversity. TestReach availability metrics are measured through a third-party tool that keeps track of any unplanned downtime, provides a comprehensive log of events for any given period of time, triggers immediate alerts in case of environment degradation/downtime, between other relevant functionalities for Availability Management.