Surpass Basics

This area of the Help Site is the perfect introduction for new Surpass users, including information on the end-to-end Surpass workflow, an overview of the different delivery types, and instructions on how to set up a new user account.

What is Surpass?

Surpass is a market-leading end-to-end assessment platform used for the authoring, administration, delivery, marking, and reporting of computer- and paper-based tests. Surpass is a secure platform built for large-scale high-stakes digital examinations, which can be taken online or offline using either a web browser or our proprietary SecureClient application that can lock down candidates’ devices to ensure a fair and reliable testing experience anywhere in the world.

For more high-level information about the features of Surpass, read What is Surpass?

Using Surpass for end-to-end digital testing

Surpass can accommodate the entire end-to-end assessment workflow, from creating items and putting those items into tests to the delivery, marking, and reporting of those tests.

For a step-by-step breakdown of the end-to-end Surpass workflow, read Using Surpass for end-to-end digital testing.

About Surpass test delivery options

As well as traditional paper production, Surpass supports test delivery on multiple digital platforms. Whether a test is being taken within a web browser, on an iPad (or an Android tablet using our Surpass (Legacy) tablet app), or on an offline Windows machine running SecureClient in lockdown mode, you can be assured that candidates will always receive the best and most reliable text experience possible.

For an overview of the supported test delivery methods in Surpass, read About Surpass test delivery options.

Setting up a new Surpass user account

In order to use Surpass, you must have a valid user account. This user account is associated with a unique password, which can be reset by answering a security question only you know the answer to.

To learn how to set up a new Surpass user account, including setting your password and security question, read Setting up a new Surpass user account.

Logging in to Surpass

In order to access Surpass, you must login with your user name and password. To learn how to login to Surpass and how to reset your password if you have forgotten it, read Logging in to Surpass.

About the Surpass home screen

The Surpass home screen is the first thing you see when you login to Surpass and acts as your hub for the rest of the system. The home screen includes a customisable welcome message, language controls, and version information.

To learn how to navigate the Surpass home screen and use its features, read About the Surpass home screen.

Logging out of Surpass

When you have finished working in Surpass for the day or are stepping away from your computer, you might want to log out of the system. To learn how to log out of Surpass, read Logging out of Surpass.