Getting Started

This guide walks through integrating Proctorio into your learning platform from scratch.

Prerequisites

A Proctorio API key (contact your account manager)
An LMS or exam platform with URL-addressable exam pages
HTTPS-enabled exam URLs (required for proctoring)

Integration Flow

The integration follows a simple pattern:

Your platform sends a POST request to the Proctorio API with exam configuration
Proctorio API returns a secure URL
Your platform redirects the student to that URL
Proctorio handles pre-checks, monitoring, and recording
The exam ends when the student reaches the exam_end URL pattern

URL Pattern Matching

Proctorio uses regex patterns to understand the exam lifecycle:

exam_start — Where the exam begins (the launch page)
exam_take — Pages that are part of the exam (questions, navigation)
exam_end — Where the exam has been submitted

Important: The launch_url value must match the exam_start pattern. All redirects between exam pages must match the exam_take pattern.

Single-Page Applications

For SPAs where the URL doesn't change between exam states, use the postMessage API:

// Transition to exam-taking state
window.top.postMessage(
  ["exam_state_change", "exam_take"],
  "https://getproctorio.com"
);

// Exam completed
window.top.postMessage(
  ["exam_state_change", "exam_end"],
  "https://getproctorio.com"
);

When using postMessage, set the corresponding parameter value to "post_message_notification".

Exam Settings Quick Reference

Setting	Purpose	Dependencies
`record_video`	Record webcam	None
`record_audio`	Record microphone	None
`record_screen`	Record full desktop	None
`verify_video`	Validate webcam	`record_video`
`verify_id`	ID verification	`record_video`, `verify_video` (for level 2)
`full_screen`	Force fullscreen	`close_tabs`, `one_screen`, `tabs: 1`
`live_proctor`	Real-time monitoring	`record_video`, `verify_video`

Error Handling

All API errors return structured JSON. See the Error Handling guide for details.