For Windows · free · unofficial

Get your PC exam-ready

In the last days before a big exam, the last thing you need is to worry about your computer's setup. ProctorReady switches your other screens off in one click, checks camera, microphone, network and more for online proctored exams such as EPSO's, and puts everything back afterwards.

Download for Windows What it does
No Windows? Use ProctorReady CheckTests camera, microphone and network right in Chrome or Edge, on a Mac, Linux or any PC. Nothing to install.
Normal setup · 3 screens on A desk with three screens: email on the left, a spreadsheet in the middle, chat on the right. In exam mode the two side screens turn off and the middle one shows the online test. MailOff SheetOnline test ChatOff
Exam mode turns the other screens off and runs the checks. Back to normal brings them back.

Why I built it

Getting my PC ready for Proctorio took my whole work setup down. Screens gone, sound gone, and over an hour of troubleshooting before everything worked again. That is an hour you don't have in the last days before an exam.

So I built ProctorReady: one app you can trust on your own PC. It sends nothing about you anywhere, switches your screens to the test rules in one click, and puts them back when you're done.

Flo, founder of Cordaves

The problem

A second screen can end your test

Proctoring software such as Proctorio watches for a second screen, and many exams end the session when it finds one. So you unplug and rearrange before the test, and afterwards Windows often doesn't bring your screens back. With a screen or an AV receiver on a second output, screens even get "lost": still plugged in, but switched off. (An AV receiver is a home-cinema amplifier; Windows treats it as a screen.)

The usual advice is "unplug it or press Win+P". ProctorReady does it in one click, remembers your normal setup and checks the rest.

You're not the only one

What test-takers write about the setup

Proctoring software is strict on purpose, and that strictness often lands on home setups. A few lines from public 1-star reviews, without the reviewers' names. They are the reviewers' own words about their own experience, not our verdict on these services.

  • 1 of 5 stars

    “Went to take the test and they had me unplugging monitors and uninstalling software and then was told to reboot.”

    ProctorU · Trustpilot, Aug 2026

  • 1 of 5 stars

    “It was very difficult to put on my computer… Finally, after 2.5 hours I decided to contact tech support at my college…”

    Proctorio · Trustpilot, Sep 2024

  • 1 of 5 stars

    “The setup process took about 50 minutes of these tedious steps…”

    ProctorU · Trustpilot, Sep 2026

Three more reviews
  • 1 of 5 stars

    “On multiple occasions, the browser wouldn’t recognize my webcam, leaving me unable to complete my exam.”

    Respondus LockDown Browser (iOS) · App Store, Sep 2024

  • 1 of 5 stars

    “The software basically forces you to get white-listed on your firewall…”

    Pearson OnVUE · Trustpilot, Sep 2026

  • 1 of 5 stars

    “…had a nightmare getting permission for the camera set and had to remove cookies under the app settings and use a different camera option.”

    ProctorU · Trustpilot, Nov 2025

Average ratings, out of 5, as shown on 4 November 2026
Proctoring serviceTrustpilotG2 (schools and businesses)
ProctorU / Meazure Learning1.1 (177 reviews)3.3 (91)
Examity1.6 (37)not listed
Proctorio2.5 (12)4.2 (39)
Honorlock2.5 (5 reviews only)4.5 (92)
Respondus LockDown Browser1.2 (iOS App Store, 4K ratings)3.7 (44)
Pearson OnVUE1.1 (2,733, all of Pearson VUE)3.1 (16)

Quotes are shortened with “…”. Schools and businesses who buy these services rate them much higher on G2. ProctorReady doesn't replace any of them: it gets your PC ready to work with them.

In the app · My setup

Your screens, sound, microphone and camera in one place

Every screen, the sound, the microphone and the camera, with plain buttons. You stay in control: nothing changes until you press a button, except the automatic repair of lost screens, which you can switch off.

Swipe the screenshots sideways to see all of them.

ProctorReady's screen map: four screens with Monitor 1 marked as the main and exam screen, and a card for each screen with Turn off and Make main buttons.

Exam mode

Leaves exactly one screen on: the one you picked as your exam screen. Press Keep to confirm; if you don't, the change is undone after 15 seconds, like Windows' own dialog.

Ctrl Alt E

Back to normal

Brings back every screen at its old position and rotation, portrait included, and the sound output you had. Save your normal setup once; ProctorReady remembers it.

Ctrl Alt N

Repair

Windows switched a screen off on its own? Repair turns it back on. A small helper next to the clock (bottom right of the screen) does this for you, at most three times in two minutes. In exam mode it keeps the extra screens off instead.

Ctrl Alt R

The camera panel: OK for the browser's default camera, camera apps, camera permission and camera in use now.

Camera, without turning it on

See every camera and which one Chrome or Edge will pick first. ProctorReady flags virtual cameras and camera-manager apps, shows the Windows camera permission and tells you if another app is using the camera right now. For a live look it opens the Windows Camera app.

The microphone panel: OK for the default microphone, NOTE for a disabled stereo mix and for unplugged headsets (example devices).

Microphone and sound

Every microphone with the default one, its volume, mute and Windows permission. Test microphone shows a live level so you can see it hears you; it listens for at most 30 seconds and keeps nothing. Headsets and earbuds are flagged, because many tests forbid them, and the sound output shows its volume and mute.

Twenty-four checks, one button

Run checks looks at what the computer can test itself and lists what to fix first, each with a button to the right Windows settings page.

OK fine Note good to know Check look at it Fix fix before the test

  • One screen
  • Extra screens
  • Lost screens
  • Receiver sound
  • Virtual displays
  • Docking station
  • Webcam
  • Microphone
  • Headphones
  • Network
  • VPN
  • Proxy
  • Firewall
  • Antivirus
  • Admin rights
  • Virtual machine
  • Power
  • Memory and disk
  • Clock
  • Keyboard
  • Browser version
  • Proctorio extension
  • Notifications
  • Apps to close
Test readiness checks: FIX for one screen only, clock and Proctorio extension, CHECK for Wi-Fi, firewall and antivirus, each with a button to the right Windows page.

In the app · EPSO Checklist

A checklist built from EPSO's own instructions

More than 50 things to tick off and the rules that can end a test, from the instructions of EPSO (the EU's recruitment office) for online tests on TAO, its test platform, with Proctorio. In plain words, each with the section number so you can look it up.

EPSO/AD/427/26 candidates: the dates of the reasoning tests (9 to 13 November 2026) and the 6 November deadline are already in.

  • Before the test day: the prerequisite check, the Proctorio extension, your ID.
  • Computer setup: ProctorReady ticks most of these off by itself.
  • Room and desk, the test day, what ends a test, what to do if something goes wrong and after the test.
  • Dates and a countdown to the prerequisite-check deadline, in Brussels time and yours.
  • Support phone and email with a Copy button, and Print checklist for a paper copy.
The EPSO Checklist: the EPSO/AD/427/26 test picked, a countdown to the prerequisite check deadline, the dates, the TAO support phone and email with Copy buttons and the first tick boxes of Before the test day.

ProctorReady is unofficial. It is not made by or affiliated with EPSO, TAO or Proctorio, and it can't promise that your test session is accepted. Your invitation and the official instructions always win.

In the app · More Checklists to come

Taking a different test?

A general checklist for any online proctored exam is included: Proctorio, ProctorU, Examity, Respondus, TestWe and others. The same automatic checks work with it.

Send us the official instructions for your test and we'll look at adding a checklist for it.

Ask for a checklist

Checklists are simple text files. You can also write your own: the format is in the guides folder that comes with the download.

What it changes

It only changes what you ask it to

  • Checks only look

    ProctorReady never turns off a firewall, antivirus or anything else. Its buttons open the Windows page where you decide.

  • Undo is built in

    Exam mode waits for your Keep and undoes itself after 15 seconds without it. Your normal setup is one button away.

  • Nothing about you leaves your PC

    No account, no tracking. The one network request is a quick look at eu-careers.europa.eu to compare your clock.

  • No installer

    Unzip and start. Settings, log and ticks stay in %APPDATA%\ProctorReady (type that into the Explorer address bar). To remove ProctorReady, delete that folder and the one you unzipped.

Five steps

From your normal desk to test day and back

  1. Save your setup

    Arrange your screens as you like them, then press Save as my normal setup. It saves the sound output too.

  2. Pick the exam screen

    One screen, on its card. A receiver can't be the exam screen.

  3. Exam mode

    Before the test, press Exam mode and confirm with Keep.

  4. Work through the checklist

    Run the checks and tick off the rest. To be safe, also pull the cables of the other screens: some rules forbid a second screen even being connected.

  5. Back to normal

    After the test, one button brings every screen and the sound back.

Download

ProctorReady for Windows

Free. Right-click the zip, choose Extract All, then open ProctorReady.exe in the new folder. First thing in the app: arrange your screens as you like them and press Save as my normal setup (the five steps).

Download ProctorReady-0.1.0.zip

If Windows warns you

ProctorReady is new and not yet signed with a code-signing certificate, so Windows SmartScreen may say "Windows protected your PC". Click More info, then Run anyway. Only do this with the file from this page; if you want to be sure, check its fingerprint first.

Version
0.1.0, 4 November 2026
Size
132 KB
Works on
Windows 11 (tested). It should also run on Windows 10, which hasn't been tested yet. No installer: the .NET Framework 4.8 it needs is part of Windows 10 and 11.
Tested
One Windows 11 desktop with four screens. Not yet: laptops, DisplayLink docks, other graphics cards, display scaling other than 100%. Try it well before your test day.
Check the file (optional)

Open PowerShell and run:

Get-FileHash "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\ProctorReady-0.1.0.zip"

The Hash it shows must match this fingerprint (SHA-256):

dc65e781cc0c1ccb6da5b7121431c6705352ea0e805535b2402bbf1fd417284f

Questions

Is ProctorReady official?

No. It is made by Cordaves, a small company in Frankfurt am Main, and is not affiliated with EPSO, TAO, Proctorio or any exam provider. It can't promise that a test session is accepted. The official instructions and your invitation always win.

Does it replace EPSO's prerequisite check?

No. Do the official prerequisite check on the same computer, with the same devices and settings, before the deadline. ProctorReady helps you get there and reminds you of the deadline.

Do I still need to unplug my other screens?

Exam mode switches them off in Windows. Some test rules forbid a second screen even being connected, so pulling the cables as well is the safe choice.

How do I start?

Extract the zip, open ProctorReady.exe and press Save as my normal setup. Then follow the five steps: pick the exam screen, try Exam mode once, work through the checklist and go back to normal.

Windows says "Windows protected your PC". What now?

Click More info, then Run anyway, but only for the file from this page. Check the file (optional) in the download section shows how to make sure.

Is it safe to run?

There is no installer and no account, and nothing about you leaves your PC: the only network request is a quick clock check against eu-careers.europa.eu. The file isn't code-signed yet, so Windows may warn you; Check the file next to the download shows how to make sure you have the file from this page.

What if something goes wrong in Exam mode?

If you don't press Keep, Exam mode undoes itself after 15 seconds. Back to normal (Ctrl+Alt+N) brings back every screen and the sound output you saved.

Will it change my firewall or antivirus?

Never. It shows you their state and opens the right Windows settings page. If the test rules ask you to turn something off, you do it yourself and turn it back on afterwards.

Does it work on a Mac, on Linux or on a laptop?

The app runs on Windows; so far it's tested on Windows 11. On a Mac or on Linux you can use ProctorReady Check today: it checks screens, camera, microphone, network and browser in Chrome or Edge and has the EPSO checklist, with nothing to install and nothing leaving your browser. It can't switch screens for you; the Windows app can. Full versions for macOS and Linux are being built; write to info@cordaves.com if you'd like to hear when they're out. Laptops haven't been tested yet; laptop support (lid closed, one external screen) is planned.

Which tests does it cover?

The full checklist is for EPSO tests on TAO with Proctorio. A general checklist covers other online proctored exams. Write to info@cordaves.com to ask for yours.