SEB Server: Setting Up an Exam
Once your institution is linked to Moodle and you have an Exam Configuration ready, you can import a Moodle quiz as an exam in SEB Server. This is where the central setup work pays off: in a few clicks, you attach the lockdown rules, choose your supporters and set up a quit password. Exam Administrators handle this work.
What this product is for
The Moodle quiz already exists in Moodle. SEB Server's job is to wrap that quiz with the security and monitoring it needs to be safely delivered through Safe Exam Browser. Importing a quiz as an exam, attaching the right Exam Configuration, and assigning supporters is the standard preparation routine for every exam your institution runs.
Main features
- Live lookup of Moodle courses and quizzes from inside SEB Server.
- One-click import of a Moodle quiz as an SEB Server exam.
- Live reading of start and end times from Moodle, with no manual sync needed.
- Attaching one Exam Configuration per exam.
- Assigning one or many Exam Supporters to an exam.
- A per-exam quit password that students must enter to leave Safe Exam Browser early.
- Exam Templates to apply standard indicators, client groups, screen proctoring and SEB settings to new exams automatically.
- A Test-Run mode that lets you trial an upcoming exam before its real start time.
- Archive and delete actions for finished exams.
How to use it
Step 1: Find the Moodle quiz
- Sign in as an Exam Administrator.
- Go to Exam Administration, then Assessment Tool Exam Lookup.
- Use the filters above the list to find the course or quiz. The Start-Time filter defaults to about a year ago and will hide older items, so push it back if needed.
- Double-click a row to see the full Moodle details, including the start and end times.
Step 2: Import the quiz as an exam
- Select the row of the quiz you want to import.
- Choose Import As Exam from the action pane.
- On the import page, optionally choose an Exam Template. If you choose one, the template's settings are applied to the new exam automatically.
- Choose an Exam Type. This is informational only and does not change SEB Server behaviour.
- In the Exam Supporter field, click and start typing the name of any user you want to assign. Select each supporter from the drop-down. Add as many as you need.
- If you want a quit password specific to this exam, enter it now. The password is shared with the Exam Configuration once one is attached.
- Choose Save Exam to confirm.
SEB Server creates the exam and shows the exam overview page. From here you can attach an Exam Configuration, add monitoring indicators and apply the SEB restriction.
Step 3: Attach the Exam Configuration
- From the exam overview, scroll to the SEB Exam Configurations section.
- Choose Add Exam Configuration from the action pane.
- In the pop-up, pick the configuration you prepared earlier. Only configurations in Ready To Use that are not already attached elsewhere will appear.
- If you want to add a password to encrypt the configuration in transit, enter it. In most cases this is unnecessary because the connection is already over HTTPS.
- Choose OK to confirm.
Attaching the configuration sends the Config-Key to Moodle through the SEB Server Plugin. SEB Server keeps the Config-Key in step with the configuration automatically.
Step 4: Add or check monitoring indicators
SEB Server creates a default Last Ping Time indicator for every exam. You can leave this in place, change its thresholds, and add other indicators such as Battery Status or Errors. The article on indicators and restrictions covers this in detail.
Step 5: Apply the SEB restriction
Choose Apply SEB Lock from the action pane. Through the SEB Server Plugin in Moodle, this tells Moodle to allow the quiz to be opened only by a Safe Exam Browser whose Config-Key matches. To remove the lock later, choose Release SEB Lock.
Step 6 (optional): Run a Test-Run
Test-Run lets you connect a Safe Exam Browser to an exam that has not yet reached its scheduled start time.
- Open the exam.
- Choose Enable Test-Run from the action pane.
- Connect a test Safe Exam Browser. You can monitor it just like a real session.
- When finished, choose the same action again to disable Test-Run.
If the exam reaches its scheduled start time while still in Test-Run, SEB Server moves it to Running automatically and all features of a real running exam become available.
Quit password
The quit password is what Safe Exam Browser will prompt for if a student tries to exit the exam early. You can set it on the exam itself or in the Exam Configuration. SEB Server keeps the two in sync, so changing it in one place updates the other.
- If the exam has a quit password but the Exam Configuration does not, attaching the configuration will copy the password into the configuration.
- If the configuration has a quit password and the exam does not, the exam will adopt it on attach.
- If both are set when you attach, the exam's password wins and you will be told that the configuration's password has been overwritten.
- Changing the password in either place after attachment updates the other place too.
Exam Templates
An Exam Template lets you pre-define a set of indicators, client groups, screen proctoring settings and SEB defaults. When you import a quiz as an exam and pick the template, all of that is applied automatically. Templates are useful when your institution runs many exams that share the same shape.
- Go to Exam Administration, then Exam Template.
- Choose Add Exam Template, give it a name and save.
- Add monitoring indicators, SEB Client Groups and screen proctoring settings to the template just as you would on a real exam.
- Save the template.
- When importing a future quiz, select this template at import time.
Common tasks
Swap an exam supporter on the day. Open the exam, choose Edit Exam, remove the supporter who is unavailable using the minus icon next to their name, and add the replacement from the drop-down. Save.
Reassign an exam to a different configuration. Open the exam. In the SEB Exam Configurations section, remove the attached configuration with Delete Exam Configuration. Then choose Add Exam Configuration and pick the new one.
Use the same settings for a different exam. Open the original Exam Configuration, choose Copy Exam Configuration, give the copy a unique name, set it to Ready To Use, then attach the copy to the new exam.
Archive a finished exam. Open the exam after it has ended and choose Archive Exam. Archived exams are read-only, no longer pull updates from Moodle, and are hidden from the default exam list. You can find them again by setting the Status filter to Archived.
Delete an exam. Open the exam and choose Delete. SEB Server will show you exactly what dependent items will be removed before you confirm. Deletion is permanent.
Things to know
An exam reads its name, start time, end time and identifier from Moodle each time, and does not store them locally. Changing the quiz in Moodle will update what SEB Server shows.
You cannot import a quiz whose end time has already passed.
An exam that is missing setup, for example with no Exam Configuration attached, is flagged in the exam list and on the exam page in red. The system tells you exactly what is missing.
Only one Exam Configuration can be attached to any one exam at a time. To change configuration, remove the current one and attach the new one.
Test-Run is only available before the exam's scheduled start time. Once the real start time passes, the exam moves into Running mode.
Archiving an exam is a good way to keep its data on SEB Server while letting you safely retire the related Moodle setup. Archive the exam first, then deactivate the Moodle setup.
Deleting an exam also deletes its monitoring data and indicators. This cannot be reversed.
Troubleshooting
I cannot see the quiz I want in the lookup. Check the Start-Time filter, which usually hides anything older than about a year. Also check that the Moodle setup is active and that the API account in Moodle can see the course.
I cannot pick my Exam Configuration when attaching. The configuration must be in Ready To Use status and not already attached to another exam. Open the configuration and update it if needed.
The exam page is showing a red warning. SEB Server lists exactly what is missing, usually an Exam Configuration, indicators or the SEB restriction. Address each item in turn and the warning will clear.
Apply SEB Lock did nothing. Confirm the Moodle setup is of type Moodle with SEB Server Plugin, that the plugin in Moodle is up to date, and that the API account used by SEB Server has permission to apply quiz access restrictions through the plugin.
The quit password keeps changing. The exam and the Exam Configuration share their quit password. Changing it in either place updates the other. Decide where you want to control it and apply it consistently.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to import every Moodle quiz?
Only those you want to deliver through Safe Exam Browser. Other quizzes can continue to run in Moodle as normal.
Can I edit the start and end times of an exam in SEB Server?
No. Times come from Moodle. Update the quiz in Moodle and SEB Server will pick up the change.
Can I assign supporters from another institution?
No. A user's institution determines which exams they can be assigned to.
Will students see the exam in Safe Exam Browser before it starts?
Only if the exam is in Test-Run mode for testing. Students will normally only see running exams.
What happens if I attach the wrong configuration by mistake?
Open the exam, remove the configuration with Delete Exam Configuration, and attach the correct one. If automated SEB restriction is active, the Config-Key on Moodle will be updated automatically.
Summary
Setting up an exam in SEB Server is a short, predictable routine: find the quiz, import it, attach an Exam Configuration, check indicators, apply the SEB restriction, and assign supporters. Templates and Test-Run reduce repeated effort and let you trial an exam before students sit it.
These articles are produced and maintained by Essington ITS, a UK-based IT services provider specialising in the deployment of SEB Server the secure online assessment platform.
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