Proctorio is an outside service that provides remote proctoring of quizzes and exams via an extension in the Chrome browser.
Proctorio updates itself every Friday evening. If it has been a while since you've closed your browser or restarted your machine, those updates may not apply smoothly and may cause issues with Proctorio's performance.
Proctorio also requires a certain level of CPU performance. If you have several applications open or if it has been a while since you've restarted your machine, your computer may not have the processing capabilities needed to run the application. You may find yourself stalled at the "waiting on Brightspace" point, or Proctorio may close out the exam and attempt to restart. It may also crash the Chrome browser and log you out of Brightspace completely.
This is a common situation after the break between terms.
Try the following items:
- Restart your computer; this will apply the needed updates. Restarting will also force-quit applications that may have a high CPU usage.
- Shut down all unneeded applications; close all browsers and browser tabs other than the ones you need to access the LMS and the exam.
- Go into your Chrome extensions and uninstall Proctorio. Then reinstall Proctorio and restart your machine.
Keep an eye on the extension.
Check to see that the Proctorio extension shield is dark grey. If it is light grey, it means the extension has not activated. If it has not activated, give it a few more seconds to see if it darkens.
The first image below shows that the extension is not activated. The second image is activated.


If the extension still does not activate, then you may contact Proctorio Support directly.
Check your "Manage Extensions" permissions.
Chrome has a permission system for its extensions that requires Chrome to declare the permissions they to read and manage data.
You may have to allow Proctorio to read and change all of your data on websites as follows:
You can disable this setting once the exam is over, but you will need to re-enable it the next time you take an exam with Proctorio.
Other items that may be influencing Proctorio's ability to perform:
- Too many processes running in the background. Open your computer's task manager and look to see what may be running in addition to the Chrome browser. For example, this author found that Spotify was taking up a lot of processing power, and turning that off in the task manager helped.
- Too many other Chrome extensions. You may have to turn off all Chrome extensions except Proctorio.
Other recommendations from Proctorio:
- Turn off your computer and router. Wait at least 30 seconds, then turn both back on.
- Try a different computer. For some strange reason, PCs seem to perform more consistently with Proctorio than Macs.
- When you open your exam, immediately start a live chat with Proctorio. That way they can screen share and watch exactly what happens, and be ready to assist you.
Most of the time, a combination of items will fix the issue. Proctorio is a tool just any other, and sometimes it needs a little maintenance to run effectively.
If problems persist, please contact Proctorio directly.
- Web: Proctorio Knowledge Base
- Call: 866.948.9248
- Email: support@proctorio.com