Assessment Technology Guide

Domain Name

Firewalls, Proxy Servers and Content Filters need to be set to NOT proxy, filter, cache or block the Avant domain names on the ports listed below. All inbound and outbound traffic for the applicable domain names shown below must be whitelisted. If your system does not allow whitelisting of domain names, please contact us at support@avantassessment.com.

Please ensure inbound and outbound HTTP/HTTPS (TCP 80, 443) * is open and whitelisted for the following domain: .avantassessment.com* (This is our primary application domain).

Client Bandwidth

200 Kbps (upload/download speed) of available bandwidth per test taker is recommended.

The following information pertains to the equipment setup needed for each assessment:

Computer and Tablet Minimum Requirements

Ensure that computers are not affected by power saving, screen saver, or shutdown processes that may affect test taking.

PC Requirements

Test →	STAMP, STAMPe, APT, PLACE, SHL	ASL
OS	Windows 10 +	Windows 10 +
Processor	Dual-core 2.4 Ghz CPU +	Dual-core 2.4 Ghz CPU +
RAM	4 GB +	4 GB +
Browser	Microsoft Edge 42, Chrome 68 +	Chrome (the latest version)

Mac Requirements

Test →	STAMP, STAMPe, APT, PLACE, SHL	ASL
OS	OSX 10.14.6 Mojave +	OSX 10.14.6 Mojave +
Processor	Intel / AMD Processor +	Intel / AMD Processor +
RAM	4 GB +	4 GB +
Browser	Safari 11, Chrome 68 +	Chrome (the latest version)

Chromebook Requirements

Test →	STAMP, STAMPe, APT, PLACE, SHL	ASL
OS	89.0 +	89.0 +
RAM	4 GB +	4 GB +
Browser	Chrome 68 +	Chrome (the latest version)

iPad Requirements

Test →	STAMP, STAMPe, APT, PLACE, SHL	ASL
OS	iOS 12 +	Not Supported

iPad Audio Issue

NOTE: Apple iPads currently have a known issue with audio recording and playback. This issue occurs when test takers play back recorded audio. During playback, the volume is very low and may not be audible to the test taker. The audio is being recorded at its proper volume and is only reduced during playback on the test taker device. Administrators can check the recording quality by accessing the speaking samples via the Teacher/Administrator report access. 

Suggested Strategy: Having test takers complete the Speaking section on a different device is the best option. If that is not possible, direct the test taker to speak loudly during the recording using an attached microphone and then turn the volume up to high during playback of the audio. Remind test takers to turn the volume down, once they have completed the speaking section of the test.    

Android Tablet Requirements

Test →	STAMP, STAMPe, APT, PLACE, SHL	ASL
OS	Android OS 6 +	Not Supported

General Browser Requirements

• The browser must be set to allow cookies AND JavaScript.
• The browser must be given permission to use the microphone.
• The browser must be given permission to use the Web Camera.
• The browser cannot be set to incognito or private mode.
• Remove or stop all browser extensions (like “Grammarly”) except for “Google Input Tools” which can be used to let test takers type in the language of their choice.

Keyboard Character Activation

The test includes a writing section where a virtual keyboard will be needed for typing in the following languages:

Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Cantonese, Chinese (Mandarin) Simplified & Traditional, Hebrew, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Marathi, Russian, Tamil, Telugu, Vietnamese, Urdu.

For more information on loading virtual keyboards for these languages see the Writing Input Guide.

Headset Guidelines

For information on audio settings and troubleshooting recording issues see the Headset Guide.

Virus Check

Before completing an Avant Assessment on a personal device, we suggest completing a virus check on the operating system on that device. This is to ensure that there is no malware present on the device that could compromise the testing data.

Browser Extensions

We recommend disabling the Grammarly browser extension during testing as it interferes with virtual keyboards. There may also be other extensions which could cause interference and disabling all extensions may be helpful.