Taking the CSCA at Home — Equipment, Setup and Rules

Two Ways to Sit the CSCA

The CSCA is delivered primarily as a home-based online test with remote proctoring, while authorised test centres are gradually being opened in key countries. You cannot simply pick: the home-based test is offered only in countries or regions where no test-centre sitting is available yet, so check what csca.cn offers for your country when you register.

Sitting it from home removes travel and cost, but it puts the burden of a working exam setup on you. A candidate who discovers on exam morning that their laptop cannot run the exam client has no fallback. This guide covers what you need, how to set the room up, and the rules that catch people out.

The One Requirement That Rules Out macOS

The CSCA exam client runs on Windows only — Windows 10 or 11 (with legacy support for 64-bit Windows 7). That has consequences that surprise a lot of candidates:

• Apple computers cannot be used. MacBook, iMac and Mac mini are all out.
• Tablets cannot be used as the main device — not an iPad, not an Android tablet.
• Virtual machines are not allowed. The CSCA requires the client to run on real physical hardware, so Parallels, VMware, VirtualBox and similar setups cannot be used.
• Virtualization features must be switched off even on a normal Windows PC: the CSCA names Hyper-V, Windows Sandbox, WSL/WSL2 and VBS, and warns that some Microsoft Surface models may not run the client properly. Remote desktops and cloud PCs are not allowed. (The CSCA says nothing about Boot Camp on Intel Macs, so do not rely on it unless it passes the official equipment check.)

If you own a Mac, the only route is to borrow or buy a Windows machine — and to test it well before exam day, not the night before. This is the single most important thing to check the moment you register.

Hardware You Need

Main computer

• Windows 10 or 11
• Screen resolution of at least 1366 by 768
• At least 4 GB of memory
• At least 2 GB free on the installation drive
• One monitor only. External and second displays are prohibited — unplug them.
• A webcam of at least 720p, 1080p recommended, positioned above the screen
• If you are using a desktop, external speakers and a microphone. Wireless headphones are prohibited.

Second device for room monitoring

The home-based format uses two devices: your computer for answering, and a phone or tablet placed about 45° behind you and to one side, slightly above shoulder height, so the proctor can see your upper body, your screen and both hands. On exam day it connects to the CSCA monitoring page when you scan a QR code on your computer screen; set it to airplane mode, then reconnect Wi-Fi and turn on Do Not Disturb. Put the second device on a stable stand and keep it plugged in — the session is longer than most phone batteries enjoy.

Network

The CSCA requires at least 20 Mbps upload and download (and a sustained 500 KB/s to the exam system); a wired connection is strongly recommended. Prepare a 4G mobile hotspot as a backup before exam day and know how to switch to it quickly. VPNs, proxies and network accelerators are prohibited.

Software to Install in Advance

Two pieces of software are needed, and both must be installed before exam day:

• The CSCA exam client on your main Windows computer.
• The secondary-camera monitoring page on your phone or tablet. The current equipment rules describe it as browser-based, opened by scanning a QR code on exam day (an older FAQ calls it an app), so follow the instructions you are sent and test it during the equipment check.

Download links and installation instructions are released through the official CSCA registration system and sent to the email address you registered with. Install them as soon as they arrive. The Equipment and Software Check and at least one Proctored Mock Test are compulsory, in windows the CSCA announces before each sitting: skip them and you may be unable to sit the exam, with no refund. Fix problems while there is still time to fix them.

Setting Up the Room

• Use a quiet, enclosed, well-lit room that nobody else will enter for the duration of the session — not a café, school computer lab or dormitory — and sit at a standard desk in a corner of the room, facing the wall, with your back to the room.
• Clear the desk of everything not explicitly permitted — notes, books, spare devices, smart watches.
• Position the second device so the proctor can see both you and the wider working area, not just your face.
• Make sure your face is well lit and not backlit by a window behind you.

Treat the room as part of the identity check. The proctor has to be satisfied about the whole environment, not just that you are who you say you are.

Identity Documents

A passport is the only accepted identification, and it must be the original and currently valid document, a regular booklet passport (not a passport card or a diplomatic or service passport) that stays valid from registration until your scores are released. Photocopies are refused. Expired passports are refused. In either case you will not be permitted to sit the exam, and the fee is not refundable.

You log in to the exam client with your admission ticket number and password. Print the ticket: the printed ticket and your original passport are required items and sit on the desk for verification.

Rough Working

You cannot use ordinary scratch paper freely. The permitted setup is a small whiteboard, or blank paper inside a transparent file sleeve, written on with an erasable marker — nothing permanent.

You must show the board or sleeve to the proctor before and after the exam, and erase everything at the end. Since there is no calculator either, practise your hand-calculation on exactly this setup during revision so the constraint is familiar rather than a surprise.

Exam-Day Timeline

1. Before the system opens: close every other application and antivirus, disconnect second monitors, put the phone on its stand and plug both devices in.
2. 60 minutes before: the system opens — log in straight away with your ticket number and password, complete facial recognition and connect the second device by scanning the QR code. Finish every step at least 15 minutes before the start (the Chinese rules say 15 minutes, the English version 5); nobody can enter once the paper has begun.
3. Identity check: present your original passport to the camera as instructed.
4. Environment scan: show the room and your rough-working board.
5. During the exam: stay in frame, keep quiet, do not open other applications.
6. At the end: erase your board and show it to the proctor before closing the session.

After the Exam

Home-based and test-centre sittings use the same paper, timing and marking, and from the November 2026 sitting results are released within 10 working days of the exam. Scores are reported per subject on a 0 to 100 scale and stay valid for two years, so one good sitting can cover more than one application cycle.

Verify Before You Rely On This

The requirements above reflect the guidance circulating for the 2026 sittings, but the CSCA can revise the client and its rules between sessions. Always confirm the current requirements against the documentation sent to your registered email and published in the official registration system at csca.cn before exam day — particularly the operating system and client version, which are the requirements most likely to change.

Once your setup is sorted, the preparation itself is the easy part: full-length timed practice exams, free course modules for all four subjects, and the exam calendar so you know when the next sitting opens.