Last updated on October 27, 2026
ProctorU can only proctor Canvas quizzes, so to proctor an exam that lives in a publisher platform (like Cengage MindTap, McGraw Hill Connect, or Pearson MyLab), you place it inside a Canvas quiz. This is called a wrapper quiz. Students start the wrapper quiz through ProctorU, then open the publisher exam from inside the proctored session.
Some publishers, such as McGraw Hill, offer their own proctoring tools, which may carry a student fee. Reach out to your publisher rep for more information about options, costs, and setup.
Before You Start
- Make sure your publisher course is connected to your Canvas course.
- Use a Classic Quiz for the wrapper.
- Check that ProctorU LTI1.3 shows in your left-hand course navigation menu. If it doesn’t, view our tutorial Enable and Disable Items on the Navigation Menu.
- Know the publisher exam’s web address (URL). You will need it to allow the site in ProctorU.
- Note: To find it, open the exam as the instructor and copy the web address from your browser’s address bar. You can also add the publisher’s main site (for example, cengage.com for MindTap) in case the link redirects.
- Plan an alternative for students who can’t use ProctorU, such as the MSU Denver Testing Center.
- For more information, view our tutorial, Proctor Online Assessments, for options.
Step 1: Lock the Publisher Exam
Keep students from opening the publisher exam outside of ProctorU.
- Add a password to the exam in the publisher platform, if the platform allows it.
- Keep the publisher exam out of your Canvas modules so students don’t open it directly. It may still show in students’ Canvas To Do list because it has a due date, but they can’t open it without the access code.
Step 2: Build the Wrapper Quiz in Canvas
- Create a new Classic Quiz.
- Note: To prevent students from opening the quiz outside of ProctorU, do not put the Quiz in a Module. Instead, create the Quiz through the Quizzes page on your left-hand course navigation menu.
- For more information, view our tutorial Create and Edit Classic Quizzes.
- Give it the same name as the publisher exam in the Quiz Title text field.
- Click Edit at the top right of the Quiz page.
- Click the Questions tab at the top.
- Click + New Question.
- Click the Question drop-down menu at the top and select Text (no question).
- Write short instructions in the text box, and add the publisher exam link and password.
- Note: Don’t put these in the quiz instructions. Students can see instructions before the proctored session starts.
- Set the quiz requirements ProctorU needs:
- Due Date, Available from Date, and Until Date
- A Time Limit (add a few extra minutes for students to open the publisher exam)
- An Access Code (ProctorU enters this for students, so don’t share it and make sure it is different from the publisher exam password).
- Choose how to record the grade:
- Sync from the publisher: If the publisher exam is already synced with Canvas, its score goes to the Canvas Gradebook on its own. Leave the wrapper quiz at 0 points.
- Enter grades manually: Set the wrapper quiz to the same point value as the publisher exam, then enter each student’s score from the publisher in the Canvas Gradebook.
- Click Save and Publish on the bottom right of the page.
Step 3: Configure the Quiz in ProctorU
Follow the steps in Set Up a ProctorU Exam in Canvas. For a wrapper quiz, also use these two settings so students can reach the publisher exam:
- Security Option: Choose Custom, then set Browser Tabs to Restricted.
- Resource Allowance:
- Choose Allow Selected Options.
- Under Add a custom URL, enter the publisher exam’s web address and click Add Website.
- Note: Students can’t reach the exam without this step.
- Share the information found within our FAQ, How do students access exams with ProctorU? with students a few days before the exam. Add a note that the exam opens from a link inside the quiz.
- Have students review the ProctorU Test-Taker Support Page to know how to reach out to ProctorU Support in case they run into any issues.
Have Questions?
Need additional support on this or other teaching and learning topics? Please visit us for drop-in support or try one of our self-help tutorials.
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