What OnVUE asks of your webcam
Pearson’s candidate technical requirements (version of July 2026 at the time of writing) set a low bar for the camera itself: a minimum resolution of 640×480 at 10 fps, built in or external. The rules about how you use it are stricter. The webcam must face forward, sit at eye level and show your head and shoulders, directly in front of you rather than off to the side. Webcam filters aren’t allowed, and Pearson names Apple’s Reactions, the effects macOS can add to video, as one of them. A phone can’t be the webcam.
The checklist above tests what a browser can measure: the picture, the resolution and frame rate against OnVUE’s minimum, the lighting, whether the camera’s name looks like a phone, whether a second display is connected (in Chrome and Edge), and whether you’re on Windows or macOS. The framing guide is already on: put your face inside the oval, eyes near the upper line, and check that your shoulders are in the frame too.
The rules that catch people out
- Computer: Windows 11 or 10 (64-bit, not S mode) or macOS 14 or later. Chromebooks and Linux aren’t supported, and Pearson recommends a personal computer over a work one, because corporate restrictions and firewalls can block delivery. VPNs and proxies must be off.
- Screens: one monitor only, and no touch screens. With an external monitor, close the laptop and use an external keyboard, mouse and webcam.
- Connection: at least 6 Mbps down and 2 Mbps up, wired if you can, and ask others at home not to use the internet during your exam.
- Mac permissions: OnVUE asks for the camera and microphone once. If you clicked Don’t Allow, it won’t ask again: turn it on in System Settings, Privacy & Security, Camera.
On exam day
Pearson’s requirements page asks you to run and pass its System Test on the same device and network you’ll use on exam day, and to start check-in 30 minutes before your appointment. Check-in includes photos of yourself and your ID and a 360° room scan, so clear the desk and the space around you first. Close this page before you launch OnVUE: on Windows, a camera usually works in only one app at a time.
For the sound side, run the microphone test too. Other exam systems have different rules: see the Respondus LockDown Browser check or the ProctorU check, or the general webcam test.