Device and System Requirements

Sections in this article

• Network Preparation
• Device Preparation
• System Requirements
• Permitted Peripherals (Not Required)
• Assistive Devices
• System Startup Checks

This spring, the Maine Science Assessment will be transitioning from accessing the ADAM lockdown browser as a standalone app to accessing ADAM via the TestNav secure browser. There will be differences in the secure browser download process and how students launch the browser from their device. Once the student’s login information has been entered, however, the navigation remains the same as within the previous ADAM lockdown browser. It is recommended that schools remove the old ADAM lockdown browser application from student devices to prevent students from attempting to access the wrong lockdown browser during the assessment administration. 

Network Preparation

URL Whitelist

The ADAM online platform and the Lockdown Browser need to communicate with applications and services to perform correctly. To ensure things like a network firewall or other network appliances do not block those services, we require that the below list of URLs be whitelisted throughout your network. You can test to see if the network allows traffic to these sites by accessing each of the listed URLs. If you cannot get to the site, then contact your SAU/school’s IT team.

• adamexam.com
• learnosity.com
• loggly.com
• speechstream.net
• sentry.io
• s3.amazonaws.com
• unpkg.com
• testnav.com:80
• testnav.com:443
• pearsontestcontent.com:80
• pearsontestcontent.com:443
• chime.aws
   • TCP:443
   • UDP:3478
• desmos.com
 

Device Preparation

Lockdown Browser

The online administration of the Maine Science Assessment will be delivered by the Maine DOE using the TestNav platform. Student devices must be set to lockdown mode prior to the start of each assessment session to prevent student access to outside websites, programs, apps, or hardware during the assessment session.

The TestNav Lockdown Browser must be

1. downloaded from an approved source as listed on the TestNav Lockdown Browser Installation article, and
2. installed on each device that a student will use to take the assessment.

System Requirements

These reflect minimum and recommended requirements; however, some customers slightly vary requirements for their specific organizations. TestNav does not prevent usage of older OS versions. Our team will provide full support to organizations that find the need to use an older OS that is not listed below.

Hardware Requirements

Requirement	Details
Processor	x64 - AMD, ARM, ARM64, or Intel™-based* *Devices with ARM-based processors running Windows must be running Windows 11 to install TestNav.
Memory	4 GB RAM; Minimum - 2 GB RAM Linux and iOS - 2 GB RAM; Minimum - 1 GB RAM
Screen Size	9.5-in
Resolution	1024 x 768
Other	- External keyboard and mouse (or touchpad) for touchscreen devices Windows (required), Android iOS (recommended) - Local File access to home directory OS X, macOS Windows - Wired keyboards (recommended) - Tablet mode not supported
Virtual Environments Some customers successfully use virtualization/thin clients; however, Pearson does not provide support for these technologies.  Those using these technologies are responsible for their virtualized environment security and performance. Prior to high-stakes testing, customers should compare virtual environment performance to that of a non-virtual environment.

 

Software Requirements

Annually, Pearson updates support requirements based on the TestNav System Requirement Policy. Districts should use this policy to determine annual purchasing needs and prepare devices. 

Use supported operating systems as they appear on this page. Attempting to use an unsupported or beta version of an OS can result in TestNav error, as well as security issues during high-stakes tests. Pearson tests all beta and newly released OS versions to ensure functionality and security with TestNav BEFORE support is added in the tables below.

We understand many of our customers are automatically downloading Chrome OS versions as soon as they become available. Due to Chrome OS frequent release cycles, Pearson continually tests beta versions of Chrome OS to efficiently add support. Any concerns with early testing will be communicated via a Technical Bulletin. We do not recommend betas to be used for interim or summative testing. See Beta Testing In-Progress section below for betas currently being tested.

 

TestNav Apps (kiosk-mode available)

When necessary for some tests, TestNav apps can run in kiosk mode, which prevents students from accessing any other web pages or applications while testing.

Devices/OS	Estimated Minimum Version Support (2025-2026)	Download TestNav	Setup Instructions
Chrome OS	Stable Channel (S) 136+  Long-term support (LTS) 132+ Note:  This app will not work on Chrome OS releases prior to 116 The microphone and camera will not work on Chrome OS releases prior to 130	Not applicable.	Set Up TestNav on ChromeOS
iPadOS*	17.3+, 18.x, 26.x** See more info on iPadOS 17	From the App Store	Set Up TestNav on iPadOS
Linux	Fedora 41 x64, 42x64  Ubuntu 24.04 LTS x64	From TestNav downloads	Set Up TestNav on Linux
macOS	14.x, 15.x, 26.x	From TestNav downloads	Set Up TestNav on macOS
Windows	Windows 10 22H2 Windows 11 23H2  Windows 11 24H2	From TestNav downloads or Windows Store	Set Up TestNav on Windows

*The TestNav app cannot enforce horizontal mode on 12.9-inch or larger iPads held vertically, which limits its full functionality. Apple is addressing this issue.

Permitted Peripherals

• External keyboard (wired or Bluetooth)
• Mouse/trackpad (wired or Bluetooth)
• Headset- headsets of earbuds will only be needed for students using the Test-to-Speech (TTS) accessibility feature.  (Wired or Bluetooth)
• Microphones (not needed for this assessment)

External Monitors

Assessment Coordinators, Technology Coordinator, Assessment Session Proctors, and other SAU personnel should be aware of the following Technology Configuration policies established by the Maine Department of Education for the Maine Science Assessment.

• The use of more than one monitor or other external screen connected to a test taking device is prohibited, including the active display of any content from the test taking device to multiple monitors, screen, or external devices in any configuration or location.
• To increase accessibility for students needing greater magnification of the computer-based assessment, for laptop users, a single external monitor in the same testing location may be permitted, provided that the laptop screen is not displaying, and the connected monitor is the only active display of any content from the test taking device.
• The use of Picture In Picture (PIP) or Picture By Picture (PBP) displays are prohibited, including any configuration with the display of content from an external device displaying within a smaller display on the screen of the test taking device.

Assistive Devices

• Screen readers (ADAM supports common screen readers by operating system)
  • VoiceOver for macOS and iOS
  • JAWS for Chrome on Windows
  • ChromeVox for Chromebooks

System Startup Checks

The TestNav Lockdown Browser App Check verifies the above system requirements. If a device fails one of these checks, a summary of the issue is displayed on the screen, and when possible, the user will have an opportunity to resolve it. 

• The student device must have access to the internet before the lockdown browser will initialize for student use.
• After the operating system check is complete, a final network check is needed based on how long it takes for the first page of the lockdown browser to load.  If the initial page load exceeds the limit set, the system check will fail.