Official guides / Assessment & results

Photographing your exam space (room scan)

Official source

Monash University

Last checked: 25 Oct 2026 UTC

What this page covers

How to take the photos
Practise photographing your exam room
How we store the photos

Page text

Text and tables taken from the official page, with collapsed sections opened, so it can be read and searched here. Images and forms are not copied, so open the original page when you need to apply or submit something.

Before you start your exam, you’ll be prompted to complete a room scan, using your smartphone. This only applies if you’re taking your eExam from home. This is just to make sure your exam space is set up correctly (see setting up your eExam space).

You’ll need to follow these steps:

When prompted on-screen, scan the QR code that appears on your screen, using your smartphone.
Tap the link that appears on your phone – this will take you to a secure Monash-developed web app, which you’ll use to take the photos.
When prompted, give the web app access to your phone to continue (if you’re using an iPhone, you'll also need to provide Motion and Orientation permissions). If, after tapping Allow Permissions, you see a blank screen, go back to the previous screen and tap Allow Permissions again.
Start taking photos of your exam room.

How to take the photos

Think of your room as divided into eight sides. Using your smartphone in landscape mode, stand in the centre of the room. The web app will step you through the process, automatically taking photos of each side at three different angles, for a total of 24 photos (you don’t need to touch your smartphone screen). Once you’ve taken all the photos, you’ll be prompted to upload them.

For more information, take a look at our graphic: Photographing Your Exam Room (pdf, 7.84 mb). You should also check our device and system specifications page for mobile device and browser requirements.

Practise photographing your exam room

Take a test drive on a practice version of our web app. With the practice version, you can take photos but there’s no upload function (so there’s no data transfer to Monash or elsewhere).

Scan the QR code to begin:

How we store the photos

The photos will be encrypted and stored securely within Monash infrastructure, along with the other data collected as part of your online exam (no data will be stored on your phone). Only authorised staff can access the photos, and only for the purpose of investigating academic integrity matters.

For more information, see privacy and security.

What is a hurdle, and what happens if I fail one?

All campuses

A hurdle is an assessment requirement you have to meet to pass the unit, whatever your other marks add up to. If you complete and fail a competency hurdle, the chief examiner must give you at least one additional assessment on the same learning outcomes; you do not apply for it, and it is due by the end of the teaching period. Special consideration does not apply to it, and if the hurdle is weighted the most you can get for the task is 50%. If you still have not met the hurdle and your mark is 45 or more, your result is NH (Hurdle Fail) 45; below 45 it is N with your mark. A failed hurdle does not lead to a supplementary assessment. Your unit's hurdles and the number of attempts are listed in its Handbook entry and on Moodle.

Can I get a supplementary assessment?

All campuses

If you finish a unit with a mark of 45 to 49, a grade of N or NH, and your results show NS, you have already been given a supplementary assessment - there is nothing to apply for. Not every unit offers one; its Handbook entry says. It is optional and it is your last chance to pass the unit: pass it and your result becomes 50 (P), which is the most you can get; fail it or skip it and you keep your original mark. It is held on a set date within 90 days of results release. You can't reschedule it; special arrangements only cover a time-zone clash. Retaking the unit instead can earn a higher mark for your WAM, but costs another enrolment.

Can I defer my final exam?

All campuses

Deferring a final assessment has its own form, separate from the short extension and special consideration form. Apply by 11.55pm on the day the assessment is set and attach your supporting documents. If it is approved, you sit the assessment in the deferred assessment period, unless your faculty offers you an alternative assessment. The official page explains when a deferral applies and how rescheduling works; check it before you apply.