Description
Exam-takers may occasionally receive an error message when they are using Examplify. Error messages are the result of the software and/or device not working as intended.
However, common error messages can often be resolved with a few simple steps.
It is recommended that you attempt these troubleshooting steps before contacting technical support as long as you feel confident and have the sufficient level of access on the affected device(s).
Cause of Error
This help guide provides troubleshooting steps for the "Unable to Retrieve Institution List" error.
This particular error message is often the result of AV and VPN settings on a device. It can also be caused by issues with a device's network connection.
This error message will often be resolved with a few simple troubleshooting steps, which have been outlined below.
Troubleshooting
To resolve the error, you will need to perform the following steps:
- Attempt to connect to a different network and see if the issue persists.
- If this step is successful, it will highlight an issue with the initial network, which will need to be explored outside of the scope of ExamSoft.
- If the issue persists, move onto the next step.
- Disconnect from any VPNs, Proxies, and/or Tunnelers.
- This step should be performed by a confident IT professional.
- It will also require a user profile with sufficient admin permissions on the affected device(s) to perform this task.
- If this step is successful, there will be a conflicting setting within the device's VPN/Proxy configuration.
- If the issue persists, move onto the next step.
- After disconnecting a VPN, you will need to ensure that it is not still running in the background.
- Most VPN software will have a standalone interface to access settings and parameters. This will usually include a visual notification to display the activity of the VPN.
- However, there may be instances where the VPN is still running in the background, despite changing the settings in the VPN browser window. This can require a force quit of the VPN application.
- For Mac users, select the Force Quit option from the Apple menu (). This can be found in the top left corner of the screen. You will then be able to select the VPN Application and click Force Quit.
- For Windows users, open Task Manager and navigate to the Processes tab. From here, select the VPN application and right-click it. You should then see an option for "end task" - clicking this will force quit the application.
- It is also important to verify that any AV/Firewall settings on the device(s) are configured correctly for Examplify.
- AV applications can be configured to include "signature-based" exceptions, which can prevent issues, but other platforms may use other identification tools which will flag Examplify as "malicious" or "suspicious".
- Please seek assistance from an IT professional when reviewing and configuring AV and Firewall applications.
- After following all of the steps above, you can then proceed in relaunching Examplify.
- As mentioned above, you will need to carry out the steps with a user profile with sufficient admin permissions.
- The troubleshooting steps in this guide will tend to resolve the majority of cases where the "Unable to Retrieve Institution List" error is received.
- If the issue persists, after performing these steps, please contact ExamSoft technical support.