Sitting the exam
What to expect during a GSCE or GSCP sitting, from the exam agreement to the end of the session.
Sitting GSCE or GSCP is one timed session against live targets. GSCE is proctored through your webcam; GSCP is screen-recorded and goes through integrity checks. A named examiner reviews every sitting. Here's what to expect.
Before you begin
There is no slot to book. Once your exam is purchased or assigned and has opened for you, you can start whenever you're ready. See GSCP and GSCE overview for how to check. Opening it does not start the clock.
First, read and accept the exam agreement for that attempt. It has a box for an accommodation request; an examiner reviews every request, and nothing in the form changes your exam clock. Then set up the sitting and press Begin: for GSCE, turn on your webcam for proctoring; for GSCP, share your entire screen. The clock starts at Begin.
You'll need a current desktop browser and a stable connection. For GSCP the browser must be able to share your entire screen; for GSCE you need a webcam.
Exam rules
You complete the exam on your own. While the clock is running, you may not use AI assistants, copilots, chatbots or autonomous agents of any kind, including AI features built into your browser, editor or terminal. You may not get help from another person. The only AI systems you interact with are the exam targets.
Ordinary tools are allowed: a browser, a text editor, a terminal, your own notes, and public references that you read yourself. Don't copy, publish or share the exam targets, their content or your solutions, during or after the exam.
Screen recording (GSCP)
For GSCP, your entire screen is recorded from before you press Begin until your attempt is submitted. Share your whole screen, not a single window or tab, throughout the exam. If sharing stops, resume it straight away. Gaps in the recording are visible to the examiner and can lead to the attempt being voided.
The recording is kept with your attempt and used only to review that exam.
The exam session
Your exam is a set of live targets drawn at random from a private bank, seeded uniquely for your sitting. You'll never see the same set twice, and it can't be regenerated once you begin.
Each target gives you an objective like a lab, such as the VIP-coupon objective on ShopBot, but on a target you haven't trained on. These are the differences from practice:
| Training lab | GSCE exam | |
|---|---|---|
| Hints or walkthroughs | Available | None, during or after |
| Target set | Reusable | Private, one-time, randomized |
| Timer | None | Fixed, starts on begin, can't pause |
Submitting under exam conditions
Submission works the same way as in every lab. See Evidence and submission for the steps. Paste in the value you extracted or the artifact you built as your evidence.
Both GSCE and GSCP require a short write-up after each challenge. Before moving on, write a few basic details in your own words about how you found the issue. Neither exam requires a long, detailed report.
The clock doesn't waitThe clock can't be paused. When time expires, the exam auto-submits. Only evidence and write-ups you've already saved are graded, so save them as you complete each objective.
Results and retakes
Your score and overall rating are ready as soon as the session ends. See How it's scored for what each rating means and how passing is decided. A named examiner reviews every sitting within 1 business day. If you pass, your credential is issued when the examiner releases it.
If you don't pass, you get a category-by-category breakdown of where you fell short, but no answers. One retake is included free; further attempts are priced separately on the pricing page. Every retake draws a fresh randomized set of targets, so you'll never repeat the same sitting.
If you think a result is wrong, contact support with your attempt details to request a review.