Your venue must meet the minimum requirements listed below and be fit for purpose. It is important that the venue is suitable for running tests. 

Questions to think about when deciding on an appropriate venue include: 

• Does it have suitable facilities, such as somewhere for candidates to place their personal belongings, and enough toilets? 
• Are there any other events planned there on the test day that could disrupt the test? 
• How easy is the location for candidates to find? Will you need signs and directions to help them? 
• Is there disabled access to the test room, or alternative arrangements, eg a separate ground floor room? 

Minimum test room requirements 

The below is an overview of our minimum test room requirements for STEP tests. Candidates can either be in the same room or located in separate test rooms depending on the venue. 

• Suitable room temperature, ventilation, and lighting. Consideration needs to be given to the position of desks close to any large windows where sunlight could cause reflection issues. 
• A designated area where candidates can leave their belongings during the test (either inside or outside the test room). If storing belongings inside the test room, they must not be in the reach of candidates. 
• If you have any candidates who have special access needs, you must ensure that they can access the test room. 
• The test room and toilet/restroom facilities should be accessible for all candidates. 
• A designated administrative area for invigilators, e.g. a desk at the front of the room. 
• Each candidate should have a desk or table big enough to hold question papers and answer booklets side by side (two A4 sheets; 42cm x 30cm). 
• Rooms must be large enough to hold candidates with a minimum distance of 1.25m from the centre of one candidate’s working area to the centre of the other candidates’ working areas in all directions. 
• Desks can be shared, but candidates must still be at least 1.25m apart so that their work cannot be seen by other candidates and they cannot communicate or cheat in any way. 
• Candidates must all face the same direction and must not sit with their backs to the invigilator. 

Each room must have: 

• a clock 
• a whiteboard/flip chart to write start times/finish, etc. 

Alternative venue 

You can run the STEP tests at a venue other than your main premises. It is the responsibility of the exams officer to ensure that the new venue meets our requirements and the materials are handled securely. 

If a centre plans to hold a test at a venue which is not their main premises then the exams officer must submit a venue details form detailing the full address of where the tests will be held. The form must be submitted by the entry deadline (see the key dates). 

Centres can run more than one venue within the same city/region. However, centres must not under any circumstances split a single test across two venues. 

Remember:

• Centres must be able to guarantee that test materials can be transported to the external venue in time for the scheduled test date/start time for that country. 
• All external venues must meet the relevant security and test room requirements. 
• Material must be transported securely 
• Centres using an external venue must complete a venue details form.