Table 7 Thematic grouping of candidates' free responses (SAQ = short-answer questions)

Technical issues with internet

'My connection was disrupted, and I had to restart my laptop and phone twice' (SAQ)

'As long as a good internet connection it was good quality' (case presentation)

'Minor sound issues - had some feedback noise as I was talking'

'Sometimes I missed words that had been said due to internet quality, but I just asked for the question to be repeated or confirmed and therefore was not a major issue'

'Lost connection and had to relocate mid-discussion'

'I did have a short drop out internet connectivity on my end for one minute - it didn't really cause any major problems though'

'One of the examiner's video and sound froze during the exam, which was off-putting, but the other examiner dealt with the situation well'

'Video quality - I had an issue on the last day of the examinations and I was not able to see the examiners. I found this made the exam harder and it would have been nice to see the examiners. I appreciate that it isn't a fault of the examination and is a problem with the online format'

Software issues

'Help from the proctor exam online messenger service was very prompt and reassuring when my page hadn't loaded' (SAQ)

'Unable to click directly to the question flagged' (SAQ)

'Unable to scroll through numbers, mine kept reverting back to screen share option so wasted time and increased stress' (SAQ)

'When examiners blurred their background, it was a little off-putting to only see half their head at times'

'I had a bit of a technical issue during one of my communication scenarios, which meant that the conversation was quite stilted'

'Needing to maximise and minimise the screen took up time during the preparation' (unseen cases)

'Some difficulties navigating the screen to see the case and examiners, but managed to overcome it in subsequent cases' (unseen cases)

Support from staff

'The support up to the exam was good as this was all explained to us and having the testing sessions was great help to put us at ease'

'RCS staff were all very friendly and helpful'

'Examiners were very friendly and encouraging in general'

'RCS support were great and practice sessions prior were very helpful'

Overall

'Well-run exam, very friendly and supportive administrative team, kept us informed of everything'

'Worked well'

'Felt strange but workable alternative given our circumstances'

'Overall, I am very happy that I got the opportunity to sit MOrth in September and appreciate how much work must have gone into setting this all up. Thank you'