ATLAS Cloud assessment support

Technical bulletin for delivering assessments

If you're delivering AAT assessments, we encourage you and your IT teams to take a look at our new Technical Bulletin to ensure your assessments run smoothly.

AAT assessment platform technical bulletin: winter 2023 (PDF)

Accessing ATLAS Cloud

ATLAS Cloud is the cloud-based test platform used for all Q2022 assessments. This includes scheduling, invigilating, and for students, sitting assessments. Recognition of prior learning (RPL) assessments are marked via a secure marking platform called OSCAR.

If students cannot login to ATLAS Cloud or they have forgotten their password

In order for students to avoid delays when sitting their assessments, they should follow these steps well in advance of their assessment day: 

  • check their emails from noreply@psionline.com where they can set up their ATLAS Cloud account 
  • remember, their username is always their AAT number 
  • if they need to update their password, please get them to do this before the day of their assessment to avoid any delays 
  • remind students to keep all passwords safe and not to confuse their MyAAT password with their ATLAS Cloud password.

Student common queries during an assessment

Five steps to delivering Q2022 assessments on ATLAS Cloud

1. The assessment centre’s IT team installs the PSI Bridge secure browser in advance of assessments taking place, using the secure browser installation guide.

2. The invigilator logs into TCA, creates a test session and schedules the relevant students and assessments (RPLs are scheduled via the Projects tab).

   a. Upon first being scheduled, the student will receive an email asking them to complete the setup of their PSI account. Assessment centres should inform the student once scheduled and request them to setup their account ahead of the assessment date.

3. On the day of the assessment, the:

   a. invigilator opens the test session in TCA

   b. student logs into ATLAS Cloud via Chrome, selects the assessment, then clicks Launch to open the secure browser, and completes the security and system requirements checks

   c. invigilator unlocks the assessment by clicking Start within in the test session in TCA . Live assessment issues can be resolved using the troubleshooting guide.

   d. student sits and submits their assessment

   e. invigilator closes the secure browser on the PC and enters the password. They are then required to open Chrome and click Cancel on the pop up to restore previously opened windows (this step is to ensure that the student is fully logged out of their ATLAS Cloud account prior to the next student sitting an assessment).

4. If required, the assessment centre submits an incident report by the end of the next working day, using the details below.

5. The student will receive a result via MyAAT in line with the published timescales below.

Getting to know ATLAS Cloud

Test Centre Admin (TCA)

This is the area of ATLAS Cloud where you schedule and invigilate assessments. You'll be required to create a test session, within which you can select assessments and schedule students. RPL assessments are scheduled individually via the Projects tab of TCA.

The link to access TCA is https://aat.psionline.com. It should be accessed on the latest version of Chrome.

At this point you should have already created an account to log into ATLAS Cloud. If you’ve forgotten your password, you can reset this via the ‘Reset password’ link on the login page. Your Username will be your AAT ID, which can be found by logging into your MyAAT account and viewing the top right of the page where your initials are.

To be set up on ATLAS Cloud you’ll first need to be set up on AAT’s system as a Main Contact, Exams Officer, Tutor, and Independent Assessment Venue staff. If you require access to ATLAS Cloud but you have not been set up as one of these roles, please speak to your Main Contact who will need to request this via their MyAAT account.

All relevant assessment centre staff were set up on ATLAS Cloud on 15 August 2022. This will have triggered an email to each user with instructions on how to complete the set up of their ATLAS Cloud account.

Access the full guidance on how to schedule and invigilate AAT's Q2022 computer based assessments.

Watch a video on how to schedule and invigilate CBAs and RPLs in ATLAS Cloud.

PSI Bridge Secure Browser

To ensure assessments are locked from accessing third party software, you'll need to download and install the PSI Secure Browser on each computer that assessments will be sat on, and test that each computer passes the system requirements check once you open the secure browser.

Once it's downloaded, double click on the PSI-LockDownBrowserSetup file in your Downloads folder and follow the instructions.

The above links can also be used to install it simultaneously on multiple PCs. Your ICT team should use the relevant link and follow their own process for installation.

Once installed, the secure browser will not create a shortcut on the desktop as students must never access their assessment directly from the secure browser. Following installation, the user must always launch the secure browser via their ATLAS Cloud account which they must access via Chrome. Once the secure browser has been installed, the installer can test the Secure Browser by referring to section 7 in the PSI Bridge secure browser minimum specifications and installation guide (Qualifications 2022) (PDF).

We've recorded the installation process, so you can see how each phase of it works and what you'll need to do. This video is a direct screen recording and has no voiceover, so isn't quite up to our normal standard, but we hope it helps. Please note: the 10 seconds when the screen goes black is when admin login details had to be entered.

Watch the installation video

Minimum requirements

Technology Minimum and supporting specifications
Operating system

Supported: Windows 10, Windows 10 Enterprise, MAC OS 10.14 and Higher

Not supported: Chromebooks, iOS, Android, Tablets and mobile devices, and Linux

Screen resolution 1368 x 769 or higher
Bandwidth Minimum 300kbps
Supported browsers

PSI Bridge Secure Browser and an active, stable internet connection

Memory Minimum: 4GB RAM
Free hard disk space At least 2GB of available hard disk space throughout the duration of the assessment
CPU

Minimum: Intel i3 / SSE4 compatible processor

Minimum: 1.30 GHz - minimum 2 core / 4 thread

.NET .NET Framework 3.5 framework
Plugins PSI InApplication plugin and Chrome plugin must be installed and enabled.
Microsoft Office

Supported: a supported and installed version (i.e., not cloud-based) of Windows Microsoft Office.

On Excel, Macros must be enabled. If Macros are not enabled, students will not be able to complete the tasks within InApplication question (this affected Management Accounting: Techniques (MATS).

Not supported: Mac Office

These settings must be enabled on each computer where assessments will be taken. Failure to meet these requirements will prevent candidates from taking their assessments.

Links, guidance and important further supporting specifications for installing and running the software, as well as for running the Management Accounting Techniques (MATS) assessment, can be found in the PSI Bridge Secure Browser minimum specifications and installation guide (Qualifications 2022) (PDF).

Candidate Catalogue

This is the area of ATLAS Cloud that shows students the details of their scheduled and sat assessments.

On the day of the assessment, students should access the Candidate Catalogue page via the latest version of Chrome and log in using their credentials. When they click on the assessment they're due to sit, they will be asked to download or launch the secure browser. As it should have already been installed, the student should click Launch. The secure browser will then open and will run security system requirements checks before launching the assessment.

The link for students to access Candidate Catalogue is https://aat.psionline.com.

When a student is first scheduled for an assessment, they'll receive an email with a link to ATLAS Cloud. Their username will be their AAT ID and they'll be able to set up their password.

The secure browser should be installed in advance, and students should be encouraged to set up their ATLAS Cloud account ahead of the sitting, to avoid any delays to the start of their assessment.

If a student has forgotten their AAT ID, you will be able to retrieve it from the test session in TCA. If they have forgotten their password, they can reset this via the "Password reset" link on the ATLAS Cloud login page but will then need to access their email.

Students will not be able to access Candidate Catalogue until they have been scheduled for their first Qualifications 2022 assessment. 

Access the full guidance on how to access and sit AAT's Q2022 computer based assessments

To help you familiarise yourself with the features and functionality of our new assessment platform, we've created five short videos that cover everything from accessibility and navigation to the different question types and how to submit your assessment.

  1. ATLAS Cloud – Introduction, accessibility and navigation
  2. ATLAS Cloud – Question types part 1
  3. ATLAS Cloud – Question types part 2
  4. ATLAS Cloud – Question types part 3
  5. ATLAS Cloud – Submitting your assessment

Troubleshooting

If you encounter any challenges during the installation, scheduling, or assessments, refer to the ATLAS Cloud troubleshooting guide (Qualifications 2022) (PDF) for assistance in resolving these issues. 

Find support for common issues:

Submitting an Incident report

All incidents, such as technical problems, fire alarms, etc must be recorded in an incident report and emailed to cba@aat.org.uk by the end of the next working day after the assessment.

This form is to be completed and submitted by the exam invigilator/administration staff on behalf of the assessment centre to notify AAT of an event that disrupted or disadvantaged a student(s) immediately before or during an assessment, or if an assessment cannot be submitted after following the Test Recovery process.

Incident reports will only be accepted if they are completed by assessment centre staff and submitted on time. No one else should complete an incident report on their behalf.

If AAT's investigation of the incident confirms that, through no fault of the student, they were unfairly disadvantaged, AAT will take this into account when their performance in the assessment is reviewed.

Download an incident report form (PDF)

Results

Results for most Qualifications 2022 wholly computer-marked assessments (ITBK/POBC/FAPS/TPFB/BKFN) will be released by the end of the next working day, following the submission of the assessment.

Results for the Business Skills (BUSK), Principles of Costing (PCTN) and Botswana Tax Processes for Business (BTPB) assessments are released within 10 working days of assessment submission. This is a temporary measure to help with the transition and quality assurance of the Q2022 assessments. We'll resume the normal release timeframe once a statistically reliable volume of students have completed each assessment. 

Results for Qualifications 2022 externally-marked assessments (BESY/BUAW/MATS/AMAC/DAIF/INAC/BNTA/PNTA/AUDT/CSFT/CRDM) will be released within the standard AAT six-week timeframe.

Results for the EPA computer-based assessments (ITAF/ADSY/PDSY) sat via ATLAS Cloud from 1 October 2023 will be released within four weeks of assessment submission.

Students will receive an email notification when their result is ready to view via MyAAT.

 

Contact Centre Support

Centre Support can answer all your CBA questions. Call them on +44 (0)20 3735 2443, lines are open Monday to Friday, 09.00-17.00 (UK time) or email centre.support@aat.org.uk.

Or you may find your answer in our helpful FAQs: