DocsPlus for Windows / Mac

You want to learn about using DocsPlus in exams.

Resolution

If a student qualifies for additional access arrangements in exams, they can use DocsPlus (provided it's their usual way of working).

To enable and configure Exam Mode, open the Options ribbon tab and click Exam Mode.

Exam Mode Password

Type the current password in the white box. If the box is grey, a password hasn't been set yet.

To add or change the password, click Set up password. Supply either the current password or your serial number (exactly as it appears on the packaging).

If you're trialling DocsPlus, the password is cricksoft1999 and can't be changed.

Exam Mode Options

Having typed the password, you can then turn Exam Mode ON / OFF, and select which features to disable on the Options tab: 

• Wordbars (vocabulary support)
• WorkSpace (planning tool)
• DocReader (read PDFs)
• Speech (across the whole program)
• Predictor (word prediction)
• Spell Check & Autocapitalisation
• Edit DocsPlus Options

These options are remembered per Windows / Mac user account.

When enabled, an Exam Mode indicator appears in the bottom-left corner of the window. If a student tries to use a disabled feature, a message will tell them it is disallowed.

Important: Exam Mode will remain enabled (even after closing and relaunching DocsPlus) until someone with the password disables it.

Exam Mode Speech

If speech is allowed in Exam Mode, text is spoken very basically to comply with exam regulations.

export options

Having set your preferences and Exam Mode options appropriately, you can export them as a .dpop file.

To do this, open the Options tab and click Export User Options.

The file can be used a shortcut to launch DocsPlus and apply the saved options.

PDF Exam Papers

If a student requires a computer reader, or is substantially vision-impaired, a non-interactive PDF version of the exam paper can be ordered prior to the exam.

To open a PDF in DocsPlus, click Explorer (bottom-left corner), browse to the file and double-click it. It will open inside a new DocReader tab.

To navigate between pages, scroll vertically, or click the arrow icons (top-left corner). To adjust the page zoom level, click the magnification icons (top-right corner).

To speak a section of text, select it by clicking and dragging, and then click the top Speaker icon.

Use the bottom tabs to switch between the Document and the DocReader. To see both at once, click the Split View icon (first icon in the top-right corner). This displays the PDF directly beneath the Document for easy reference while writing.

To adjust the height of the DocReader, drag its top edge. To disable Split View, click the icon again.

Candidate Info

When in Exam Mode, students can supply their Candidate info, which will be displayed in the header / footer of their Document when printed. This includes:

• Name
• Candidate Number
• Centre Number
• Exam Board
• Subject
• Paper