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Digital National Exams — What Schools Actually Need to Prepare

The exams are paused after technical failures — but the infrastructure requirements remain. Here's what's actually needed.

Update February 2026

Skolverket's exam platform was shut down in November 2025 after a large-scale practice test crashed. National exams will be conducted on paper during spring 2026. The government has ordered a restart — but the technical requirements for school infrastructure remain, and schools should prepare now.

What is the exam platform?

Since 2017, Skolverket (the Swedish National Agency for Education) has been developing a digital exam platform (Assessment Master, built on AWS) designed to handle up to 150,000 students simultaneously. The platform manages exam delivery, grading, and archiving. The project has cost over 800 million SEK.

The challenge for schools isn't just about having computers and internet — it's a complex chain of identity management, federated authentication, device management, and data provisioning that must work together.

The four technical pillars

1. Identity Federation (FIDUS)

Schools must connect to FIDUS — Skolverket's interfederation linking identity federations within education. Two federations are connected: Skolfederation (via the Internet Foundation) and SWAMID. Services like Skolon can simplify the connection. eduID is available as an alternative for schools without their own IdP, but requires manual work.

2. Electronic ID for Staff

Teachers and school staff must authenticate using e-ID at trust level 2 or higher (per DIGG). Approved options: BankID, Freja eID+, Freja OrgID, and SITHS. Students log in with their regular school accounts via SAML through the federation.

3. User Data and Provisioning

Student and staff data must be transferred to Skolverket via the SS 12000 standard (Skolverket pulls data) or the Provisioning API (school pushes data). Each user needs a pseudonymized EPPN (federation username). Communication requires mTLS authentication (mutual TLS).

4. Devices and Lockdown

Devices must run Safe Exam Browser (SEB) — a free tool from ETH Zurich that locks down the device during exams. Supported on Windows, macOS, and iOS. Screen minimum 1366×768 (tablets minimum 9.6"). Devices should be pre-registered and configured via MDM (Mobile Device Management) such as Intune or Apple School Manager.

Network Requirements

Skolverket requires at least 500 kbit/s down and 100 kbit/s up per student taking exams. That may not sound like much — but multiply by all students in a grade level plus other activity on the same network. A school with 200 students needs at least 100 Mbit/s dedicated to exams, plus capacity for daily operations.

Enterprise-grade WiFi (like UniFi), proper VLAN segmentation, and QoS prioritization are essential. Consumer routers can't handle this.

Why schools should prepare now

The exams are coming back — the question is when. The government's restart means Skolverket will fix the platform, not that digitalization is scrapped. Adult education (komvux) at upper secondary level is planned to go digital as early as September 2026.

The required infrastructure — identity federation, device management, network capacity — also improves school IT in general. This isn't just "exam preparation" — it's an IT upgrade that delivers value every day.

Checklist: What your school needs

  • Identity federation — connect to Skolfederation (or SWAMID) via FIDUS
  • Electronic ID — ensure all staff have BankID or Freja eID+ (trust level 2+)
  • Data provisioning — configure SS 12000 or Provisioning API with pseudonymized EPPN
  • Device management (MDM) — enroll all devices in Intune and/or Apple School Manager
  • Safe Exam Browser — install and test SEB on all exam devices
  • Network — enterprise WiFi, at least 500 kbit/s per student, VLAN segmentation, QoS
  • Verification tests — run Skolverket's technical tests for bandwidth and authentication

How we help

At Strandholm Consulting, we help independent and municipal schools with the entire chain:

  1. Assessment — we analyze your current IT environment against Skolverket's requirements
  2. Federation connection — we connect you to Skolfederation via FIDUS
  3. Device management — enrollment in Intune and Apple School Manager, SEB configuration
  4. Network upgrade — enterprise WiFi, VLAN, QoS configuration
  5. Device procurement — we help you order quality-assured refurbished IT (e.g. via Inrego) with direct enrollment in Intune/ASM
  6. Verification and testing — we run Skolverket's technical verification tests with you

Want to be ready?

Book a free review of your IT environment. 30 minutes — no obligations.

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