Why are upload speeds important?

Understanding upload speeds is an important part of ensuring your online assessments are submitted on time. It is important to realise that the time it takes to upload your files can be impacted dramatically by your available upload speed. Upload speeds will vary greatly depending on your geographical location and this can impact the time taken to submit online assessments.

Uploading

The below table can be used to gain an indication on the approximate upload times for a variety of connection speeds and file sizes. If you are unsure about what your upload speed is, run a speed test.

File Size

Examples

Upload time in some regions (0.5 Mbp/s)

Upload time on common NBN (5 Mbp/s)

Upload time on UQ Wireless (56 Mbp/s)

200 KBPDF Document
or 
Word Document
3 SecondsLess than 1 secondLess than 1 second    
5 MBLarge PDF
or 
PowerPoint
1 minute 23 seconds8 secondsLess than 1 second
120 MB5 minute recorded video (VGA quality)33 minutes 33 seconds3 minutes 21 seconds17 seconds
240 MB10 minute recorded video (VGA quality)1 hour 7 minutes 6 seconds6 minutes 42 seconds35 seconds

Warning: The times presented in the above table are estimated speeds and should be used as a guide only. Many factors can impact the speed in which a file is uploaded, these include computer hardware, network congestion/interference, distance and protocols.

Tip: Estimated upload times for files can be calculated using the Upload time calculator.