Online Proctored Exams: All You Need To Know

Supriya Bajaj

Senior Writer

Online Proctored Exams

Online proctored exams are not very complicated to understand. Few things make online proctored exams very popular, including the use of online assessment software. There are issues related to convenience, ease of appearing for the exams and other such attributes that make it very exciting and interesting both for candidates and also for examiners.

Looking for On Assessment Software? Check out SoftwareSuggest’s list of the best proctoring software solutions.

Let us look at a few reasons as to why the exams are now becoming ‘in vogue’ these days.

Convenience

With Online Proctoring, students who would need to travel can now save money and time by taking exams at home.

What exactly is it?

A “proctor” is a monitor who supervises students during the examination, and an online proctor is a person who is trained to supervise your exam via webcam. Online proctoring allows students to write the exam from the places of their choice.

Things You Ought To Know About Online Proctored Exams

The online proctoring exam allows you to take your exam online from any place that is convenient for you. It could be from home or office, and a verified proctor supervises the exam with the help of a computer and a webcam. It’s an online exam which is visually and audibly monitored by the proctor.

1. Things You Require

To take online proctored exams, you require:

  • A suitable Desktop/PC/Laptop/mobile with an internet connection a webcam and mic.

Software requirements for online proctoring are as follows:

  • A supported version of Windows or Mac operating system. 
  • The latest version of Adobe Flash Players.
  • You must close all other windows before the exam.

The following are prohibited:

    • Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.
    • Skype
    • Any other website apart from the ones which are sanctioned.

2. Test Rules

The exam must be taken in the same room, which has been scanned by the proctor. There are certain things which are prescribed unless it has been specifically mentioned in writing. 

  • Books, Paper, Pens, Calculators, Textbooks, Notebooks, etc. are not allowed.
  • Phones are a strict no-no.
  • No other person is permitted to enter the room.
  • The room should be noise-free.
  • Going out of the room is prohibited.
  • You must not use headphones or any other types of audio equipment.
  • You must verify your identity before taking the exam.

3. Different Ways Of Proctoring 

There are 3 ways in which online proctoring can take place. They are as follows:

  • Live online proctoring
  • Recorded proctoring
  • Advanced automated proctoring

3.1 Live online proctoring: Live proctoring is the most secure approach as far as online proctoring. The proctor monitors each exam from start to end. The proctor and the person appearing for the test are at far off locations, and this hardly matters.

3.2 Recorded proctoring: With recorded proctoring, monitoring feed is not carried out in real-time. These recordings are checked by a representative to determine issues like cheating. 

3.3 Advanced automated proctoring: This is an advanced way of automated proctoring, and here, screen share feeds, and audio-video feeds of the test candidates are recorded during the exam. The system also monitors if there is any suspicious activity.

There are different types of exams available under Online Proctoring. They keep changing, and it would be better for the end-users to gather the right information based on specific needs and requirements. Constantly updating the knowledge and information are undoubtedly critical. 

4. Importance Of Maintaining the Highest Standards Of Integrity

Specific procedures, practices, and policies must be followed. There are also procedures for creating an account after which the concerned user has to log in and be a part of it. He or she can then select the exam desired and complete the entire scheduling process.

5. How to communicate with the proctor?

You will either be called through a VoIP or a cell phone. All communication with the proctor will be in English.

6. What kind of identification will be required to present?

You will be asked to show a government-issued identity card.

These could include Driver’s license, identification card, etc. It should be from the country in which the candidate appears for the test.

Minors who are below 18 are permitted to present a valid student ID as a form of identification.

Some Other Rules and Regulations

  • During the check-in, the proctor may ask to see your premises to ensure you have a clean desktop and are not within arm’s reach of books, notepad, papers, pens, pencils, or other writing instruments.
  • In case you wear long sleeves, you will be instructed to roll them up, to confirm that you are not cheating.
  • If you wish to wear a tie, you need to confirm that you have not hidden anything below it.
  • If you have hair which is likely to cover your ears, you will be asked to pull them back to show the proctor that you are not cheating.
  • Watches must be removed and placed out of sight during an exam.
  • Taking breaks or chewing gum is prohibited.
  • If any third-party enters the room during the testing process, your exam will be terminated.
  • Your webcam should show a complete view of the room.

7. Consequences Of Cheating

With the rise in online education, the potential for academic dishonesty also rose. The invigilators have file access of any kind. However, they cannot and will not have access to any of your personal files or documents. They may take screenshots of desktop and detect the number of computers connected to your computer, or record your web traffic. Your exam will be terminated if the proctor thinks you have cheated. After you have written your exam, the exam session is reviewed by the proctoring software.

8. Challenges Faced

Offline proctored, and non-proctored online tests face many challenges. Providing a proctored exam center near the location of the test is a challenge for most of them. Certified Proctors certainly is not a job, and arranging the logistics to send them to the designated test centers requires money and time. Scheduling the exam is truly a nightmare. The whole setup needs to be planned meticulously. This has to be done, taking into account gaps between exams and public holidays. Often, such exams may take several weeks to be scheduled. Students have to spend a long time and money to reach test centers. This means students need to invest money and time to travel and for accommodation. It’s easy to cheat in exams without proctoring.

9. How to set Proctoring software?

Camera Requirements: An internal and external web camera are required during the exam. Camcorders are not permitted. Setting up the camera has to happen 48 hours before the exam. The following resources are also required. 

The following are the requirements for Windows:

9.1 Hardware

  • Minimum 50 MB available space
  • Screen Resolution
  • Webcam and Microphone
  • Internet access

9.2 Operating System

  • Windows 10
  • Windows 8 (touch screen require the use of a mouse and keyboard)
  • Windows 7

9.3 Installed Applications

  • Internet Explorer 
  • Adobe Flash ActiveX
  • Net Framework 4.0
  • Administrator rights

The following are the requirements for Mac:

9.4 Hardware

  • Minimum 50MB available space
  • Webcam and Microphone
  • Internet access 

9.5 Installed applications

  • Safari required for sentinel secure 
  • Administrator rights

Wrapping it up

In the future, online proctored exams can be taken with the help of online assessment software and could be useful for companies for employment purpose and students appearing for competitive exams. It won’t take long to become as popular as the mobile phones that we are using today for reaching out to the world for different purposes.

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