What exam security means for an online exam
Examination security comes down to three questions. Is the right person sitting the exam? Are they using only what the rules allow? Did the paper stay confidential until it opened? A secure exam can answer all three with evidence.
One control can’t do that alone. A webcam misses screen overlays and remote-control tools. A locked browser misses the phone on the desk, and question shuffling does nothing about impersonation. Layering fills those gaps, with each layer covering for the others and a trained person reviewing whatever they raise.
The five layers below suit most institutions, and you can turn each one up or down per exam to match the stakes.
Layer 1: Design a secure assessment
The cheapest exam security happens before exam day, in the way you build the paper.
- Draw from item pools. Assemble each paper from a bank of questions so candidates get different sets.
- Randomize questions and options. Shuffling the order of questions and answer options makes neighbors and group chats much less useful. Proctorly supports question and option shuffling from item pools.
- Use section timers and navigation rules. Timing each section and locking navigation make it harder to look up an answer and come back to a question.
- Test reasoning as well as recall. Numeric questions with tolerance, short answers, essays and problems tied to class material are harder to copy than simple fact recall.
- Collect working. In math and science, ask candidates to photograph their rough work, and Proctorly attaches it to the question for the marker.
- Keep the paper sealed. Store the final paper where few people can see it before the sitting. With the Proctorly Examination module, papers come from an outcome-mapped question bank with a sealed paper vault and timed release.
Match the format to the stakes
Some assessments don’t need full proctoring. A weekly practice quiz can run as a record-only sitting with no flags raised. An open-book exam can allow materials while still checking identity and time. A licensing exam needs the strongest controls. Settling the format first saves effort and spares candidates monitoring they don’t need.
Layer 2: Confirm identity through the session
Impersonation is among the most serious threats in online exams, because the entire result ends up belonging to the wrong person. Identity checks should begin before the first question and carry on until submission.
- Photo ID capture. The candidate shows a government or institutional ID before the exam.
- Continuous face verification. The face is matched at the start and throughout the exam, and photo and video replays are rejected.
- Active liveness. A short challenge for high-stakes exams.
Proctorly logs each check separately, and a failed check goes to a person, never to an automatic fail. An identity route without face biometrics is planned. Until it is available, talk to us about any candidates who can’t use face verification, and we’ll plan the exam with you.
Layer 3: Lock the exam environment
A locked exam session closes off the easy ways out of the exam, such as switching tabs, opening other windows or using a second monitor.
- Browser lock. Proctorly opens the exam in a locked browser session on a laptop, desktop, tablet or mobile, in Chrome, Safari, Edge or Ulaa. It detects tab and window events and extra monitors.
- Desktop agent for higher stakes. For exams that need it, an optional Windows desktop agent checks the computer itself for remote-access and recording tools, screen overlays, extra or mirrored displays, USB devices, Bluetooth earphones, virtual machines, VPNs, extra browser windows, tabs and extensions, and open office apps. It records that an app is open and never reads the candidate’s documents.
Each check produces a signal for review, and none is proof on its own. Using a Bluetooth mouse doesn’t make a candidate a cheat.
Layer 4: Online test monitoring for known threats
Many institutions start with monitoring, but it works best on top of the first three layers. Online test monitoring should look for the threats candidates use today as well as the older ones.
- AI assistants and chatbots. Proctorly detects known generative-AI tools from a maintained list.
- Second devices. Phones and other devices in view are flagged.
- Remote control and screen sharing. Remote-assistance tools, virtual machines and browser extensions are detected.
- Overlays and agentic browsers. Known overlay apps and AI browsers are detected.
- Unusual audio and movement. These are raised as signals for a person to review in context, and never as findings. Reading aloud, assistive tools, household noise and disability-related movement are not misconduct.
- Gentle reminders. On-screen nudges remind a candidate of the rules, such as staying in view, before anything is flagged, and each nudge is logged.
Be honest about limits
No online exam security setup catches every method, since a camera and a screen recording can’t see every way of getting help. Tell your faculty and candidates that. Let candidates know in advance what is monitored, and treat the limits as a design problem: where you can’t observe a risk, reduce it through question design or a different format. Proctorly publishes the principles of what proctoring can and cannot see, and plans to publish a coverage summary for each supported setup.
Layer 5: Human review and a fair decision
Monitoring raises flags, and people decide what those flags mean. This layer is what makes exam security a process that candidates and appeal panels can trust.
- Every flag reviewed. At Proctorly’s Every flag reviewed level, a trained reviewer looks at each automated flag before it gets to you and records a decision with a reason. Reviewers work 24×7 during exams, in English, with one reviewer for every 40 candidates, and they review 95 of every 100 flags within 5 minutes. The rest are still reviewed, only later.
- A review priority, not a verdict. Each candidate’s score shows the signals behind it and carries the label of a priority for review.
- The institution decides. Confirmed incidents reach your committee with the clips, timeline and reviewer’s reasoning. No automated flag fails a candidate or imposes a sanction.
- Evidence for appeals. Each case has a tamper-evident audit trail and a one-click evidence pack.
See human review proctoring to learn how the reviewer console and evidence pack work.
Choosing an assurance level for high stakes online exams
The level of supervision should fit the stakes. Proctorly has four assurance levels on one platform, and you set them per exam.
| Assurance level | What happens | Who reviews | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded | Identity check, recording and automated flags, with your staff reviewing cases | Your institution | Quizzes, internal assessments |
| Every flag reviewed | Everything in Recorded, plus a Proctorly reviewer checks every flag | Proctorly | End-semester and entrance exams |
| Live pop-in | Everything in Every flag reviewed, plus a proctor watching a group who steps in by chat or audio when a signal fires | Proctorly | Higher-stakes sittings |
| Live dedicated | A proctor watches a small group throughout, with a live check-in and identity confirmation | Proctorly | Certification and licensing |
“Every flag reviewed” covers every flag, which is different from watching every minute of every recording. Full-session review as a separate option is planned.
Before, during and after: an exam security checklist
Before the exam
- Choose the format and assurance level for each paper.
- Build papers from item pools and turn on randomization.
- Publish the rules, including what is monitored, which materials and AI use are allowed, and what happens if a connection drops.
- Ask candidates to run the system check from their exam link and to have their ID ready.
During the exam
- Keep an eye on the exam-day control room to see who has started, who has been flagged and who needs help.
- Keep candidate support open. Proctorly support is available 24×7 during exams.
- Give reminders a chance to work before you escalate anything.
After the exam
- Review every flag in context and record the reason for each decision.
- Send confirmed incidents to your malpractice committee with the evidence pack. Our guide to exam malpractice covers that process.
- Hold results for candidates with an open case, and publish the rest on time.
- Look at what was flagged across the cohort and adjust question design for the next sitting.
What to look for in exam security software
When you compare exam security software, put these questions to each vendor.
- Does the exam run inside the platform, or across several systems?
- How is identity checked, and how often during the session?
- Which current threats does it detect: AI tools, second devices, remote access, overlays, virtual machines?
- Does a trained person review every flag before it reaches you?
- Can any automated signal fail a candidate by itself?
- What evidence do you get for an appeal, and is the audit trail tamper-evident?
- What can’t the system see, and is that published?
- How are technical failures kept apart from misconduct?
- Can you pick a different assurance level for each exam?
- Where is candidate data stored, and who sets retention?
With Proctorly, data is hosted in the client’s geographic location by default, and your institution sets retention.
FAQ
How do you prevent cheating in online exams?
Use layers. Build papers from item pools with randomized questions and options, check identity at the start and throughout the session, lock the exam session, monitor for known threats such as AI tools and second devices, and have a trained person review every flag. Your institution then decides each confirmed case with the evidence in hand. No one control is enough by itself.
Can online exams be made completely secure?
No. No proctoring product can guarantee that nobody cheats, and you should be wary of any that claims it can. A good setup detects a published set of known threats, deters others through question design, records what happened and tells you where its view stops. Being open about those limits is what makes results defensible when a candidate appeals.
What is online test monitoring?
It is supervision of a remote exam through the candidate’s camera, microphone, screen and device. It raises flags when known threats appear, such as a phone in view, an AI tool or remote-access software. With Proctorly, flags are signals for review, and a trained person looks at each one in context before anything reaches your institution’s decision makers.
Does exam security mean recording every candidate all the time?
Not always. Match the supervision to the stakes. A practice quiz can run as a record-only sitting with no flags, while a licensing exam may need a live proctor watching a small group. Proctorly lets you set the assurance level per exam, and candidates learn what is captured before the exam starts.
What happens if a candidate’s internet drops during a proctored exam?
A dropped connection is a technical issue, and it isn’t treated as cheating. Proctorly records the interruption as a technical gap. Candidates should contact support right away through the help link on the exam screen; support is available 24×7 during exams. Keeping technical failures in their own category in every report is planned.
Build your exam security plan with us. Tell us about your exams and candidate numbers, and we’ll recommend an assurance level for each one.