If a big pay raise or promotion depended on you passing a certification exam, would you look up answers online or ask a chatbot if the exam wasn’t proctored? C’mon, be honest.
Without proctoring software, or with weak software, the reward is high and the risk of being caught is low. There are many different certification proctoring tools and types to choose from, so we’ll review those and point out key considerations to help you find the best solution for your organization.
Proctoring tools to prevent cheating on certification exams
Proctoring services offer organizations many different tools to protect the integrity of certification exams. These tools work whether the exam uses traditional formats like multiple-choice and true-or-false or requires hands-on tasks like coding in a development environment, recording patient information in real charting software, or creating financial reports in Excel.
Although each proctoring company does it a bit differently, here’s how these tools work and how they can help secure certification exams and other assessments in professional education while also protecting your organization’s content and intellectual property.
Protect certification exam content and intellectual property
Proctoring tools can help protect IP by searching the internet for leaked certification exam content, which is big business today. Depending on the certification proctoring software, exam owners can manually select which questions to search for and send individual takedown requests, or they can automatically scan all questions at once and send takedown requests with a single click.
Detect cell phones and secondary devices
Detects when candidates try to use secondary devices such as cell phones, smartwatches, and tablets during professional certification exams. Proctoring services typically rely on live proctors seeing phones in real time, although this can be difficult when they are monitoring multiple candidates at once. Another approach to detecting cell phones is using online proctoring software that identifies their presence in the test environment and when test takers try to use them off camera to search for answers.
Block chatbots and AI assistants
Exam owners can block all applications and software, such as chatbots, AI coding/interview assistants, remote access tools, and screen recorders, while still allowing specific apps required to complete the exam. For example, blocking all applications and software while still allowing access to specific coding environments, accounting software, or software like Excel and Word limits test takers to only using the software needed to complete the proctored certification exam.
Scan the environment and monitor behavior from all angles
Before certification exams, admins can require a room scan to check for notes, devices, or other people. During exams, the remote proctoring system monitors and records participants with their main webcam and an optional second camera for a full view of the test environment.
Detect speech instead of unimportant sounds
Unlike basic sound detection, smart speech detection listens for specific keywords like “Hey Siri” or “OK Google,” which activate virtual assistants. If something is flagged, a live proctor reviews the transcript and only intervenes when necessary so test takers can talk through problems without being interrupted.
Verify participants' identities
Proctoring solutions can authenticate the exam taker’s identity to confirm that the person taking the exam is the same as the person earning the degree or certification. Ideally, it’s a quick process (about a minute) where the webcam captures a photo of the participant and their ID. Participants will obviously have privacy concerns, so be sure to ask the proctoring service about their data privacy and security practices.
Types of certification proctoring
Proctoring companies’ software and services are all a bit different, but they can generally be grouped into a few types. Understanding how each type works can help you figure out what’s realistic to manage and best for your organization, your certification programs, and the participants taking the proctored exams.
Hybrid certification proctoring
AI monitors participants during exams and alerts a live proctor if potentially problematic behavior occurs. Services handle this differently. Some have live proctors intervene immediately regardless of the situation, like pausing an exam for a cough or barking dog, which can be distracting. And some take a more non-invasive approach by having the live proctors review the flagged behavior first and only intervene when necessary.
Bring Your Own Proctor (BYOP)
BYOP is a self-managed approach where your staff proctors the certification exams while the software monitors behavior. This approach keeps your organization in control while also giving you the flexibility to adjust processes and requirements.
Automated proctoring solution
Uses AI and/or software to monitor participants and block specific behaviors and access to unauthorized resources. Each online proctoring provider offers different features and functionality, which range from basic browser lockdown software and sound detection to more advanced AI that listens for specific speech and detects secondary devices.
Live proctoring
A human proctor watches participants take their professional certification exams in real-time. It provides human oversight for gray areas, but it’s expensive and makes it difficult to schedule exams, and proctors often miss things because they’re monitoring multiple test takers at once.
Record and review
The certification exam is recorded and then reviewed later by your staff or by the remote proctoring service. It adds human oversight but can’t stop misconduct when it happens and requires lots of time to review (which can be pricey).
Even though your certification programs and exams face more threats than ever, the right proctoring service can help by securing exams and protecting your content and IP. Proctored certification exams protect the value of the credential and the trust that participants and employers place in your certifications, programs, and organization. Learn more about proctoring for professional education.
