Online Proctored Exam: Types and Benefits

What is an Online Proctored Exam?

The online proctored exam is an assessment test scheduled and conducted remotely. The candidates here take the test using an online tool that is enabled with the live monitoring of each candidate’s desktop activity, audio, as well as webcam video.

The online exam proctoring can be done in two ways. Firstly, the test environment can be proctored using software, where all data is recorded and later reviewed by an external proctoring service. The second way is through live proctoring, where a human proctor examines the candidates’ test environment live through a webcam.

Live proctoring by employers is an effective way of preventing any chance of fraud or cheating during the assessment, ensuring a fair and unbiased experience for every candidate.

Online Proctored Exam Meaning Explored

Live proctoring is an essential aspect of remote assessment tests for hiring. Proctored simply stands for being invigilated. Proctoring is the act of supervising a set of candidates during an examination. Proctoring helps in making the test environment healthy and impartial.

Several challenges of a remote examination such as impersonation of candidates, cheating, or copying from online sites. Technology has been developed to such an extent that tests can be conducted remotely and can live-proctor the candidate as well as their screens from anywhere through a webcam.

Online proctoring is an advanced and need-of-the-hour solution to make employee hiring more meaningful and reliant.

Types of Online Exam Proctoring

The online proctored exams can be made fraud-proof using different types of proctoring. A proctoring platform will offer four ways of proctoring exams online. These approaches can be used to make the testing environment more secure and reliable.

Automatic Proctoring

Automatic proctoring is software-based, which is not carried out live during the exam. Instead, the examination is recorded and submitted by the candidates, which later will be reviewed by and approved by the institution or business organization. This way any flagged behaviors are identified followed by the cancellation of the respective candidate.

Live Proctoring

Live proctoring has a more human approach and involves the participation of a human invigilator. Unlike automatic proctoring, live proctoring does not require any scheduling or registration by the candidate. The invigilator during live proctoring can intervene in any case of suspicious behavior. They can take the candidate out of the test. It comes with complete recording and reporting features.

Browser Lockdown

Browser lockdown is an entry-level software that inhibits the candidates’ access to other sites during the examination. With such a solution, candidates cannot print or screen-capture. Moreover, they will not be able to copy and paste anything from or to anything to the assessment page.

Blended Proctoring

The blended proctoring setup is where the proctoring can be both automated and live. Here the solutions are aided by artificial intelligence. The AI invigilates by monitoring the candidate’s behaviors and detecting any unusual changes. The AI proctoring intelligence whether to interfere or not.

Features in Online Proctoring Software

Recording Settings	Verification Settings	Lock Down Settings
Video recording Audio recording Screen recording Web traffic recording Desk recording	Video verification Audio verification Identity verification Desktop verification Signature verification	Mandatory full screen Static one screen Disable new tabs Close open tabs Disable printing Disable clipboard Clear cache Disable right click Prevent re-entry

Advanced Online Proctoring Tools

Alongside these features, there are other advanced online proctoring tools. The following are some of the tools that can be leveraged.

Cell phone detection – This is one of the unique tools that ensure that everything happens fairly during the exam. With the help of cell phone detection techniques, invigilators can ensure that the candidates do not use mobile phones.
Finding leaked test content – The tool effectively disables cheating by actively checking the internet/web for leaked questions. Thus ensuring that the test remains intact. In case the test leaks, it can be immediately taken down by using one-click takedown requests.
Smart voice detection – It is one of the latest techniques that allows voice recordings to be converted into transcripts. It can be initiated through keywords similar to such as “Hey Google”
Live pop-in – The live pop-in feature can be used to send notifications to the invigilator as well as the candidates when anything suspicious is detected in the test environment. It gives a warning to the candidates and sends an alert to the supervisor. Following this, the supervisor can review and analyze the window and decide whether to intervene or not, hence not interrupting the candidate unnecessarily.

How Does Proctoring Online Exams Work?

Online proctored exams can be conducted in multiple ways and include several steps. To conduct a proctored online exam, the organizers need two key factors – an online assessment tool and a proctoring software. However, pre-employment assessment tools like Skillrobo offer both these key factors on one platform itself.

Here is how an online proctored exam works –

The first stage is where the assessment organizers create the test using task assessment software like Skillrobo, which has online proctoring features.
If a separate proctoring software is being used, the candidates will have to install it into the software.
The next stage is where the test is scheduled on a particular date and time. The following assessment test link is shared with the candidates through email. The email will notify the day, date, and time the test will commence.
In the case of automated proctoring, the candidates do not have to take the test simultaneously. The sessions can be recorded and reviewed at a later time.
At the commencement of the test, the identity of all the candidates will be checked to prevent any chances of impersonation.
The next step is to check the test environment of the candidates for potential threats to fairness. This happens when a physical, human invigilator is present for the test.
Once that is done, the instructions to the candidates are explained by the invigilator or will be given on the test screen, in the absence of an invigilator.
During live proctoring, the invigilator will be able to see the candidates as well as the screen that every candidate is on. This way, in case of any suspicion, the candidate can be removed from the test.
The candidates will not be able to view the human invigilator. In case of any unsteady or peculiar activity, the invigilator will be notified and the candidate will be given a warning. If this continues to happen, the candidate will be dropped out of the test automatically.
Once the candidates have completed the test, they can automatically end the test and drop out of the test window.
The recording can be collected from the software for automated proctoring. Once the review is done, all the eligible candidates can be evaluated accordingly.

These important steps make sure that the complete process is fair and fraud-proof, ensuring the integrity of the test.

The Benefits of the Online Exam Proctor

Manual hiring of employees is a tedious task. Numerous applicants have to be screened and evaluated in a limited time. This is why using an assessment tool would free recruiters from this situation and allow them to maintain the integrity of the complete process. Live proctoring is a feature that facilitates fairness. Let us look at some of the benefits that online proctored exams offer.

Prevent Impersonation

Remote setup of examinations always comes with the question of its fairness. This is why live proctoring is an apt solution. The proctoring features allow the organizers to verify the identity of the candidates and prevent cases of impersonation.

No Proctoring Software Implementation

Using an online exam proctor like Skillrobo will not require the candidates to download the software into their system. The candidates will only have to enable access permission to their webcam and audio. Hence, eliminates the hassle of dealing with technical readiness.

Effective Candidate Verification

When the assessment begins, it is a mandatory step to verify the identity of the candidates appearing for the test. Using online proctoring software ensures that the test is conducted with certain ethics and morality, that will not tarnish the organization’s image and brand.

Customization

Online assessment software facilitates customization. These tools come with customization pre-built test templates, where questions can be added or removed based on the required experience. Skillrobo outshines other tools in this aspect. Our platform comes with a skill library and a test library, where new skills and tests can be created and added, making it highly customizable.

Easy Management

A remote online proctored exam, that is conducted using the assessment software offers a more centralized space to view, sort, and manage all the candidates at once. This is comparatively more convenient and hassle-free. This method saves up more time and resources. The reports are generated right after the assessment, and all the qualified and unqualified candidates are listed according to the set metrics.

Easy Shortlisting

The notable benefit of online assessment software is that it can be effectively used for mass hiring. A large pool of candidates can be evaluated in one go, easily shortlisted, and rightfully hired. A lot of resources such as a large testing room, multiple systems,

Flexibility

Online exam proctor software makes assessing and evaluating more flexible. It can be scheduled according to the convenience of the organizer as well as the candidates. With automated proctoring, the candidates can take the test anytime before the deadline.

Reduces Fraudulent Activities

Research has shown that online proctoring features discourage fraudulent candidates. The tests conducted are fair, moral, and candidate-friendly.

How to Set Up an Online Proctored Exam?

The planning and organizing behind an online proctored exam is much easier than manually arranging one. Whether it is assessing new hires, assessing your existing employees, or even evaluating students, setting up online assessments with live proctoring can be achieved with a few simple steps. They are –

The first and foremost thing to do is to look for online assessment software along with a proctoring feature.
Based on the role, use the pre-existing templates or create a new test by adding skills and questions.
Obtain the reports on the performance, and finalize the shortlisted candidate for the next level.

What Types of Exams Can Be Proctored?

A wide spectrum of exam types can be proctored using a blended form of proctoring. The blended type includes both automated and live proctoring features in one platform. Such platforms can be used to supervision any sort of examination such as –

Traditional exams – The traditional exams include MCQs, true or false, etc.
Paper-based exams – Paper-based exams that can be proctored include handwritten assessments
Online authentic exams – These are assessments that have to be completed using software. These might include presentations, demonstrations, projects, etc.
In-person exams in a center – Proctoring can be used in physical testing centers as well.

How Much Do Online Proctoring Tools Cost?

The online proctoring software is available in the market at different and varying prices. Therefore, it is important to weigh the pros and cons of all the potential tools based on the needs of your team or organization. The two main factors to consider with respect to price are –

Go for flat-rate proctoring costs – Flat-rate costs are essential when it comes to solutions like these. Variable costs can increase the final investment you make. During instances where the exams run longer than expected, the cost just simply adds up. Therefore, going for platforms that offer flat rates.
Know whether it is worth the price – Determining if the product will just be a checking-the-box category or if it is worth the price. The tool that you decide to invest in must satisfy your needs and also be worth the investment. Remember to go for the only necessary features. For example, the software for browser blocking can be a wrong investment when candidates can access the internet on phones.

Important Tips to Conduct Online Exam Proctor Successfully

Ensure that you have invested in the right tool for live proctoring.
Ensure that the candidates’ devices include a webcam, microphone, and internet speed to complete the test.
Ensure that the test environment of each candidate is and check whether they satisfy all the requirements.
Ensure that the candidate does not leave the testing in between. In case of exit, the candidate must be terminated.
Ensure that all the candidates are on camera throughout the examination. They can only drop out once they finish and submit the test.
Ensure that the candidates do not wear headphones.

Secure your Test Environment with Skillrobo’s Live Proctor

Skillrobo is an all-in-one platform that offers users the power to create and conduct tests. The tool ensures that the right candidates are shortlisted and hired for the right role. The with most user-friendly interface, Skillrobo comes with the most simple yet powerful features that empower and boost the hiring process.

Skillrobo can not only be used for curating tests but is also self-equipped with the live proctoring feature. As one of the most engaging and interactive, Skillrobo is a lifesaver for recruiters and candidates. The tests are conducted with integrity and the results are unbiased and fair.

What does Skillrobo offer?

ARIV – AI-powered test generator for auto-generating skills and questions that can be added to the libraries and tests.
Custom Tests and Skills – The tests and skills in the libraries are completely customizable. New questions and skills can be created and added easily.
Live proctor – Live proctor can be used to effectively monitor candidates during assessments.
Customize Invitation and test completion email – Users can personalize the test invitation mail and test completion mail giving candidates a better experience.
Analytics and Reports – Detailed reports will be generated once the test is completed. The tool notifies the candidates who have passed and can be hired.

Conclusion

Online examinations can now be made more impactful and reliable with online proctoring. Proctoring exams online is now simplified with ground-breaking solutions such as Skillrobo. This is also essentially important when it comes to employee assessment as well.

Live proctoring solutions like Skillrobo offer numerous benefits to the hiring department. It is easy to use and worth investing in. To partner, sign up today!