How would you recognize if the person taking an online exam is doing on his own or cheating using an external source? The answer to this is Online Proctoring. It is a method to prevent cheating during online exams. The exam-takers tend to cheat while giving an exam. Proctoring software is smart enough to detect any suspicious activity. There is a plethora of proctoring solutions that are used to prevent cheating and to avoid choosing the wrong proctoring solution, you need to consider the factors before you start choosing one:
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Stakes involved
Entrance examinations including SAT, GMAT, GRE, etc are high stake. They are strict toward cheating and doesn’t allow any kind of suspicious activity. These exams make use of proctoring solutions that are reliable. In case you require a proctoring service for college exams, you may go for the normal proctoring solutions. Talking about stakes, these solutions are available for all sorts of exams including schools, universities, and certifications. Therefore, always consider the type of stakes involved to choose the best service for you.
Exam location
The beauty of online exams is that it can be given from anywhere- remotely or from a designated venue. If it is a designated exam venue such as CAT, SAT, etc, exam proctoring services such as classroom proctoring, or record and review proctoring are used to prevent cheating. There is strict checking and authentication via biometrics. Their PCs don’t allow them to cheat. On the other hand, if it is a remote exam venue, a high proctoring service will be used that will keep an eye on you with the help of online authentication, audio and video capturing, suspicious behavior, etc.
Exam Type
Exam type is an important factor to consider while choosing the exam proctoring services. Exam types can be open book exams or closed book exams where exam takers make use of websites and sometimes even calculators are used. For such type of tests, the proctored solutions allow the candidates to access them and keep an eye on them to prevent any kind of misuse. The proctoring services are a great way to ensure the individual doesn’t teach and complete the test with their own capability.
Budget
Without a budget, you cannot decide the right proctoring services for you. An organization with a budget can easily recognize what it wants. Live proctoring is a little expensive as it involves online authentication, secure browser, on the other hand, low-cost solutions are- Auto proctoring or review and record proctoring paired with online ID authentication. Live proctoring is quite reliable as it provides advanced security and keeps a check on the candidates’ activities.
Economies of Scale
While choosing a proctoring solution, you need to identify the number of candidates attending the exam. Live proctoring is not an easy task in the case of a large number of candidates. Auto proctoring works best in this situation. If there are a small number of test takers, live proctoring works best. Therefore, it all depends on the time, budget and stakes.A small number of test takers: When the number of test takers is less- live proctoring, record and review proctoring or auto proctoring- any of these proctoring solutions can be used, depending on the stakes at hand, budget, time at hand, etc.
As technology is advancing and everything is getting automated with the advent of artificial intelligence, smart applications are coming up. Proctoring services are artificial intelligence that does the job of a human. Therefore, go proctor and change the way you supervise the exam takers.