Introduction

With the increasing preference for online exams, the need for proctoring solutions is on the rise, with so many available proctoring solutions, it can be hard to choose the best one to meet your needs. This article guides you through selecting the best-fitting software for your niche requirements.

What is a proctoring service?

Proctoring is a service enabling you to invigilate (monitor) the remote candidate while the candidate attempts an online exam.

Isn’t it fascinating that you can actually monitor a remote student during exams? Until recently, it was a common practice that students had to visit their educational institute for examinations. This was a mood spoiler for those who were learning in distance mode.

But now with the advent of proctoring services, it is possible to conduct a reliable online exam without asking candidates to be physically present at the institute.

What are the top features of proctoring solutions?

Right to the point, below are the top features of proctoring solutions-

Reliability–

Wondering how reliability is the first thing you should look for? The reason is that if you add all the students’ data of your institute into software, the data must be handled ethically by the software provider. 

Further, you will import the question papers into the software before the examination; if you choose non-standard software, there are always chances that the question paper may get leaked out. The worst situation, isn’t it?

Thus, the reliability of the software is the very first thing you should prioritize while choosing a proctoring solution in 2024 (and yes, in future as well).

Pro tip– Reliability is a subjective term, but you can always check the website of the service provider, check the reviews, get those reviews verified before you actually buy the software service. Check the client list and track record of the service provider.

Scalability–

As an educational institution, you will always have to consider the number of students appearing for the exam. If your proctoring solution cannot handle a large number of students at once, it will result in chaos and inconvenience for both students and the institution. Therefore, scalability is an essential feature to look for in a proctoring solution.

Proctoring solutions with good scalability can handle a large number of students appearing for exams simultaneously without causing any technical glitches or delays. This will ensure a smooth and efficient exam process for both the institution and students. 

Pro tip– Ask the service provider about their capability to handle a large number of students at once. You can also ask for references from other educational institutions that have used their service to get an idea of their scalability.

AI Malpractice Prevention–

With the increasing use of technology in exams, the risk of malpractice has also increased. Proctoring solutions with AI-enabled technology can help prevent malpractice during exams. 

AI algorithms can detect suspicious behaviour during exams, such as cheating, and alert the proctor in real time. This will help to maintain the integrity of exams and ensure that the results are accurate.

Pro tip– Ask the service provider about the AI technology they use to prevent malpractice during exams. You can also check their website or documentation for information on their AI-enabled proctoring features.

Support for Multiple Types of Proctoring–

Different types of exams may require different proctoring methods. Some exams may require live proctoring, while others may require automated proctoring. Therefore, it is important to choose a proctoring solution that supports multiple types of proctoring.

Proctoring solutions with support for multiple types of proctoring will allow educational institutions to choose the proctoring method that best suits their needs. This will ensure that the exam process is efficient and effective for both students and the institution.

Pro tip– Ask the service provider about the different types of proctoring they support. You can also check their website or documentation for information on their proctoring features.

Real-time Support during Exam–

During exams, technical issues can arise, and students may need assistance from the proctor. Therefore, it is important to choose a proctoring solution that provides real-time support during the exam.

Proctoring solutions with real-time support will ensure that any technical issues are resolved promptly, and students can continue with their exams without any interruptions. This will result in a stress-free exam experience for students and a smoother exam process for the institution.

Pro tip- Ask the service provider about their real-time support options. You can also check their website or documentation for information on their support features.

It can be overwhelming to choose software from so many available options, the very first step would be to understand the requirements of features for your needs.

Below is a list of features of online proctoring solutions you can choose from-

Core features-

Feature #1- Human proctoring–

A human invigilator monitors the candidates appearing on the examination, the proctor can pause or terminate the exam of the candidate in case the candidate attempts malpractice.

Feature #2- AI proctoring–

In case you would like to conduct a high-accuracy exam with the highest reliability, AI proctoring can be implemented, AI replaces the role of a human proctor and identifies the malpractice, generating the report at the end of the examination with a reliability score for each candidate.

Feature #3- AI+Human proctoring–

For even more stringent examinations, AI proctoring and Human proctoring can be combined to get the best of both types of proctoring methods. AI+Human proctored exams need a very smaller number of human proctors and can still be highly reliable.

You can also explore advanced proctoring techniques like 360-degree proctoring, which helps to have a 360-degree view of a remote candidate environment. You can check the details of 360-degree proctoring in the below video.

Feature #4- Real-time communication with candidates–

Similar to offline examinations, where the invigilator can share common instructions with all the students, this feature allows the proctors to broadcast a common message to all the candidates appearing in the examination.

Feature #5- Chat with the candidates–

The feature enables the proctor and candidates to have two-way communication during the course of the examination so that the candidates can ask questions (if any) during the course of the examination.

Feature #6- Integrated screen proctoring–

This feature lets the proctor continuously monitor the candidate’s screen during the course of the examination to prevent any kind of cheating that the candidate might attempt through the computer through which the candidate is appearing for the examination.

Extended features (Accessory features)-

Feature #1- Item bank creation–

Would you need to create a question bank from the software itself or is it available to your staff and would you like to simply import it?

Feature #2- Bulk data import–

The candidate data and question bank make a huge amount of data which cannot be imported manually, the software shall support bulk import of the data into the online proctoring solution.

Feature #3- Question bank analytics–

The feature helps you to analyze the available question bank and thus provides insights on if or not the new questions need to be imported to generate the question paper of the required difficulty level.

Feature #4- Auto-result generation–

This feature enables the administrator to generate the results of exams containing objective (MCQ) questions with a single click.

Feature #5- Auto-subjective answer evaluation–

This feature utilizes AI for auto-evaluating the answer submitted by the student against descriptive questions.

We have listed out a few best proctoring solutions for the year 2024-

#1- Eklavvya (India)

Eklavvya is a highly reputed award-winning online examination platform integrated with AI-powered proctoring. The solution has successfully completed 32 million+ examinations with its highly efficient platform that supports over 52 types of examinations.

Eklavvya is one of the most progressive proctoring solution providers with great subject matter expertise. With this, Eklavvya supports top-notch proctoring features like AI proctoring, 360-degree proctoring, secure browser to count a few.

Eklavvya’s proctoring solution remains our first choice due to its reliability, scalability, user-oriented design and top-notch features like AI-enabled 360-degree proctoring.

Rating: 5/5

Top features and highlights- 

• AI-integrated proctoring.
• Scalable to accommodate a large number of students.
• Excellent service track record with an existing customer base.
• ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certified for Information Security Systems.
• Supports candidate authentication/candidate identity verification.
• Seamless API integrated with all major LMS.
• Supports Item bank (Question bank) creation, analysis and management.
• End-to-end exam process management (Question bank to scoring and result generation).
• No need for Chrome/browser plugins to attempt the proctored exam.
• Demo and free subscription before you actually buy.

#2- ProctorU/ Meazure learning (USA)

ProctorU is one of the most popular, trusted and comprehensive proctoring platforms that includes features like live proctoring, automated proctoring, and secure exam delivery. It also provides detailed analytics and reporting for exam administrators.

ProctorU is recommended for institutions that need a comprehensive proctoring platform with detailed analytics and reporting.

Rating: 5/5

Top features and highlights-

• Trusted software with a great track record.
• Categorization of packages in low, medium and high-stake examinations.
• Integrated question bank development and analysis tool.
• Integrated candidate management system.
• Various academic software products can be seamlessly integrated together.

#3- ExamSoft (Acquired by Turnitin, USA)

ExamSoft is yet another tool owned by Turnitin which is well-known for products for maintaining academic integrity.

ExamSoft is known for its comprehensive exam management platform that includes proctoring features like automated proctoring, live proctoring, and secure exam delivery. It also provides detailed analytics and reporting for exam administrators.

ExamSoft is recommended for institutions that need a comprehensive exam management platform with proctoring features and detailed analytics. 

Rating 5/5

Top features and highlights- 

• Puts academic integrity as the foremost priority.
• Candidate authentication feature.
• Systematic customer onboarding.
• An array of tools that can be integrated to improve academic integrity.

#4- Examity (USA)

Examity is known for its flexible proctoring options, including live proctoring, automated proctoring, and recorded proctoring. It also includes features like ID verification and secure exam delivery.

Examity is recommended for institutions that require a range of proctoring options to meet the needs of different types of exams.

Contrary to other proctoring solutions, the focus of Examity is on ‘Human proctoring’ rather than AI proctoring.

Top features and highlights-

• Great user interface and user experience.
• Support institutes by providing human proctors.
• Low students to human proctor ratio.
• Different packages for low and high-stakes exams.

#5- ProctorExam (Netherlands)

ProctorExam is known for its flexible proctoring options, including live proctoring and automated proctoring. It also includes features like ID verification, browser lockdown, and real-time monitoring.

ProctorExam is recommended for institutions that require a user-friendly proctoring solution that can be easily customized to meet their needs.

Top features and highlights- 

• Focus on Human proctored exams than AI-proctored examinations.
• Flexible and customizable solution for specific needs.
• The friendly workforce and great track record of customers.
• 24×7 support to students and exam administrators.

#6- Kryterion (USA)

Kryterion is known for its flexible proctoring options, including live proctoring, automated proctoring, and on-demand proctoring. It also includes features like ID verification and secure exam delivery.

Kryterion is recommended for institutions that need a range of proctoring options to meet the needs of different types of exams.

Top features and highlights- 

• Focus on offline tests in test centres.
• Supports high stake online certification exams.
• Good customer support and consultation.
• Supports online as well as offline centre-based digital examinations.

#7- Proctorio (USA)

Proctorio is known for its AI-powered proctoring that uses machine learning to detect and prevent cheating during online exams. It also includes features like browser lockdown, ID verification, and secure exam delivery.

Proctorio is recommended for institutions that require a high level of security and accuracy during online exams.

Top features and highlights-

• Supports content sharing and management with high security.
• Provides a specialized lockdown browser for high-security exams.
• Supports identity verification (Automated and Live).
• Data encryption for security.

#8- Mercer Mettl (India)

Mercer Mettl is known for its range of proctoring options, including live proctoring, automated proctoring, and recorded proctoring. It also includes features like ID verification, secure exam delivery, and customizable proctoring rules.

Mercer Mettl is recommended for institutions that require a range of proctoring options to meet the needs of different types of exams.

Top features and highlights-

• Readily available question banks for a variety of examinations.
• Focused solution for corporate and academic assessments.
• Expertise in corporate employee skill assessment.
• Supports a variety of examination types.
• Seamless integration with LMS.
• Customizable solution for the niche needs of corporates.

#9- Honorlock (USA)

Honorlock is known for its advanced machine-learning algorithms that can detect and prevent cheating during online exams. It also offers features like live proctoring, browser lockdown, and secure exam delivery.

Honorlock is recommended for educational institutions that intend to conduct human-proctored exams and lack the required human resources for proctoring.

Top features and highlights-

• Supports AI as well as human proctoring.
• Direct LMS integration with API.
• 24×7 support to students and administrators.
• Faster implementation within a few days.

#10- ProctorTrack (USA)

ProctorTrack is known for its advanced proctoring technology that can detect and prevent cheating during online exams. It also includes features like live proctoring, browser lockdown, and secure exam delivery.

ProctorTrack is recommended for institutions that require a high level of security during online exams and need an advanced proctoring solution.

Top features and highlights-

• Top-notch privacy features for students along with a student-only privacy dashboard.
• Different packages focus on the balance of cost and exam security.
• Supports AI+human hybrid proctoring for high exam security.
• 24×7 support to students for all 365 days.

Conclusion

There are a variety of software available to meet your niche needs, while you choose software, you must understand your own requirements and choose the software that meets your niche needs. Various software providers with the same features may charge a different amount of money for the solution, as a wise academician, you hold the right to choose the best solution with a good balance of features and cost. 

It’s a fact that the software will not serve the purpose unless your team knows how to use it. Technical support of any initial handholding is one of the ‘must have’ requirements to consider while choosing the software.

Ultimately, the best solution is the one that serves best of your needs at the least cost while retaining the confidentiality of your institute’s data.

If you need more help, talk with our experts to get tailored recommendations for your needs.