Best Online Proctoring Providers: The Alternative List You Need

There are many online proctoring providers on the market today, so how can you strategically shop for one?  This post provides some considerations, and a list of most vendors, to help you with the process.

Online proctoring refers to the use of video for proctoring in educational or professional tests when the proctor is not in the same room as the examinee. This means that it is done with a video stream or recording using a webcam and sometimes an additional device, which are monitored by a human and/or AI. It is also referred to as remote proctoring or invigilation. Online proctoring offers a compelling alternative to in-person proctoring, with security and costs somewhere in between unproctored at-home tests and tests delivered at an expensive testing center in an office building. This makes it a perfect fit for medium-stakes exams, such as university placement, pre-employment screening, and many types of certification/licensure tests.

The Importance of Online Proctoring

Online proctoring software has become essential in maintaining the integrity and fairness of remote examinations. This technology enables educational institutions and certification bodies to administer tests securely, ensuring that the assessment process is free from cheating and other forms of malpractice. By using advanced features such as facial recognition, screen monitoring, and AI-driven behavior analysis, online proctoring software can detect and flag suspicious activities in real time, making it a reliable solution for maintaining academic standards.

Moreover, online proctoring software offers significant convenience and flexibility. Students and professionals can take exams from any location, reducing the need for physical test centers and making it easier for individuals in remote or underserved areas to access educational opportunities. This flexibility not only broadens access to education and certification but also saves time and resources for both test-takers and administrators. Additionally, the data collected during online proctored exams can provide valuable insights into test-taker behavior, helping organizations to refine their testing processes and improve overall assessment quality.

List of Online Proctoring Providers

Looking to evaluate potential vendors? Here is a great place to start.

Our recommendations for the best online proctoring software

ASC’s platforms are integrated with some of the leading remote proctoring software providers.

How do I select an online proctoring provider?

First, you need to determine which type of proctoring you need. There are four levels of online proctoring; more detail on this later!

1. Live: Professional proctors watch in real time
2. Record and review: Video is recorded, and professional proctors watch later
3. AI: Video is recorded, and analyzed with AI to look for flags like two faces
4. Bring your own proctor: Same as the ones above, but YOU need to watch all the videos

There is a trade-off with costs here. Live proctoring with professionals can cost $30 to $100 or more, while AI proctoring can be as little as a few dollars. So, Live is usually used for high-stakes low-volume exams like Certification, while AI is better for low-stakes high-volume exams like university quizzes.

Next, evaluate some vendors to see which group they fall into; note that some vendors can do all of them! Then, ask for some demos so you understand the business processes involved and the UX on the examinee side, both of which could substantially impact the soft costs for your organization. Finally, start negotiating with the vendor you want!

What do I need? Two Distinct Markets

First, I would describe the online proctoring industry as actually falling into two distinct markets, so the first step is to determine which of these fits your organization

1. Large scale, lower cost (when large scale), lower security systems designed to be used only as a plugin to major LMS platforms like Blackboard or Canvas. These systems are therefore designed for lower-stakes exams like an Intro to Psychology midterm at a university.
2. Lower scale, higher cost, higher security systems designed to be used with standalone platforms dedicated to high stakes exams. These are generally for tests like certification or workforce, or perhaps special use at universities like Admissions and Placement exams.

How to tell the difference? The first type will advertise about easy integration with systems like Blackboard or Canvas as a key feature. They will also often focus on AI review of videos, rather than using real humans. Another key consideration is to look at the existing client base, which is often advertised.

Other ways that vendors can differ

Screen capture: Some online proctoring providers have an option to record/stream the screen as well as the webcam. Some also provide the option to only do this (no webcam) for lower stakes exams.

Mobile phone as the second camera: Some newer platforms provide the option to easily integrate the examinee’s mobile phone as a second camera (third stream, if you include screen capture), which effectively operates as a human proctor. Examinees will be instructed to use the video to show under the table, behind the monitor, etc., before starting the exam. They then might be instructed to stand up the phone 2 meters away with a clear view of the entire room while the test is being delivered. This is in addition to the webcam.

API integrations: Some systems require software developers to set up an API integration with your LMS or assessment platform. Others are more flexible, and you can just log in yourself, upload a list of examinees, and you are all set.

On-Demand vs. Scheduled: Some platforms involve the examinee scheduling a time slot. Others are purely on-demand, and the examinee can show up whenever they are ready. MonitorEDU is a prime example of this: examinees show up at any time, present their ID to a live human, and are then started on the test immediately – no downloads/installs, no system checks, no API integrations, nothing.

What are the types of online proctoring?

There are many types of online proctoring software on the market, spread across dozens of vendors, especially new ones that sought to capitalize on the pandemic which were not involved with assessment before hand. With so many options, how can you more effectively select amongst the types of remote proctoring? There are four types of remote proctoring platforms, which can be adapted to a particular use case, sometimes varying between different tests in a single organization. ASC supports all four types, and partners with 5 different vendors to help provide the best solution to our clients. In descending order of security:

Some case studies for different types of exams

We’ve worked with all types of remote proctoring software, across many types of assessment:

• ASC delivers high-stakes certification exams for a number of certification boards, in multiple countries, using the live proctoring with professional proctors. Some of these are available continuously on-demand, while others are on specific days where hundreds of candidates log in.
• We partnered with a large university in South America, where their admissions exams were delivered using Bring Your Own Proctor, enabling them to drastically reduce costs by utilizing their own staff.
• We partnered with a private company to provide AI-enhanced record-and-review proctoring for applicants, where ASC staff reviews the results and provides a report to the client.
• We partner with an organization that delivers civil service exams for a country, and utilizes both unproctored and AI-only proctoring, differing across a range of exam titles.

More security: Test delivery options

A professional-grade exam system will also come with its own functionality to enhance test security: randomization, automated item generation, computerized adaptive testing, linear-on-the-fly testing, professional item banking, item response theory scoring, scaled scoring, psychometric analytics, equating, lockdown delivery, and more. In the context of online proctoring, perhaps the most salient is the lockdown delivery. In this case, the test will completely take over the examinee’s computer and they can’t use it for anything else until the test is done.

LMS systems rarely include any of this functionality, because they are not needed for a midterm exam of Intro to Psychology. However, most assessments in the world that have real stakes – university admissions, certifications, workforce hiring, etc. – depend heavily on such functionality. It’s not just out of habit or tradition, either. Such methods are considered essential by international standards including AERA/APA/NCMA, ITC, and NCCA.

Want some more information?

Get in touch with us, we’d love to show you a demo or introduce you to partners!

Email solutions@assess.com.

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Nathan Thompson, PhD

Nathan Thompson earned his PhD in Psychometrics from the University of Minnesota, with a focus on computerized adaptive testing. His undergraduate degree was from Luther College with a triple major of Mathematics, Psychology, and Latin. He is primarily interested in the use of AI and software automation to augment and replace the work done by psychometricians, which has provided extensive experience in software design and programming. Dr. Thompson has published over 100 journal articles and conference presentations, but his favorite remains https://scholarworks.umass.edu/pare/vol16/iss1/1/ .

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