Online Testing Software Offers Secure and Reliable Computer-Based Testing

Under constant pressure to complete academic assignments, projects and examinations, students

today often resort to the easiest option to cope with their stress – cheating. Faculty and

administrators have noticed a surge in incidences of cheating on exams in the past few years,

causing them to turn to other, more secure options for being able to administer exams, as well as

help assess student learning.

On a given day, teachers in higher education struggle with finding the balance between a solution

that can accurately and reliably assess student learning and a solution that can potentially

alleviate some of the concerns of students cheating on exams.

In today’s highly-technological world, personal computers and laptops are used for everything –

from paying bills to putting together picture albums. Why can’t the highly versatile operational

ability of computers extend to exam software to better assess student learning in the classroom?

It can. But with the power of computer-based testing, comes the great responsibility of security

and the need to deter students from cheating.

ExamSoft is an exam software solution that recognizes the significance of this problem. Our

solution was designed to consider every possible avenue a student could take for cheating while

using computer-based exam software on a personal laptop. Through implementation of several

processes, ExamSoft helps deter and detect cheating by:

•Locking down computers from all other files and programs during the exam

•Blocking Internet access during the exam

•Asking a security question to prove student was in classroom during the exam

•Transmitting completed exams securely through email

•Tracking and reporting all transmittance of exams to prevent sharing

During the computer-based exam administration, teachers need a way to ensure their students are

taking their exams fairly, without passing the test or answers along to other students. While

computers still raise security issues in themselves, ExamSoft offers a high level of security and

reliability for state governments, licensing and certification bodies, and leading university

systems through:

•Third party testing of products

•Military-grade encryption tools

•Password protection

•One chance to take the exam on one computer

•Mid-exam security

•Continuous upgrades

There is not a 100 percent, bullet-proof way of preventing students from cheating on any given

assignment or exam, but online testing software can help create a secure environment to

administer exams and assess student learning in the classroom.

About ExamSoftExamSoft is a computer based testing software company offering a turnkey solution for online testing software and test generator software. More information on our online exam software at: http://www.examsoft.com/