The ongoing pandemic has sharply accelerated a trend towards remotely proctored assessments. Once rarely seen outside of university examination and software certification settings, remote proctoring is now a popular choice across a wide array of assessment contexts.

To accommodate Covid-related health and safety protocols, organizations are adapting their onsite, high-stakes tests for delivery with virtual proctors. At the same time, examinees are becoming more comfortable with the technology and embracing the convenience and flexibility of remote approaches. In short, all signs point to the staying power of remote proctoring.

Since the advent of the pandemic, HumRRO has supported our clients as they have explored the use of remote proctoring technologies for their high-stakes assessment programs in both hiring and credentialing settings. Now that the dust has settled—at least to some degree—we would like to share the observations and insights we have learned through this process. Distilled into a “Top 10” list, here are the key issues we would recommend focusing on when deciding whether remote proctoring is right for your testing program:

1. What problem are you trying to solve?

In early 2020, the critical problem was finding a way to continue high-stakes testing while keeping examinees safe. While that’s still a factor, remote proctoring also can help evolve your program and provide convenient testing options to reach a broader, more diverse candidate pool.

2. What benefits are you targeting?

Consider the long-term benefits you are targeting by using remote proctoring. If your goal is to replicate a brick-and-mortar assessment processes, remote proctoring post-pandemic isn’t a long-term solution.

3. Communications.

When transitioning from a test center-based solution to remote proctoring or implementing a new remote option, it is important to come up with a communications plan to inform test-takers about the changes. What should they expect? How will it work?

4. Assessment stakes.

High-stakes versus low-stakes tests have different requirements. Consider the nature of the test. Remote proctoring is best-suited for computer-based testing of knowledge and cognitive ability rather than physical testing or oral exams.

5. Testing window structure.

Tests administered on a single day typically means there are often either limited or no options to reschedule someone who experiences technical problems on testing day, and therefore, may not be good candidates for remote proctoring.

6. Target audience.

Depending on your industry and sector, potential examinees may not trust remote proctoring. Consider candidate reactions and potential blowback for (proven or proclaimed) false positives. In addition, certain examinees may need more in-depth tutorials on how to use the remote proctoring technology, causing additional stress that could distort the assessment results.

7. Available technology.

For remote proctoring to be valid, examinees need access to the technology required for administering the online assessments. If they don’t have high-speed internet, necessary software, or a webcam, you may be inadvertently excluding people or adding undue financial burden on them to participate. Examinees also need access to a secure testing location—a private room with no distractions and an ability to demonstrate that no one else is in the room.

8. Reputational impact.

When offering a remotely proctored online assessment, organizations must be prepared for a variety of questions and reactions. Concerns may be raised about the validity of the approach and whether results under remote proctoring differ from onsite testing, as well as potential backlash from those who took the exam in-person before the remote proctoring option was offered. How will you handle it if candidates claim technical issues or misunderstanding the proctor’s instructions contributed to their lower score? Anticipating these questions and scenarios in advance will help maintain the reputation of the testing program.

9. Legal implications.

Certain laws may apply, potentially varying across states, covering topics like the retention of video recordings, informed consent, ID requirements, and a host of other issues.

10. Security.

It is important to determine the security risks that are most likely to occur among your candidate population and/or with your current exam process, and then choose the most appropriate type of virtual proctoring—typically either live proctoring or recorded sessions with later review. What documented policies do you have around security and candidate behavior? How should the proctor enforce them? What is your best data-driven estimate of the average rate of cheating among your candidate population? How actively do you believe your candidate population will attempt to cheat? How will you communicate security measures in a way that dissuades people from cheating, yet also mitigates the perception that people could cheat?

Given the potential benefits of remote proctoring, organizations are understandably curious about the technology and want to learn more about how it can be used effectively given their testing needs. Our “Top 10” list reflects an attempt to help you pause and “look before you leap” by sharing what we’ve learned.

Of course, there are other issues to consider once the decision to employ remote proctoring has been made, such as whether to use it for one testing phase or the entire assessment process. There are also a host of operational details to iron out, such as securing an assessment platform (the remote proctoring vendor may offer a platform, or they may support a BYOP (Bring Your Own Platform) approach), implementing a scheduling dashboard, and specifying a proctor-to-candidate ratio. Please contact us to delve further into exploring remote proctoring options for your testing program.

Amy McKee - Director, Private Sector Talent Management

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Amy Mckee

Director

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