How Do Online Proctored Exams Detect Cheating

Proctored exams provide students with a secure and fair assessment environment online. Exams are overseen by either human invigilators or AI-powered proctoring software which records computer activity, webcam video footage and audio activity to flag any suspicious cases that arise during testing.

Cheating an online exam can be possible if students use resourceful and intelligent tactics. Below are some of the more commonly employed by cheaters to bypass online proctoring.

1. Gaze Detection

Humans are highly attuned to gaze. We all know the phrase, “the eyes are the window to the soul”, but why are humans so attuned? Researchers suggest it might be because gaze provides us with an important way of assessing the intentions of others – whether someone wants to attack you or simply expresses interest in you.

Online proctoring systems use a camera above the monitor with eye gaze detection software to track eye movements of users. This information is then processed using image processing algorithms to understand where their gaze is directed, what areas of their face they focus on, whether or not they blinking occurs and where there are most fixations points on a heat map and an opacity map displaying where gaze concentration occurs.

The Opacity Map uses green, yellow and red tones to represent gaze points across different facial regions. Areas where people tend to focus their gaze the most are marked darker while those less frequently visited appear lighter on the heat map. While this tool can provide valuable insight into where attention is being directed it does not provide context as to why some areas received more or fewer fixations points than others.

Experiment 1 asked observers to compare successively presented pairs of faces, noting the gaze direction in 400 millisecond intervals compared with each other. Faces could either be noiseless or with fractal noise added in one eye region of one of them (the “test” face), with logistic functions fitted against proportion of trials where test faces were judged as direct versus averted left/right, yielding an estimate of bias from its slope.

2. Motion Detection

Online proctoring software can detect suspicious movements, noises and devices; but smart students often find ways to sidestep these technological tools by employing less complex means.

At times, students resort to using smartphones to access online answers or refer to unofficial materials, like electronic textbooks and personal notes hidden nearby or written on discreet pieces of paper. Cheating can be used as an effective and popular strategy to gain admission to colleges or graduate schools as well as impact career prospects while damaging educational institutions’ credibility.

Impersonation is another common way of cheating online tests, where students take tests in someone else’s place on behalf of someone else. This typically happens before or during a test session; to prevent this from happening, test-taking processes require students to enable web cameras, present photos/scans of ID documents for verification and verify themselves with unique login details; some systems even ask students to record themselves via video to allow comparison of images from previous exams.

Also, some online testing companies allow students to take exams on tablets or smartphones; however, students often bypass this restriction by installing a screen-sharing app and mirroring their desktop screen for viewing by their helpers. After searching online or discussing questions live with them in real-time, students then use smartwatches as storage for answers to share with their helpers.

These age-old cheating tactics won’t work with AI-based software or live remote proctors who can detect them by monitoring student actions, movements and facial expressions. Not only is the technology ineffective against such attempts; their ineffectiveness also undermines assessment processes while diminishing trust between learners and educators.

3. Voice Detection

Online proctoring services employ various strategies to detect cheating during exams. With these techniques, they can identify any suspicious behavior out of the ordinary and notify a human proctor as quickly as possible. Some innovative methods include using hidden cameras, two-way radios or microphones; even their system can use voice recognition technology to determine whether a student is trying to cheat.

Impersonation is another method used by students looking to cheat on online exams. Students may switch places before the authentication process begins or use another ID during an assessment, sharing login information between devices or even hiring expert tutors to take it on their behalf.

Students taking online tests can cheat by searching the Internet for answers or messaging helpers in real time via messaging apps, using mobile phones or smartwatches to store information or check social media notifications; it should be noted, however, that such actions are difficult to detect as proctors only have access to viewing the student’s webcam rather than all physical surroundings.

Tech-savvy students may also use sophisticated methods, such as screen-sharing applications or virtual machines, to conceal their cheating activities. But this type of activity can be difficult to detect due to constantly-evolving software systems allowing students to bypass security systems. Therefore, it is crucial that proctored online exams take place on secure devices equipped with up-to-date security software to guarantee they remain proctored and free from cheating attempts.

4. Audio Detection

Students continue to find innovative ways to cheat online exams as technology develops, including some more technical means and psychological ones. Some may seek assistance from subject matter experts or outside sources who may provide answers; other strategies involve contact outside the exam to receive answers; still other use smartwatches or mirroring software to share their screen while taking an exam and discuss answers real time with someone else during it.

Some of these techniques are sophisticated and difficult for an online proctor to detect; however, human proctors can still observe body language and other indicators of dishonesty during an exam session. A human proctor might notice when students search for answers on their computer instead of answering questions properly or try copying someone else’s screen or using another device to look up answers online.

To reduce cheating in an online exam, students should select a reliable human proctor and adhere to all test regulations. They should also refrain from conversing outside the exam room or using any devices during testing.

Old-school methods of writing notes on hands and palms may become less prevalent among students nowadays; however, some still resort to this strategy when taking online exams. AI-powered remote proctoring solutions can easily detect such tactics by checking for suspicious noises, devices and unusual body language.

5. Video Detection

Online proctored exams provide students with an efficient means of taking standardized exams without needing to visit a testing center. Unfortunately, however, these forms of assessment present unique challenges due to lack of in-person human supervision and medium limitations (webcam). Unfortunately, even students with basic technology knowledge can find ways to cheat during online proctored exams.

Students seeking to cheat on an online proctored exam may be motivated by various reasons, including wanting to pass and achieve high grades on an exam, the pursuit of employment or scholarship opportunities or worrying that grades could hinder future academic and professional endeavors. Cheating during such exams can have serious repercussions – being banned from taking another section or being expelled altogether may all be potential threats of serious punishments.

Students can employ various strategies to cheat on an online proctored test, although the most efficient methods may not require technical expertise. One such strategy involves mirroring their laptop screen onto a smaller monitor for easy searching of answers; another method requires using two operating systems at once; however, these require advanced technical knowledge and require technical experts.

Though there may be many methods available for cheating in an online proctored examination, advanced technologies and strategies employed by proctoring companies ensure test takers remain honest. Furthermore, human proctors add legitimacy and prevent students from exploiting any loopholes which might exist.