Remote exams surged during the COVID-19 pandemic and have remained a fixture in many educational institutions thanks to their flexibility and convenience.  But this rapid shift to online assessments has also created new opportunities for academic misconduct and security breaches.  A study published in the Journal of Academic Ethics found that 54.7% of students admitted to cheating in online exams during the emergency pivot to remote testing, compared with just 29.9% before the pandemic.  The spike highlights how quickly students were able to exploit weaknesses in security and invigilation practices. 

Cheating has also become more organised.  In China, online services advertised “nearly perfect” LSAT scores to students via social media platforms.  In April, the Law School Admission Council was forced to suspend an upcoming remote LSAT in mainland China, citing “increasingly aggressive” cheating operations. 

These cases show that too many institutions are relying on remote exam solutions that fall short on security, putting both the integrity of assessments and the credibility of results at risk. 

The Problem with Automated Remote Invigilation Technology 

While remote invigilation systems are often marketed as highly secure, many platforms rely only on basic AI detection that can be easily bypassed.  These systems often flag simple behaviours such as looking away from the screen or speaking aloud, but they fail to detect more sophisticated methods of cheating – such as the use of multiple screens, virtual machines, or hidden devices.  At the same time, these platforms can wrongly flag harmless actions, unfairly penalising students who are simply stretching, adjusting their glasses, or looking down to think. 

An example of a remote invigilation platform that had these risks is Proctorio.  Proctorio was identified by computer scientists in the Netherlands as containing software that could be bypassed entirely by using a virtual machine, which would then allow students to access notes or browse the internet undetected during an exam.  

The consequences of technical inadequacies in this software are twofold: students who intend to cheat often find ways to do so without detection, while honest candidates risk being accused of misconduct due to unreliable AI flags.  In both cases, the credibility of the exam process is undermined, leaving institutions – and the qualifications they award – vulnerable to reputational damage and a loss of trust from both students and employers. 

Security and Privacy Risks 

Beyond enabling students to exploit weak security to cheat, poorly designed invigilation software can also put sensitive information at risk – from candidates’ personal data, to entire sets of exam questions and content. 

Consumer Reports found that poor security practices at the online proctoring company ProctorTrack potentially exposed students’ data, with a software leak in 2020 suggesting that the company failed to follow basic security practices.   Given that ProctorTrack would perform a facial recognition scan on all students at the beginning of an exam, this is incredibly concerning and raises wider concerns regarding how academic institutions choose the third-party services which will have access to their student’s private data. 

If personal data can be compromised so easily, exam materials are unlikely to be any safer.  Poorly secured systems increase the chances of assessment content being accessed and leaked to the public, jeopardising the integrity of entire exams. 

These risks are compounded by the limitations of many remote proctoring tools, which cannot reliably detect the use of secondary devices or screen sharing.  Candidates can look up answers on a second laptop, tablet, or phone, or feed exam questions to outsiders in real time.  Once questions are captured, they can be resold or circulated online, undermining not just a single sitting but the long-term validity of assessments. 

The Human Factor: Expert Invigilation Matters 

Relying purely on software is clearly not the answer when it comes to remote invigilation.  Automated systems can flag basic behaviours, but they are often unable to distinguish between genuine misconduct and harmless activity.  False positives can penalise honest candidates unfairly, while other more sophisticated cheating methods can slip by unnoticed. 

This is where human oversight becomes essential.   Experienced invigilators, like those in our VICTVS Global Network, can identify suspicious behaviour, pick up on strange patterns, and intervene when something doesn’t look right.  Importantly, human invigilators can directly communicate with candidates to check in on their well-being, and question or stop any behaviour they find suspicious.  Their presence not only deters misconduct but can help put candidates at ease. 

A recent guest post from our VICTVS Global Network member Sandra Pragana highlights just how important human invigilators in remote exams are.  Drawing on her first-hand experience monitoring remote exams for VICTVS, Sandra describes how candidates can act out of character in ways that only a human invigilator would notice and interpret correctly.  Her insights show the critical role that professional invigilation plays in safeguarding exam integrity, and why human oversight is still crucial.  

The VICTVS Solution 

The risks outlined above show that despite the advantages of remote exams, many services fall short in accurately monitoring for misconduct while protecting exam content and candidate data. 

VICTVS addresses these challenges by combining secure technology with expert human oversight.  Our remote invigilation platform, V3, uses full end-to-end encryption to safeguard both assessment and candidate data.  Multiple camera angles and screensharing capabilities allow invigilators to monitor candidates thoroughly, reducing the likelihood of undetected misconduct. 

Our VICTVS Global Network of expert invigilators also play a vital role in every exam.  They conduct pre-exam checks to ensure the testing environment is free from suspicious materials or unauthorised individuals, provide support to help candidates manage exam stress, and report any unusual behaviour to awarding bodies for further investigation. 

By combining our robust technology with the expertise of our invigilators, we can provide the level of security and integrity that remote exams demand. 

Final Thoughts  

From undetected cheating to exposed candidate data and leaked exam content, insecure remote exams put both assessment integrity and candidate results at risk.   It’s also clear that as well as secure software, remote invigilation platforms need professional human oversight in order to spot misconduct accurately and ensure the best possible exam experience for the candidate.  

By combining expert invigilators with secure technology, institutions can ensure that remote exams are not only fair and trustworthy, but also resilient against fraud and privacy breaches.  At VICTVS, we take no shortcuts – delivering exams that are conducted with integrity, security, and complete confidence. 

If you want to speak to us about how our remote invigilation services can benefit you, contact us here.