Online Proctoring & Exam Security Glossary

360 Total View™ is Proctor360’s proprietary, patent-pending hardware headset equipped with a 360-degree camera, microphone, and speaker to capture a complete spherical view of a testing environment. TotalView™ Technology is the underlying multi-camera streaming architecture and software ecosystem that powers this environment, enabling the simultaneous integration and stitching of multiple angles, such as the headset feed or a candidate's smartphone used as a secondary camera.

An advanced exam security method pioneered by Proctor360 that captures a comprehensive, multi-angle view of a candidate’s entire testing space rather than just their face, effectively deterring misconduct and eliminating the blind spots common to standard webcams.

Academic integrity is the shared commitment to honesty, fairness, trust, and responsibility in education and assessment. It means doing one's own work, properly crediting the ideas and sources of others, and refraining from cheating or plagiarism, so that grades, qualifications, and credentials genuinely reflect a person's own knowledge, skills, and effort rather than dishonest shortcuts.

An AI-based exam is an online assessment protected by artificial intelligence layers that manage candidate identity verification, automated session supervision, and continuous fraud detection. By analyzing biometric indicators and environmental data in real time, the technology flags irregular behavior and prevents sophisticated cheating methods, allowing high-stakes tests to run securely, transparently, and efficiently across large numbers of candidates.

AI-based proctoring uses machine learning models to monitor an online exam automatically. Instead of relying solely on a human watcher, the software continuously analyzes video, audio, and on-screen activity in real time, recognizing patterns that may indicate irregular or suspicious behavior and flagging those specific moments for immediate attention or for later human review and judgment.

Auto proctoring, also called automated proctoring, is a fully software-driven method of supervising online exams in which no live human observer is involved during the test itself. Instead, the system records and analyzes the session automatically, continuously detecting and logging any events that fall outside the expected pattern of candidate behavior so they can be examined and judged later.

Biometric authentication verifies a person's identity using unique physical or behavioral traits, such as a face, fingerprint, voice, or typing pattern. In online assessment, it confirms that the registered candidate is the one taking the exam, offering a harder-to-forge alternative to passwords and helping prevent impersonation throughout a remote testing session.

Cheating detection is the use of automated monitoring tools and data analysis to identify behavior that breaks the rules of an assessment. In online proctoring, it simultaneously analyzes video feeds, background audio streams, and user interface navigation to spot indicators such as unauthorized secondary devices, multi-person presence, or prohibited digital resources, flagging anomalies for administrative review.

Multi-Mode or Customizable Proctoring is an administrative framework that allows testing coordinators to toggle and configure security parameters based on the specific stakes, format, and requirements of each exam. Rather than applying a single fixed level of monitoring to every assessment, administrators select from a range of adjustable settings to build a proctoring profile that is appropriately calibrated for each use case.

Data privacy in online assessment refers to the responsible handling of the personal information that testing systems collect, such as identity documents, webcam footage, and behavioral data. It covers how this data is gathered, stored, used, and deleted, ensuring candidates' rights are protected and that monitoring complies with applicable regulations.

Exam invigilation is the supervision of candidates during a test to ensure they follow the rules and complete the assessment honestly. The invigilator monitors the testing environment, verifies candidate identities, manages the overall conduct and timing of the exam, and addresses any irregularities or disruptions that arise during the session, whether the test is held in person or online.

Exam security is the combined set of measures, protocols, and technologies used to protect the integrity, confidentiality, and fairness of an assessment. It works to prevent cheating, impersonation, and the leaking or sharing of test content, ensuring that the final results accurately reflect each candidate's own genuine ability under fair and consistent testing conditions.

Facial recognition is a biometric technology that identifies or verifies a person by analyzing their facial features. In online assessment, it is used to confirm that the candidate matches their registered identity or official document, and to monitor that the same individual remains present and attentive throughout the exam session.

FERPA is a United States federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. In online assessment, it governs how institutions and their technology partners may collect, store, use, and share data generated during testing, requiring that students have rights of access to their records and that their information is not disclosed to unauthorized parties without consent

Gaze tracking is a monitoring technique that estimates where a candidate is looking during an online exam by analyzing eye and head movement through the webcam. It helps detect when a test-taker repeatedly looks away from the screen, which may indicate they are consulting unauthorized notes, a second device, or outside help.

GovCloud proctoring refers to remote exam delivery hosted within a government-compliant cloud environment that meets the security standards required for Export Controlled Information (ECI) and other federally sensitive content. It ensures that exam data, question content, and candidate information are processed and stored in infrastructure that satisfies strict federal regulatory requirements, making secure remote testing available for government-adjacent and defense-related certification programs.

Human proctoring refers to exam supervision carried out by a trained person rather than by software. Whether in a physical room or through a remote connection, the proctor personally verifies the candidate, observes the session, and uses judgment to determine whether the test is being completed honestly and according to the rules.

A flexible monitoring configuration that turns a candidate's smartphone into a secondary camera feed, allowing Proctor360 software to capture a complete view of the candidate's desktop and keyboard area.

Identity verification in online assessment is the process of confirming that the person taking an exam is genuinely the registered candidate. It typically combines methods such as official photo ID checks, facial matching, biometric signals, and other credentials to prevent impersonation, close off one of the most direct routes to cheating, and protect the overall credibility of the result.

Job analysis is the structured study of a role to document the tasks, responsibilities, skills, and conditions it involves. In assessment, it provides the evidence base for building valid, job-related tests, ensuring that what an exam measures genuinely reflects the demands of the work a candidate is being evaluated for.

A job simulation is an assessment that recreates realistic tasks drawn from a role so that candidates can demonstrate relevant skills in a controlled, observable setting. Rather than asking what someone knows in the abstract, it watches how they actually perform work-like activities, providing a practical, behavior-based measure of ability that supports hiring, development, and certification decisions.

A job-related assessment evaluates candidates against criteria that are directly tied to the documented requirements of a specific role. Built on the evidence produced by job analysis, it measures the skills, knowledge, and behaviors that genuinely matter for performance, which supports fair, valid, and legally defensible decisions across hiring, certification, and broader workforce development efforts.

Knowledge-based authentication verifies a candidate's identity by asking questions only the genuine person should be able to answer. In online assessment, it adds a layer of confirmation, often alongside ID and biometric checks, drawing on personal details or records to make impersonation more difficult before a candidate is allowed to begin a test.

Live proctoring is the real-time supervision of an online exam by a human proctor. The supervisor watches the candidate through a webcam and screen-sharing feed as the test takes place, able to verify identity, respond to questions, and intervene immediately if the rules of the assessment appear to be broken.

LMS Integration is the technical connection between a proctoring or assessment platform and a Learning Management System, such as Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard, or Brightspace, that allows the two systems to share data and coordinate workflows automatically, typically through Single Sign-On (SSO) and standards such as LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability). It enables candidates to launch proctored exams directly from within their institution's LMS and allows results, flags, and session data to flow back without manual transfer between platforms.

A lockdown browser is a specialized application that restricts a device during an online exam. Once launched, it prevents the candidate from opening other programs, visiting other websites, copying or printing content, or taking screenshots, confining them entirely to the test window so that the assessment is completed within a controlled environment and without unauthorized digital assistance.

Multi-factor authentication, or MFA, confirms identity by requiring two or more independent forms of proof, typically combining something the candidate knows, something they have, and something they are. In online assessment, it strengthens access security so that a single compromised password cannot allow an unauthorized person to reach exam content or impersonate a candidate.

Network monitoring in online assessment observes a candidate's internet connection and network activity during an exam to detect actions that could compromise integrity. It can identify attempts to access unauthorized sites, share screens, or use remote-access tools, and it helps confirm a stable connection so the session runs without disruption.

An online assessment platform is the unified software environment used to create, deliver, and evaluate digital tests. It brings together question authoring, test administration, candidate management, automated scoring, and reporting in one place, and it often integrates security and proctoring features as well, so that organizations can support fair, consistent, and scalable evaluation through a single coordinated system.

Online assessment is the use of digital technology to evaluate a person's knowledge, skills, or abilities through the internet. It covers the full cycle of presenting test activities, collecting candidate responses, and analyzing the results, and it is applied widely across education, recruitment, professional certification, and workforce development to measure capability efficiently and at scale.

An online exam is a test delivered and completed over the internet rather than on paper. Candidates respond using a computer or other device, and the exam can be taken from a test center or remotely, often with supervision and security controls in place to protect the integrity of the results.

A proctor is the person or system responsible for supervising an exam from start to finish. The role is to verify the test-taker's identity, monitor the session as it unfolds, and ensure the assessment is completed under fair, consistent conditions without unauthorized help or materials, whether the supervision takes place in a physical room or through remote monitoring technology.

Proctor360 is a Virginia-based EdTech company specializing in remote proctoring services and software. Founded by industry veterans with backgrounds in live testing centers and remote testing, Proctor360 enables universities, certification bodies, and organizations to administer secure online exams with "Test Center Grade" integrity, delivered anywhere in the world.

A proctored exam is a test taken under supervision to ensure it is completed fairly and by the correct person. The oversight may come from a human invigilator, software, or a combination, and can take place in a physical center or remotely, with the goal of protecting the credibility of the result.

Proctoring software is the technology platform that enables supervised online exams to be delivered remotely. It captures and analyzes a candidate's webcam, microphone, and screen activity, manages identity verification, applies environment controls, and produces a structured, reviewable record of each session, allowing organizations to administer secure and trustworthy assessments at large scale without a physical test center.

A proctoring system is the complete set of tools, processes, and people that together supervise online exams. It encompasses the monitoring software, the identity verification steps, the environment and browser controls, and the human review workflows that combine to confirm a test is taken honestly, under fair conditions, and by the correctly registered candidate rather than an impostor.

Question randomization is a technique that varies the questions and their order for each candidate in an exam. By shuffling items or drawing them from a larger question bank, it produces a unique version of the test for each person, making collusion and the sharing of answers far more difficult.

Record-and-review proctoring captures a complete recording of an online exam session, including video, audio, and screen activity, without anyone watching live as it happens. After the test has ended, trained human reviewers examine the recorded footage, often guided by automated flags that point them to specific moments, to confirm whether the assessment was completed within the established rules.

Remote proctoring is the practice of supervising an exam when the test-taker and the supervisor are in separate physical locations. It uses a candidate's webcam, microphone, and screen activity, often combined with automated software analysis, to confirm the candidate's identity and to watch for any behavior that could compromise the fairness, validity, or security of the test. At Proctor360, this is elevated from standard webcam tracking to "Test Center Grade" security by combining robust SaaS software with advanced environmental visibility options to eliminate traditional testing blind spots.

A Secured Browser Environment is an integrated software configuration, typically deployed via a lightweight browser extension rather than a standalone application download, that restricts a candidate's digital workspace during an online exam. It monitors and controls actions such as opening new tabs, copying and pasting, taking screenshots, or accessing unauthorized websites, ensuring the assessment takes place within a controlled digital environment without requiring candidates to install intrusive software on their personal devices.

SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls 2) is an auditing standard developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) that evaluates a technology service provider's controls for security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. For online assessment platforms, SOC 2 certification is an independent, third-party verification that the provider's systems and practices meet rigorous standards for protecting client and candidate data.

Test integrity is the assurance that an assessment accurately and fairly measures what it intends to, free from cheating, bias, or compromise. It encompasses the security of the content, the honesty of candidates, and the soundness of the scoring, so that results can be trusted by everyone who relies on them.

Testing accommodations are modifications made to the administration of an exam to ensure equitable access for candidates with disabilities or specific medical needs. In a remote proctoring environment, this involves technical compatibility with assistive tools and administrative configurations within the Proctor360 platform that allow exceptions to standard security rules without triggering false positive alerts.

User authentication is the process of confirming that a person attempting to access a system or exam is who they claim to be. In online assessment, it controls entry to the testing platform and the exam itself, using credentials, codes, or biometric checks to ensure only authorized candidates can begin.

Video proctoring supervises an online exam by recording or streaming continuous video of the candidate through their webcam. The unbroken footage captures the candidate and their immediate surroundings for the full duration of the session, allowing either real-time observation by a proctor or detailed later review to confirm that the test was completed without assistance, impersonation, or other rule violations.

Webcam monitoring uses a candidate's camera to observe them throughout an online exam, capturing live or recorded video of the test-taker and their immediate surroundings. It supports identity confirmation and helps detect rule violations such as additional people entering the frame, unauthorized notes or devices, or the candidate leaving the camera's view during the session.

Year-round testing, also called continuous or on-demand testing, lets candidates take an exam at any time of their choosing rather than only during fixed, scheduled windows. Enabled by online delivery and remote proctoring, it offers candidates flexibility and convenience, while requiring strong exam security to protect question content that is exposed to many test-takers over a long, open period.

Zero-trust security is a model that assumes no user, device, or connection is automatically trustworthy, requiring continuous verification for every access request. Applied to online assessment platforms, it strengthens protection of exam content and candidate data by enforcing strict identity checks and least-privilege access rather than relying on a trusted internal network.