Live Proctoring

Live proctoring recreates the presence of an in-person invigilator in a remote setting. A trained proctor connects to the candidate's session and observes it as it unfolds, typically through the candidate's camera, microphone, and a view of their screen. Because the supervision is happening in the moment, the proctor can act right away rather than reviewing footage after the fact.

A live session usually begins with the proctor confirming the candidate's identity and checking that the testing space and equipment meet the exam's requirements. During the test, the proctor watches for anything that conflicts with the rules and can issue a warning, ask the candidate to adjust their setup, or pause the session if needed. This immediacy is valuable for examinations where the stakes are high and where a real-time response carries weight.

The human element brings nuance that automated systems struggle to match. A proctor can tell the difference between a candidate glancing away to think and a candidate consulting an unauthorized source, and can communicate directly to resolve confusion. This reduces the chance that an innocent action is misread and gives candidates a point of contact if technical problems arise.

The main constraint is capacity. Each proctor can only oversee a limited number of candidates at once, so live proctoring is more resource-intensive than automated methods and can be harder to scale for very large test volumes. Scheduling also has to account for proctor availability.

In the wider landscape of remote proctoring, live supervision is often chosen for sensitive licensing, admissions, and professional certification exams. It is sometimes combined with automated monitoring so that software handles routine watching while the human proctor focuses on judgment and candidate support. This blend lets programs preserve the reassurance of a real supervisor while extending their capacity beyond what one person could manage alone.