Secure Online Examinations: Pre-Exam Checklist
A practical checklist institutions can run before every high-stakes online exam — identity, environment, platform, data and incident readiness.
Before you open the exam
Identity and access
- Candidates sign in with institution-issued accounts or verified email; no shared logins.
- Multi-factor authentication is enabled for exam administrators and question setters.
- Role separation: the people who upload questions are not the people who can see live answers.
Question security
- Question banks are stored encrypted and access is logged.
- Randomise question order and options; use pools so no two candidates see identical papers.
- Set an embargo: questions become visible only at the scheduled start time.
Platform and infrastructure
- Confirm the platform has been load-tested for your expected concurrency plus 30% headroom.
- Verify HTTPS everywhere and that session cookies are HttpOnly and Secure.
- Check that proctoring settings (tab switching, copy/paste, webcam) match the exam's rules and were communicated to candidates in advance.
Candidate communication
- Share a short "how to join" guide and a system check link at least 48 hours before.
- Publish the technical helpline number and the rules for connection loss.
During the exam
- Keep a live dashboard of active sessions, submissions and flagged events.
- Record every administrator action (pause, extend, unlock) with who/when/why.
After the exam
- Export results and audit logs to a protected location; keep them per your retention policy.
- Review flagged incidents with at least two reviewers before any penalty decision.
- Run a short retrospective: what failed, what nearly failed, and what to change next time.
> Tip: treat the checklist as a living document — add an item every time something surprises you.