How to Reduce Cheating in Online Tests: What Proctoring Can and Cannot Do

By Pooja Goenka ยท 2026-10-07

Short answer: no online test is cheat-proof, so aim to make cheating harder, noticeable and not worth the risk. The controls that matter most are a test that is hard to copy, a locked-down browser session, a server-side limit on leaving the exam tab, an optional camera check that only raises flags, and a person who reviews the flags before anyone is accused. Below is what each one does, where it fails, and which to turn on first.

Disclosure: we build an exam platform, LogicWiz Exams, and I describe its settings where they are relevant. The advice applies to any system.

Why remote tests leak

In a hall, the invigilator controls the room. Online, you control only the screen the student chooses to show you. The usual leaks are easy to list: a second tab with search or a chat app, a phone beside the laptop, a second monitor, a friend in the room, a screenshot of the paper passed to someone else, and, with rare high-stakes tests, someone else sitting the exam entirely.

No single tool closes all of these. A sensible plan stacks small controls so that a student who beats one still trips another, and so that the institute can show what it did.

Start with the test, not the software

The cheapest control costs nothing. Tests that ask for recall of one fact are easy to share. Tests that use fresh numbers, short scenarios and reasoning are harder to share and quicker for you to defend afterwards.

  • Shuffle the question order, so two neighbours do not meet the same question at the same moment. LogicWiz Exams can do this per exam, and the order stays the same for one student if the page is refreshed.
  • Keep the time per question tight enough that searching costs more time than answering.
  • Use a question bank larger than the paper, so no two papers are the same.
  • Where marks matter, add a short viva or a written follow-up for the top scorers.

Control the session

A browser can restrict a surprising amount without a camera. In LogicWiz Exams you can switch these on per exam:

  • Full screen required. The exam runs full screen, and leaving full screen is recorded.
  • A tab-switch limit. The count is kept on the server, so refreshing the page does not reset it. When a student passes the limit, the attempt is submitted automatically. Of everything here, this is the only rule that ends an attempt.
  • Blocking developer-tool shortcuts, such as F12, and logging every attempt.
  • Disabling copy, paste, cut and the right-click menu, with each attempt logged.
  • Idle detection, which flags a long stretch with no keyboard or mouse input.
  • Network change and multi-monitor flags. A change in connection type, for example Wi-Fi to a mobile hotspot, or a change in screen size, is flagged.

These stop casual copying and make a deliberate attempt visible. They do not stop a student who uses a second device, because the exam page cannot see it.

What a camera adds, and what it does not

Camera checks are optional in LogicWiz Exams and chosen per exam. When they are on, the student agrees in a consent dialog first, and the camera has to stay on. The checks run on the student's own device. No image or video leaves it, and only flag events are logged. The flags are:

  • the camera is lost, muted or covered;
  • no face is visible for a while;
  • a second face is in frame, which is marked critical;
  • optionally, long looks away from the screen.

The camera rules warn the student and never end the attempt, because face detection makes mistakes. People look down to think, sit near a window, share a small room with family, or have a poor webcam. A rule that terminates an exam on a false alarm creates a worse problem than the cheating it was meant to stop. Gaze tracking in particular is the most prone to false alarms, which is why I would leave it off unless there is a specific need.

A camera also cannot see what is off frame. It will not catch a phone below the laptop, a person standing behind the screen or a candidate who has someone else answering by voice. Treat it as one more signal, not as proof.

Review flags with a person, then act on a policy

A flag is a reason to look, not a verdict. In LogicWiz Exams the staff view shows each attempt with a risk score, any gap in the connection heartbeat, and the full timeline of events, so a reviewer can see what happened and when. That context is what turns "the system flagged you" into a conversation you can defend.

Write the policy before the first test:

  1. Tell students in advance which controls are on and why.
  2. Decide what each flag leads to. A single tab switch may deserve a warning. A critical flag plus a score far above the student's usual may deserve a resit under observation.
  3. Let the student explain. Slow internet, a notification or a family member walking in are common and innocent.
  4. Keep the evidence trail. It protects the honest students as much as the institute.

Privacy is part of the design

Students are more willing to accept a camera rule when they know what happens to the data. Say plainly what is collected, where it is processed and how long it is kept. In LogicWiz Exams the camera analysis stays on the device, only flag events are logged, and those events are purged after 30 days. Whatever system you use, ask the vendor the same three questions: what leaves the device, where is it stored, and when is it deleted.

Which settings to turn on first

For a regular test series, I would start with shuffled questions, full screen, a tab-switch limit that suits your paper length, and copy and paste blocking. Add the camera checks only for high-stakes exams, with consent, and without gaze tracking. Review every flagged attempt by hand for the first few tests so you learn what normal looks like for your students.

If your institute also issues certificates, the exam and the certificate work together. A proctored result is more credible when the certificate can be checked online, as described in how to make certificates verifiable. If you are choosing a platform, the comparison in best online exam software for coaching institutes lists what to ask for.

Common questions

Can online exams be made cheat-proof?

No. You can make cheating harder and easier to notice by combining a well-designed test, session controls, optional camera flags and human review. Anyone who promises that cheating is impossible is overselling.

Does an exam proctoring camera record students?

It depends on the system. In LogicWiz Exams the camera checks run on the student's own device, no image or video leaves it, and only flag events are logged. Always check what any platform records and stores.

What happens when a student switches tabs during an online test?

With a tab-switch limit on, each switch is counted on the server. Once the student passes the limit, the attempt is submitted automatically. Below the limit, the student can be warned.

Should I use gaze tracking?

Only if you have a clear reason. It flags long looks away from the screen, but it produces more false alarms than the other checks. Most institutes are better served by tab-switch limits, full screen and a human review of flags.

What should I do when a student is flagged?

Look at the timeline, then talk to the student. Treat a flag as a reason to review, never as proof. Apply the policy you published before the exam, and keep a record.