What is online proctoring?
Published January 15, 2026 · Updated April 23, 2026
Short answer
Online proctoring is the remote supervision of a digital exam using specialized software. Klarway combines biometric verification at three checkpoints and AI analysis of audio and photo/video, generating an auditable report with timestamps for each exam session.
How does online proctoring work?
Online proctoring combines several technical layers that activate when a student enters a digital exam. The first layer is identity verification: typically a biometric process that compares a previously registered facial record with the person sitting in front of the camera at that moment. In serious solutions, this verification is repeated several times throughout the process, not just at the start.
The second layer is monitoring during the exam. Solutions vary here: some record audio and photo/video without analyzing them, others run automatic AI analysis to detect anomalies, and others combine recording with live human supervision. Klarway uses the automatic AI option on audio and photo/video, returning a structured report to the academic team instead of hours of context-free recordings.
The third layer is the report. Good proctoring doesn't end at the recording — it ends in an auditable document with timestamps, incidents flagged by severity, and contextualized evidence that the academic team can review in minutes.
What does proctoring software detect?
Proctoring software detects essentially three categories of situations. The first is identity impersonation: the person taking the exam is not who enrolled. Biometrics at multiple checkpoints addresses this layer, and it's the most critical because an undetected impersonation completely invalidates the assessment.
The second category is external assistance during the exam: additional voices in audio, movement of other bodies off-camera, sharing information through unauthorized channels. AI detection cross-references audio and photo/video signals to flag these moments without generating false positives from normal ambient noise.
The third category is use of prohibited resources: tab switching, accessing blocked applications, using secondary devices. Klarway offers navigation control and application blocking depending on the rigor level configured per exam.
Is proctoring legal? What does GDPR say?
Online proctoring is legal when implemented in compliance with applicable data protection frameworks. Under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), biometric data is sensitive data: it requires an explicit legal basis for processing, informed consent from the data subject, and adequate technical security measures.
In practice, this means the institution must inform the student in advance about what data will be collected, why, for how long it is retained, and what their rights are. The proctoring provider must sign a Data Processing Agreement (DPA) with the institution, acting as data processor under the institution's instructions as the data controller.
Klarway complies with GDPR: data is encrypted in transit and at rest, retention policies are configured per institution, and the institution maintains control over what data is kept, for how long, and for what purpose.
How does proctoring integrate with an LMS?
The typical integration happens through open standards such as LTI or through LMS-specific plugins. LTI is the current standard used by Canvas, Blackboard, D2L and other platforms — it defines how an external tool is embedded in the LMS workflow with secure authentication and exam context passing.
For LMS platforms that don't natively support LTI, such as older versions of Moodle or proprietary systems, custom plugins or connectors are used. Klarway has native integration with Moodle, Canvas, Blackboard and D2L.
Once integrated, the LMS remains the entry point for students and teachers. Proctoring activates only when an exam requires it, and the analysis results are available in Klarway's Supervision Panel.
What's the difference between automatic proctoring and live proctoring?
Automatic proctoring uses algorithms (today mainly AI) to analyze the session and flag anomalies for later review. Live proctoring uses human supervisors who watch sessions in real time and can intervene directly during the exam.
Each approach has its use case. Live proctoring is staff-intensive and hard to scale, but offers immediate intervention. Automatic proctoring scales without limit, relies on structured analysis, and leaves the final decision always with the academic team reviewing the report.
Klarway operates with AI-based automatic proctoring. The product decision is deliberate: in most cases, what institutions need is not real-time intervention but organized evidence to review afterward, with the ability to audit every moment of the exam. The AI flags moments that need attention; the academic team makes the decisions.
What types of fraud does proctoring prevent?
Proctoring is designed to prevent the most common forms of academic fraud in online environments. Identity impersonation — having someone else take the exam on behalf of the student — is addressed with biometric verification at multiple checkpoints. External assistance during the exam — additional voices, on-camera help, environment manipulation — is detected with AI analysis of audio and photo/video.
It also prevents use of prohibited resources during the assessment, such as tab switching to look up material, opening messaging applications, or using unauthorized secondary devices. The level of blocking is configured per exam, based on the rigor the assessment requires.
That said, it's worth being transparent: no proctoring system eliminates all possible fraud. What it does is substantially raise the cost of attempting it and leaves auditable evidence when it occurs, allowing the institution to act on concrete information rather than suspicion.
Our data
Klarway has supervised more than 7 million sessions
The accumulated experience across educational institutions and certification bodies in LATAM is the foundation on which we refine our detection algorithms, incident handling, and the format of the auditable reports we deliver to academic teams.
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How Klarway applies in specific contexts.
Common questions about proctoring
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