"Again, transparency is important in demonstrating fairness, deterring bad behavior, and minimizing judgmental errors. And broadcasting consequences is likely to have a deterrent effect on examinees—and don’t forget, on assessment program managers and administrators."

"I found in Maryland that the most effective deterrent to cheating and stealing was conducting investigations into allegations and other evidence, and imposing fair but harsh penalties when violations were supported by evidence. Over the first two years of our security program, as our records indicated, sloppiness in test security protection and test administrations and outright cheating and stealing disappeared—OK, so maybe some went on underground—and only minor infractions, mostly judgmental errors, were all that we found."

"Deterrence is the single most important part of a test security program (but a test security program is, obviously, stronger with all parts: deter, detect, and defend). Detection and defense are important but they are like closing the barn doors after the horse is out. Deterrence is the only part of test security that is preventative. Additionally, by creating a culture of honesty and integrity, programs that use testing can minimize the desire to collude and maximize the validity of the test."

"The benefits of broadcasting existing test security measures include showing that you are serious about test security and reducing the number of students who will try to collude in these ways. Drawbacks include tipping your hand and encouraging students who are serious about colluding to go into other areas that you might be less equipped to handle or detect."

"Yes, unequivocally. Although I do not believe there is one perfect solution. In many regards, I think this is individual to each exam as it relates to its test security lifecycle. That is to say, depending on how long test security features have been in place, candidates begin to react differently to those deterrents. A newly overhauled security plan produces the intended results for a period of time, however as time passes, test security fatigue can set in. As a practical example, we recently assisted with the administration of a small medical licensure exam. The vendor had reached out for assistance to provide additional logistical support and proctoring during the exam. Test security had always been part of their delivery protocol, but it was time to increase the level of security and change a few protocols. On the day of the exam, proctors arrived wearing clothing that indicated they were professional proctors and conducted the exam with increased security protocols. For example, pockets had never been turned out before this administration, nor had wrists and ankles been examined. At the close of the exam, several of the candidates commented on the increased security protocols and thanked the proctors for implementing them.

"This is contrasted, however, with testing eco-systems that have a long history of test security, where candidates have experienced the message of heightened test security for so long that it begins to lack the same impact as it did when they started testing. When test security changes, the impacts can be seen immediately. However, as time marches on, the need to update, reinvent and improve the system continues. In this way, test security needs to be constantly revisited and test administrators and security personnel need to realize that a constant retooling is necessary. Additionally, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Exam fraud can be equated to the Hydra from Ancient Greek Mythology, a multi-headed beast that attacks from different angles, some of them unseen. In response, test security needs to be multi-faceted as well, striving to both educate and inform, as well as deter and prevent.

"The most critical component of a contemporary security measure is the human proctor. As machine learning and artificial intelligence become ever more present in modern test security measures, it remains paramount not to replace the human element from the equation. Proctor intelligence (Pi) remains even more important today as Artificial intelligence (Ai) evolves. In practice, the most secure systems moving forward will not replace one for the other, but will use them in conjunction to augment the Pi with Ai. Recent history is littered with examples of technology attempting to replace, not augment, proctors. A current example is record and review proctoring. While the data suggests that cheating is reduced in this environment, the individuals that do cheat can easily pilfer intellectual property from the examination and distribute it without the ability to prevent this on the part of the owner. This is the perfect example of what was described previously; preventing one, but not addressing all aspects of test fraud."

"The benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Clear articulation of the seriousness of the process, as well as an understanding of the importance on the side of the vendor and administrator as well as the proctor, dictate to the candidate that the entire ecosystem takes this seriously. We see the greatest amount of attempted test fraud in situations of ambiguity; when the vendor and administrator or proctor are not on the same page."

"What security benefits might a program expect to receive from employing these strategies? Rely on proctor intelligence and train your proctors well. There is no better indicator of candidate malfeasance than the feeling in the pit of a proctor’s stomach when something just isn’t “right”. It is paramount that the vendor fully trusts in the proctor and produces training materials that are well articulated or reasoned. Additionally, communication is key. Candidates need to be informed at least 5 times of the rules and regulations expected of them prior to arriving to take the exam. This not only improves the overall candidate experience but also enforces the seriousness of test security to the candidate. Finally, follow the steps outlined in

Proctoring Best Practices

(ATP-NCTA, 2015). The guide is straightforward and can be adopted for almost every exam delivery. I’ve been asked for recommendations by many colleagues looking for a solution to align their programs with best practices and this is my go-to for all of them."