The short answer
Run the test inside a proctoring app that blocks copy and paste, captures every screen and the webcam, and logs when a student leaves the test. With Proctly you turn these on per session, then check the evidence afterwards: violations, pages visited, shared computers and VPN use.
Before you start
- A Proctly session for your exam. The “How to proctor an online exam” guide sets one up in a few minutes.
- Tell students before the exam what is recorded and why: screens, webcam photos and, if you use it, audio.
Step by step
Block copy and paste
Keep Restrict Copy/Paste (Global) on to disable copy, cut and paste for the whole exam. Or turn it off and list only your test addresses under Copy/Paste Restricted URLs. Every copy, cut and paste is logged, with the number of characters pasted.
Capture every screen on the test
With Capture Screenshots on, Proctly takes screenshots of all the student’s screens, not just the main one, whenever they are on a page that matches your Monitored URL Pattern. A shorter interval catches more but creates more data.
See who is at the computer
Capture Webcam Images takes photos for the whole session, so you can check that the right person is sitting the test and alone. Record Audio adds short clips; it is off unless you turn it on.
Watch for leaving the test
Clicking away from the exam window or trying to close it is logged as a violation, with the time. URL Activity lists every page visited, the number of different sites and the time spent on each.
Catch shared computers and VPNs
If two students join the same exam from the same computer, or a student connects through a VPN, the session page shows it under Suspicious Activity and Proctly emails you.
Review the evidence
Reports gives each student a risk level (Low, Medium, High or Critical) and lists the most common violations; Export CSV downloads the list. For any student, Download All builds one ZIP of their screenshots, webcam photos, audio and violations with a PDF report, and emails you a link.
Check that it worked
- Run a practice session first and try the things you want to catch: paste some text, click outside the window, open another site. Each should show up on your student page.
- During the real exam, keep Live Monitor open. It shows violations and suspicious flags as they come in.
Checked October 2026 against each provider’s own help pages. Menus move — if a label differs on your screen, look for the nearest match.
Problems and questions
A student has violations but says they did nothing wrong
Too much data, or storage filling up
Can Proctly stop students using a phone?
Will it show if a student opened an AI chatbot?
What if a student has two monitors?
Is audio recording needed?
Sources: proctly.com, github.com/i-internet/proctly.com
Built and run by Workaholic Developers, with EduWeb Consulting.