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ACCA and the End of Remote Exams: What It Means for Candidates

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The Association of Chartered Accountants (ACCA) has said that they will be stopping remote exams for their candidates from March 2026, a step they say will crack down on cheating.  The only exceptions will be for those candidates taking exams in countries where there are no test centres at all, and for those who have applied for additional support considerations, which will be reviewed on a strict case-by-case basis.  But are remote exams really the risk people think they are?  We take a closer look at the realities of remote exams, as well as the unintended negative consequences of such a sweeping decision. 

Why Has ACCA Made This Decision? 

ACCA’s decision is not simply about whether remote exams can be secure, but about whether the organisation believes that their risk — and the perception of that risk — is acceptable for a professional qualification.  In high-trust professions like accountancy, confidence among employers, regulators, and the public is critical.  Even isolated incidents of malpractice can undermine that confidence.

Their decision also sits within the context of rising AI use globally, something which ACCA believes has led to an increase in cheating.  In a statement to the Financial Times, ACCA CEO Helen Brand said: “We’re seeing the sophistication of [cheating] systems outpacing what can be put in, [in] terms of safeguards.” 

And this is on top of extra regulatory pressures.  In 2022, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) stated that cheating in professional exams was a “live” issue at Britain’s biggest tier one audit and accounting firms.  This will no doubt have contributed to ACCA’s verdict, as they want to be seen as taking steps to diminish cheating by the FRC. 

While the decision may appear straightforward, the reality is far more complex.  Although there are legitimate concerns about how some remote exams are run and invigilated, ending ACCA’s remote exams will make assessments inaccessible for many candidates.

The Reality of Remote Exams 

It is understandable that awarding bodies default to in-centre exams as the safest option, particularly given they were the standard for decades.  However, security in assessment is not determined by location, but by the systems, controls, and expertise surrounding delivery.

So, what does a secure remote exam actually look like in practice?  Here are the steps we take to ensure integrity in our exams:

  • Comprehensive Monitoring: Our remote invigilation platform, V3, allows invigilators to monitor candidates via webcam, screen share, and mobile app, giving full visibility of both the candidate and their screen throughout the exam.
  • Pre-Exam Checks: Before starting, candidates complete a 360° room scan via the app to confirm the space is clear of other people or prohibited materials.  Any suspicious items — such as notes, smart devices, or extra monitors — must be removed, and any incidents are documented.
  • Continuous Supervision: Candidates remain connected to invigilators throughout the exam via the app, which uses the front camera for monitoring.  Any prolonged disconnection will result in a report to the awarding body.
  • Highly Trained Invigilators: Our invigilators are regularly updated on best practices and monitor a maximum of five candidates per session, often a closer ratio than in traditional exam halls.
  • Additional Safeguards: Awarding bodies can add extra measures like strict break policies or lockdown browsers, which restrict access beyond the exam paper itself.

That said, not all remote exams meet these standards, with many falling far short when it comes to the necessary expertise and vigilance expected from invigilators.  But to say that they unanimously increase the risk of cheating is simply untrue — with the right technological measures put in place, and with well-trained invigilators working hard to prevent malpractice, there’s no reason a remote exam can’t take place securely.  And importantly… 

Stopping Remote Exams Will Not Stop Cheating! 

ACCA’s CEO Helen Brand has stated that while the awarding body has been working “intensively” to combat cheating (especially AI-driven attempts), “people who want to do bad things are probably working at a quicker pace”.  However, this raises an important question: why is this determination to cheat so often associated only with remote exams?  By Helen’s own logic, if somebody is intent on cheating, they will try to do it — regardless of whether it’s in-person or remotely.  

And there’s plenty of evidence to suggest candidates are trying to cheat using technology in test centre exams.  Just last year, a student in Japan was arrested when trying to enter a Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) venue while impersonating another candidate.  Police found a microphone hidden inside his facemask, as well as smart glasses connected to a mobile phone.  Similarly, last year, police caught a number of students at Indian secondary schools in Shimla and Chandigarh attempting to cheat in test centre exams using bluetooth devices.  

Our colleagues in the Assessment Security Research Group recently wrote a paper entitled ‘Devices of Deception’ which takes an in-depth look at some of the latest technological advancements being marketed towards exam candidates as ways to cheat.  These devices — which include smart glasses and miniature microphones — can all be used to cheat during test centre exams as well as remotely.  If anything, the fact that most people’s concerns are around remote exam risks shows that in-person exams have become a blind spot when it comes to modern cheating methods.  

And crucially, while in-centre exam cheating is happening at scale, the data we have is sparse — often deliberately so.  Many awarding bodies keep reports of test-centre cheating to a minimum, fearing that acknowledging the problem could damage their reputation.  This creates a distorted picture where remote exams are portrayed as the main risk, while the reality is that cheating is a threat in any setting.

VICTVS CEO, Ben Clayson, says: “Cheating is not a problem exclusive to remote exams: it’s a challenge across all assessment formats.  The solution isn’t to remove remote exams, but to strengthen security measures and innovate.  It is only by doing this that we can protect integrity without sacrificing accessibility.”

If ACCA’s concern is that determined candidates will always find new ways to cheat, then eliminating remote exams does not remove that threat — it merely relocates it.

Stopping Remote Exams Negatively Impacts Students  

Concerns around cheating have dominated the conversation about remote exams so much that people are overlooking their benefits. 

Remote exams are often the only way many people living in isolated or far-off regions can take their exams.  While ACCA’s policy allows remote exams for those in countries without test centres, this overlooks the reality that many individuals still face significant travel barriers — even within countries that do have centres.  One Reddit user wrote on the ACCA subreddit: “I am in Perth, Australia [and] my closest center is 4.5 hours flight away, i hope they listen to my case for letting me keep my remote exam”.   

It is reasonable to assume that most candidates living far from a test centre won’t be able to spend hours travelling to their exam, let alone cover the associated costs.  As a result, many may be unable to sit their test and gain their qualification, potentially jeopardising their career.

Remote exams also make assessments more accessible for those with extra needs.  Working in a home environment can be immensely beneficial to those with mental health disorders, such as anxiety or depression, or even conditions such as autism.  This is because their home is a known space where they can take the assessment without the distraction of others around them.  Those with visual or hearing impairments can also benefit from taking their assessment in a location of their choosing, with personal computers they can optimise to their own specific requirements.  

While ACCA has stated that candidates with additional needs will be supported through adjustments at exam centres, this approach assumes that in-centre delivery is a fair starting point for everyone, rather than one delivery method among many.  For many candidates — particularly those with anxiety, autism, or mobility issues — it is not.  And whilst candidates will be able to request additional adjustments, it is unclear how lenient ACCA will be with these requests.

Final Thoughts 

ACCA have said that they have made the decision to stop remote exams in order to “protect the hard work” of students everywhere.  But what about protecting those students who can no longer afford to travel to take their exam?  Or those who struggle in a test centre environment?  For these candidates, the change introduces significant barriers that risk limiting access and fairness.

ACCA’s decision gives little weight to the fact that technological cheating risks, including those involving AI, still exist in in-person exams.   As shown above, candidates are more than happy to try their luck bringing smart glasses or other hidden devices into exam centres.  Cheating doesn’t simply stop because candidates are sitting in an exam hall. 

Integrity and accessibility should not be competing priorities.  We have seen first-hand how secure remote exam platforms, combined with expert invigilation, can make remote exams as low-risk as their in-person counterparts.  Additional safeguards, such as lockdown browsers and continuous candidate monitoring, further strengthen exam integrity without removing flexibility.

If awarding bodies remain hesitant to offer remote exams for all assessments, a practical compromise could be to reclassify certain exams as lower-stakes and allow only these to be taken remotely.  Many candidates — such as accountants — are required to sit multiple exams alongside demonstrating their professional competence in the workplace.  As exams are not the only measure of capability, some inevitably carry less weight than higher-stakes assessments, such as medical school exams.  The reality is that not all exams are equally significant, even if organisations are reluctant to acknowledge this.

Ultimately, ACCA has made a decision which unfairly penalises their candidates, while secure remote exam options are readily available.  Protecting trust in qualifications does not require limiting access to them.  If ACCA truly values its global student base, it must adapt and embrace modern exam solutions, ensuring opportunity is never limited by geography or circumstance.

VICTVS Core Values: Professionalism

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At VICTVS, we have four core values which underpin all the work we do and the way we operate: Honesty, Integrity, Professionalism, and Courage.  These values are integral to the company, and we make sure all new team members understand and uphold them from the very start.  

Each quarter, we have been exploring a different VICTVS value, examining what it means in everyday life and the important role it plays in the business.  In this blog post, we will be looking at our fourth and final value: Professionalism.  

What is Professionalism? 

Professionalism is acting with the competence or skill expected of an expert.  It’s a trait we look for in all our staff at VICTVS — from those at our head office to members of our VICTVS Global Network.  

What constitutes professionalism is subjective but broadly involves holding yourself to high standards and looking, behaving, and talking in a way that is appropriate for the job you have been entrusted to do. It can also include: 

  • Being punctual 
  • Having high organisational skills 
  • Using good judgement 
  • Being polite 
  • Dressing appropriately 

Many also see acting with a strong sense of integrity as a key component to professionalism.  This is another one of our core values at VICTVS, and you can read about its importance to us here. 

The definition of professionalism has changed over time as a result of evolving cultural attitudes and global developments.  For example, tattoos have recently become more widely accepted in office environments across the Western world, along with more casual dress codes.  Since 2020’s global lockdowns, many workplaces have also normalised working from home and holding meetings where staff join remotely, something which may have previously been seen as unacceptable.  As workplace and cultural norms continue to develop, we can expect the characteristics of professionalism to change with them.  

It is important to understand how your organisation defines professionalism so that you can act appropriately when at work.  This is especially important when communicating with the public or potential clients, as we represent the company we work for.  Our behaviour, whether good or bad, reflects on the company.  Unprofessional behaviour in public or with clients can even result in reputational damage.   

What Does Professionalism Mean to Us at VICTVS? 

Professionalism at VICTVS means holding yourself to a high standard, respecting your colleagues and clients, and ensuring that your actions reflect well on the company at all times.  It means acting with integrity and care, and ensuring that all processes are followed correctly, so that the clients and exam candidates we work with can trust the services we provide. 

As an assessment provider working with organisations and candidates across the world, professionalism is especially important to us.  Our invigilators are often the direct point of contact for exam candidates, and the experience we provide can have a real impact on how candidates feel during what is often a high-pressure situation.  Remaining calm, respectful, and conveying exam conditions clearly is essential to delivering a fair and secure assessment experience. 

We know there is no single way to “look” professional, and we recognise that cultural norms and expectations can differ across regions.  However, we do expect our staff to follow our dress codes and presentation guidelines, particularly when invigilating exams or representing VICTVS in a client-facing capacity.  Whether working in a test centre, remotely, or online, our team should present themselves in a way that is appropriate for the responsibility they hold. 

Professionalism at VICTVS also extends beyond appearance.  It includes being punctual and prepared, communicating clearly and courteously, exercising good judgement, and maintaining strict confidentiality.  It means understanding the importance of our role in protecting academic integrity and ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly and consistently. 

Ultimately, professionalism underpins the trust our clients place in us.  By acting professionally at all times, we help safeguard exam security, support candidates, and maintain VICTVS’s reputation as a reliable and credible assessment partner worldwide. 

Final Thoughts 

Professionalism is a core value at VICTVS, one which underpins the trust our clients and candidates place in us, and ensures the delivery of secure, fair, and reliable assessments worldwide.  It guides how we present ourselves, how we communicate, and how we carry out our responsibilities, even in high-pressure or unfamiliar situations. 

Whether supporting candidates during an exam, working collaboratively across teams and time zones, or representing VICTVS to clients and partners, professionalism enables us to act with consistency, care, and integrity, helping to uphold academic standards and protect the reputation of the organisations we work with.  It underpins our other core values and sets us apart as a trusted, reliable partner in the global assessment space. 

Staying Compliant in a Shifting Regulatory Environment

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In October, Ofqual awarded itself new powers to publicly “rebuke” awarding bodies for offences not serious enough to warrant a financial penalty, such as simple cases of misconduct or malpractice.  

These new powers align with additional requirements that awarding bodies act with “honesty and integrity” and “promote public confidence in qualifications.”  

In November at the FAB 2025: Conference & Exhibition, Sir Ian Baukham, the Chief Regulator of Ofqual, led a talk on regulatory priorities.  He emphasised the critical role both regulators and awarding bodies play, noting: “If we get it wrong, we run the risk of actually doing harm.”  At the same time, he acknowledged the complexity of the regulatory landscape and highlighted the need to provide awarding bodies with greater clarity and guidance. 

As highlighted by Ian Baukham, failing to navigate this complex regulatory landscape can cause real harm to candidates.  To stay ahead of these changes, awarding bodies need to remain adaptable and responsive to new requirements.  Partnering with trusted third parties can play a key role in this, as it allows organisations to draw on specialist expertise that supports compliance, and helps maintain public confidence in their qualifications.

The Challenge for Awarding Bodies 

Awarding bodies face a number of challenges in maintaining regulatory compliance.  Updates to key regulatory conditions — such as the rules organisations must meet to retain their recognised status, as well as changes to exam security or reporting requirements — can happen quickly.  As a result, processes that were compliant last year, or even last month, may now need to be reviewed or completely overhauled. 

In addition, regulators increasingly expect awarding bodies not only to comply in principle, but to provide clear evidence of compliance in practice.  This involves robust internal oversight, consistent staff training, detailed documentation, and reliable monitoring systems.  For many organisations, particularly smaller awarding bodies, these demands place significant operational strain on teams already managing jobs like qualification design, centre support, and candidate services. 

A recent example illustrates this clearly: from December 2025, all awarding organisations must comply with the newly introduced ‘Principles Condition’, which requires constant demonstration of honesty, integrity, fairness and transparency, rather than one‑off compliance checks.   Awarding bodies without streamlined reporting processes may struggle to meet this requirement consistently.

How Trusted Third Parties Support Regulatory Compliance 

Maintaining regulatory compliance can be tough for awarding bodies, especially when it comes to secure exam delivery.  Partnering with trusted assessment providers and established exam centre networks can play a key role in ensuring academic integrity.  This is because third parties can bring specialist knowledge in areas such as invigilation best practices, secure handling of assessment materials, and detecting malpractice.  They also stay up to date with the latest regulatory guidance, helping awarding bodies ensure their processes meet current standards. 

At VICTVS, our global network of over 5,000 expert invigilators and exam centre staff undergo rigorous training — both during onboarding and throughout their time with us — to uphold the highest standards in exam delivery.  Our teams are skilled in monitoring exams accurately (both online and in person), supporting candidate best practice, and systematically reporting any suspected malpractice.  Clear and detailed reports are provided to awarding bodies, giving them full visibility over assessment delivery and ensuring accurate oversight and record-keeping. 

Our in-person and remote invigilation services across the globe provide reliable, secure, and consistent exam experiences, helping awarding bodies demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements.  The comprehensive records we maintain — covering attendance, exam activity, and any incidents — serve as concrete evidence during regulatory inspections, reducing risk and providing reassurance to awarding bodies.  We also perform our own exam-centre inspections to make sure the services and centres we provide consistently meet a high standard.

Importantly, we also continually monitor changes in regulatory guidance and refine our policies, training, and reporting tools to ensure that all services we provide remain fully aligned with current requirements. 

Beyond these direct compliance benefits, working with a global organisation like VICTVS also brings additional operational advantages.  Awarding bodies gain access to deep regional expertise, purpose-built booking and scheduling systems, and in-house technology designed to support assessment delivery at scale — all of which strengthen resilience and reduce administrative strain.

Benefits for Awarding Bodies 

By leveraging the expertise of third parties such as VICTVS, awarding bodies can: 

  • Deliver assessments that meet regulatory standards.
  • Reduce the risk of rebukes or financial penalties.
  • Maintain transparent processes that build public trust in qualifications.
  • Streamline administrative workloads, freeing teams to focus on core assessment design and candidate support. 

Next Steps 

Regulatory compliance will always be a shifting landscape for awarding bodies.  As Ofqual continues to refine expectations and introduce new powers, organisations must not only keep pace with these developments but also demonstrate that their processes are robust, transparent, and fair to all candidates.

This can place significant pressure on internal teams — particularly when demands for evidence, documentation, and oversight continue to increase.  Working with specialist partners can ease this burden by providing additional expertise, clearer visibility over assessment delivery, and confidence that new requirements are being met consistently and accurately.

If you’d like to explore how external support could strengthen your organisation’s approach to compliance, we’d be happy to discuss bespoke assessment solutions with you.  Contact us here to find out more.

The VICTVS Podcast: Episode 11 – The Optimist’s Guide to AI in Education

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] How often do you read positive news on AI?  It’s certainly not common, especially within assessment and education.  Earlier this month, news broke that at South Korea’s Yonsei University, student’s had been caught screenshotting test questions and pasting them into ChatGPT during a midterm assessment.  Stories like this are now commonplace and, understandably, fuel the fires of anti-AI sentiment.

In the last episode of The VICTVS Podcast, we spoke to academic integrity expert Dr. Thomas Lancaster to discuss contract cheating, a phenomenon that increasingly involves AI.  We have also previously written about AI hallucinations, and about how chatbots and image generation tools can get things very wrong.

Alongside the risks AI poses to academic integrity, many people are also concerned about its impact on mental health.  Conversations with chatbots can be hard to end, as these products are designed to continuously push for user engagement, meaning that people who turn to chatbots for advice may end up stuck talking to a robot when they’d be better off speaking to another human being.

But is it really the case that AI can only have a negative impact?  To find out, we invited AI advisor and author of the AI newsletter TheWhiteBox, Ignacio (Nacho) de Gregorio Noblejas, to join us as a guest on The VICTVS Podcast.

In this episode, we discuss some more positive AI news stories with Nacho, including the impact of AI learning on students at Texas’ Alpha School and AI’s potential to democratise knowledge.  We also consider the contribution of AI chatbots to rising levels of loneliness amongst children and young adults, and explore how we can work with the technology rather than fight against it.

Watch the full episode via YouTube at the link below, or listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.  You can also get involved in the discussion using the comments section below or on YouTube.

To hear more from Nacho de Gregorio Noblejas, you can visit his blog and connect with him on LinkedIn.  You can also sign up to TheWhiteBox here.

 

 

About The VICTVS Podcast

Learning goes beyond exams and qualifications—it’s about expanding horizons, overcoming challenges, and building skills and knowledge.  At VICTVS, we invite guests from a variety of industries and cultures to share their insights, offering lessons from their diverse experiences. If you’re passionate about education and how learning can help you achieve your goals, the VICTVS podcast is for you.

Enjoy our content?  Subscribe, rate, and share The VICTVS Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.  A full episode transcript is also available here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Why User Experience Matters to Your Candidates

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Exams are already a stressful experience, so it’s important that steps are taken to make scheduling, payment, booking, and the exam experience itself as stress free as possible.  That means using reliable, user-first processes and systems that candidates, awarding bodies, and invigilators can all navigate easily. 

There are different steps to go through for in-person and remote exams, but remote exams come with added pressures – from technical issues and WiFi problems, to the unfamiliarity of being invigilated online.  It’s important that these variables, as well as the overall user journey, are handled with just as much care as the assessment itself, to make sure candidates have as stress-free an experience as possible. 

In this article, we explore what makes a good user experience in both in-person and remote exams, the impact of poor design on candidate performance, and how platforms like VICTVS ONE can simplify and improve the journey for everyone involved — from candidates and invigilators to awarding organisations.

What do we mean by good user experience in exams? 

A good user experience in an exam is one which brings no extra stress to the candidate, allowing them to focus on simply showing their intelligence rather than battling with unclear booking, scheduling, or exam systems.   

Whether in-person or remote, every candidate must book and schedule their exam in advance.  This process often involves an automated system or exam staff assigning dates, times, and locations.  This can be confusing and stressful unless candidates are presented with a straightforward process and clear communication.  Awarding organisations and exam providers needs to be clear – especially when rescheduling exams or dealing with last-minute changes.   

When it comes to taking an exam, a number of different factors need to come together to make the experience a good one for candidates.  For in-person assessments, the exam centre can make a huge difference – rooms should be a comfortable temperature, with adequate lighting, comfortable seating and good candidate facilities.  Accessibility requirements must also be met for those candidates who need them, and invigilators should be good at communicating rules and creating a calm environment. 

With remote exams, there’s some different factors to consider.  Candidates will be in an environment they have chosen, but will be relying on technology for the assessment itself, as well as for invigilation and submitting the exam. This greater reliance on technology means that the software and systems required to be used by the candidate need to be clearly designed and easy to understand.  This includes the assessment system itself, the invigilation platform, and any other browser or phone applications that need to be used at the time. 

While any exam taken on a computer is reliant on a strong WiFi connection, this is especially the case for remote exams, as the candidate is responsible for their own connection.  This part of the user’s experience is outside of an awarding body or exam providers control and relies on the candidate testing their connection and ensuring it is stable before exam day.  

Another aspect of a remote exam which can disrupt a candidate’s experience is invigilation.  Depending on the methods used by an exam provider, remote invigilation can be disruptive and unsettling to the candidate, and often not hold the same level of oversight as an in-centre exam.  Some exam providers offer AI invigilation, or human invigilation with no candidate communication, which can leave candidates feeling uneasy and with no ability to see who is watching them.  Ideally, candidate’s should be able to speak to a friendly, human invigilator, who can ease their nerves and ensure that academic integrity is respected throughout the exam.  

These elements can make or break a candidate’s exam experience.  By streamlining every step from booking to assessment delivery, providers and awarding bodies give candidates the best possible chance to demonstrate their knowledge without distraction. 

The impact of poor user experience 

A good user experience often goes unnoticed because it’s so smooth, but a poor one can dominate the entire process, leading to confusion and frustration.  Not knowing when your exam is going to be, having problems with rescheduling, or being unable to use an assessment platform in the way that’s expected, are all possible outcomes of a badly designed process.  It can derail a candidate’s confidence and stop them from performing at their best. 

In comparison, a good user experience can reduce administrative errors, confusion, and boost candidate’s confidence in the exam process.  Importantly, making the exam booking and assessment itself as streamlined as possible reduces stress and allows candidates to focus on the exam itself. 

How VICTVS ONE supports a seamless candidate experience  

Our unified assessment platform, VICTVS ONE, brings together every stage of the exam process in one place, creating a smooth experience for candidates – as well as awarding organisations and invigilators.  By integrating booking, scheduling, invigilation, and assessment delivery into a single platform, we have removed unnecessary complexity so that the exam process runs efficiently from beginning to end. 

All exam bookings – including scheduling, candidate registration, and payments – are managed through the platform.  The system automatically synchronises with exam centre availability, allowing efficient coordination of both in-person and remote assessments.  Its straightforward interface also enables administrators to make manual adjustments where needed, offering flexibility to accommodate individual candidate requirements. 

For remote assessments, VICTVS ONE enables candidates to sit their exam and be monitored using our software within the same platform.  Our remote invigilation uses multiple screens – webcam, phone camera, and screen sharing – to connect candidates with members of our VICTVS Global Network for secure, real-time supervision.  Around-the-clock support is available for candidates, helping ensure that any issues can be resolved quickly, wherever and whenever exams take place. 

A good user experience is essential for a truly successful exam  

When candidates can move through each stage of the exam process smoothly, they’re more capable of performing at their best.  A well-designed user experience doesn’t just reduce stress; it also strengthens trust in the assessment itself and helps maintain academic integrity.  By prioritising usability and clarity in their procedures, awarding bodies and exam providers can ensure that candidates get the best chance to succeed. 

If you want to find out more about how VICTVS ONE can provide a good experience for both your team and your exam candidates, get in touch with us here.  

VICTVS Core Values: Courage

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At VICTVS, we have four core values which underpin all the work we do and the way we operate: Honesty, Integrity, Professionalism and Courage.  These values are integral to the company, and we make sure all new team members understand and uphold them from the very start. 

Each quarter, we will explore a different VICTVS value, examining what it means in everyday life and the important role it plays in the business.  In this blog post, we will be looking at courage. 

What is Courage? 

We often mentally associate courage with big, scary accomplishments – like doing a dangerous hike or jumping out of a plane.  But courage is also needed when making difficult decisions every day, like speaking up when it might feel uncomfortable doing so, and staying true to our beliefs even when under pressure.  

We spoke about integrity in a previous blog post, a core value which is defined by someone’s ability to live by their values and embody them in everything they do.  It often takes courage to act with integrity, as it can take a lot of strength to make difficult decisions, speak up when it matters, and stay true to your principles in the face of pressure or uncertainty.  

Courage is what is needed to turn beliefs into actions.  While it can be about grand gestures and impressive physical feats, it’s more often found in the steady commitment to do what’s right – even when the outcome is uncertain, or the path is uncomfortable. 

The Importance of Courage at VICTVS 

At VICTVS, courage takes many forms.  It can mean calling out a candidate for suspected misconduct, even when it feels uncomfortable to do so.  It can mean taking initiative in high-pressure situations, whether that’s responding calmly to a technical issue mid-exam, or managing an unexpected emergency in an exam centre.  For our operations team, courage can look like adapting to challenges such as extreme weather, natural disasters, or political upheaval to ensure exams are delivered safely and securely around the world. 

One example of this was in Malawi, where a cyclone struck the day before one of our exams was due to take place.  In a region already difficult to operate in due to energy poverty, the heavy rain, widespread power outages, and unsafe roads meant we had to think on our feat and carry out a last minute change of plans.  Our operations team immediately reached out to one of our local invigilators to understand the extent of the damage and ensure everyone’s safety.  At the same time, we kept the client informed so candidates could be updated in real time.  Behind the scenes, the team worked quickly to create a backup plan, ultimately linking the exam centre to a hospital’s power supply so that candidates could sit their exam as scheduled. 

Our invigilators and operations staff understood what was at stake — if the exams couldn’t go ahead, candidates would have faced a delay of three months, potentially affecting their career progression.  Moments like this demand not only professionalism and integrity, but also the bravery to make quick decisions, think creatively, and stay composed under pressure. 

Courage at VICTVS isn’t just about reacting in difficult moments; it’s also about contributing opinions, questioning processes when something doesn’t feel right, and sharing new ideas for how we can improve.  Whether it’s an invigilator raising a concern, or a member of our head office team offering a different perspective in a discussion, courage is what allows us to keep growing, learning, and delivering the best possible service for our clients and candidates. 

On the flipside, a lack of courage in assessments can have serious consequences.  When someone hesitates to speak up or act, it can allow instances of misconduct to go unchecked — undermining the integrity of not just a single exam, but the credibility of the entire qualification.  Every time an invigilator or other member of exam staff chooses not to address an issue, the fairness of the assessment is compromised, and trust in the process is weakened.  

Similarly, not having the courage to act during times of high stress, or speak out when you feel it’s necessary, can prevent exams from running smoothly, and from procedures to develop and progress into something better. 

Final Thoughts  

Courage is a core value at VICTVS — it empowers us to act with integrity in challenging moments, safeguarding academic standards and driving the growth of the business.  It motivates us to speak up, make the right decisions, and take action when it matters most.  

Whether in an exam hall, navigating a crisis, or contributing in a team discussion, courage enables us to uphold our standards, support one another, and ensure the delivery of secure, fair assessments worldwide. 

Why Your Remote Exams Aren’t Being Invigilated Securely

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Remote exams surged during the COVID-19 pandemic and have remained a fixture in many educational institutions thanks to their flexibility and convenience.  But this rapid shift to online assessments has also created new opportunities for academic misconduct and security breaches.  A study published in the Journal of Academic Ethics found that 54.7% of students admitted to cheating in online exams during the emergency pivot to remote testing, compared with just 29.9% before the pandemic.  The spike highlights how quickly students were able to exploit weaknesses in security and invigilation practices. 

Cheating has also become more organised.  In China, online services advertised “nearly perfect” LSAT scores to students via social media platforms.  In April, the Law School Admission Council was forced to suspend an upcoming remote LSAT in mainland China, citing “increasingly aggressive” cheating operations. 

These cases show that too many institutions are relying on remote exam solutions that fall short on security, putting both the integrity of assessments and the credibility of results at risk. 

The Problem with Automated Remote Invigilation Technology 

While remote invigilation systems are often marketed as highly secure, many platforms rely only on basic AI detection that can be easily bypassed.  These systems often flag simple behaviours such as looking away from the screen or speaking aloud, but they fail to detect more sophisticated methods of cheating – such as the use of multiple screens, virtual machines, or hidden devices.  At the same time, these platforms can wrongly flag harmless actions, unfairly penalising students who are simply stretching, adjusting their glasses, or looking down to think. 

An example of a remote invigilation platform that had these risks is Proctorio.  Proctorio was identified by computer scientists in the Netherlands as containing software that could be bypassed entirely by using a virtual machine, which would then allow students to access notes or browse the internet undetected during an exam.  

The consequences of technical inadequacies in this software are twofold: students who intend to cheat often find ways to do so without detection, while honest candidates risk being accused of misconduct due to unreliable AI flags.  In both cases, the credibility of the exam process is undermined, leaving institutions – and the qualifications they award – vulnerable to reputational damage and a loss of trust from both students and employers. 

Security and Privacy Risks 

Beyond enabling students to exploit weak security to cheat, poorly designed invigilation software can also put sensitive information at risk – from candidates’ personal data, to entire sets of exam questions and content. 

Consumer Reports found that poor security practices at the online proctoring company ProctorTrack potentially exposed students’ data, with a software leak in 2020 suggesting that the company failed to follow basic security practices.   Given that ProctorTrack would perform a facial recognition scan on all students at the beginning of an exam, this is incredibly concerning and raises wider concerns regarding how academic institutions choose the third-party services which will have access to their student’s private data. 

If personal data can be compromised so easily, exam materials are unlikely to be any safer.  Poorly secured systems increase the chances of assessment content being accessed and leaked to the public, jeopardising the integrity of entire exams. 

These risks are compounded by the limitations of many remote proctoring tools, which cannot reliably detect the use of secondary devices or screen sharing.  Candidates can look up answers on a second laptop, tablet, or phone, or feed exam questions to outsiders in real time.  Once questions are captured, they can be resold or circulated online, undermining not just a single sitting but the long-term validity of assessments. 

The Human Factor: Expert Invigilation Matters 

Relying purely on software is clearly not the answer when it comes to remote invigilation.  Automated systems can flag basic behaviours, but they are often unable to distinguish between genuine misconduct and harmless activity.  False positives can penalise honest candidates unfairly, while other more sophisticated cheating methods can slip by unnoticed. 

This is where human oversight becomes essential.   Experienced invigilators, like those in our VICTVS Global Network, can identify suspicious behaviour, pick up on strange patterns, and intervene when something doesn’t look right.  Importantly, human invigilators can directly communicate with candidates to check in on their well-being, and question or stop any behaviour they find suspicious.  Their presence not only deters misconduct but can help put candidates at ease. 

A recent guest post from our VICTVS Global Network member Sandra Pragana highlights just how important human invigilators in remote exams are.  Drawing on her first-hand experience monitoring remote exams for VICTVS, Sandra describes how candidates can act out of character in ways that only a human invigilator would notice and interpret correctly.  Her insights show the critical role that professional invigilation plays in safeguarding exam integrity, and why human oversight is still crucial.  

The VICTVS Solution 

The risks outlined above show that despite the advantages of remote exams, many services fall short in accurately monitoring for misconduct while protecting exam content and candidate data. 

VICTVS addresses these challenges by combining secure technology with expert human oversight.  Our remote invigilation platform, V3, uses full end-to-end encryption to safeguard both assessment and candidate data.  Multiple camera angles and screensharing capabilities allow invigilators to monitor candidates thoroughly, reducing the likelihood of undetected misconduct. 

Our VICTVS Global Network of expert invigilators also play a vital role in every exam.  They conduct pre-exam checks to ensure the testing environment is free from suspicious materials or unauthorised individuals, provide support to help candidates manage exam stress, and report any unusual behaviour to awarding bodies for further investigation. 

By combining our robust technology with the expertise of our invigilators, we can provide the level of security and integrity that remote exams demand. 

Final Thoughts  

From undetected cheating to exposed candidate data and leaked exam content, insecure remote exams put both assessment integrity and candidate results at risk.   It’s also clear that as well as secure software, remote invigilation platforms need professional human oversight in order to spot misconduct accurately and ensure the best possible exam experience for the candidate.  

By combining expert invigilators with secure technology, institutions can ensure that remote exams are not only fair and trustworthy, but also resilient against fraud and privacy breaches.  At VICTVS, we take no shortcuts – delivering exams that are conducted with integrity, security, and complete confidence. 

If you want to speak to us about how our remote invigilation services can benefit you, contact us here.  

Guest Post by VGN Member, Sandra Pragana: 99 Problems but a Whisper Isn’t One

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This guest post comes from VICTVS Global Network member, Sandra Pragana.  A valued part of the VGN for nearly four years, Sandra regularly shares her experiences as an invigilator on LinkedIn.  In this article, she offers a unique perspective on what it’s like to invigilate remotely with VICTVS, capturing both the humour and the importance of those moments when candidates behave unexpectedly.  You can connect with Sandra and explore more of her insights on LinkedIn.

Catching Cheaters with Nothing but a Webcam and a Prayer

Let’s get one thing straight: I didn’t think I’d be starring in my low-budget spy thriller when I signed up to invigilate exams virtually.  Yet here I am—headphones on, eyes narrowed, listening for the faintest whisper like I’m in a high-stakes audio surveillance van parked outside a suspected safehouse.

And yes, it’s just me, a webcam, and a prayer.  That’s all I’ve got to catch someone Googling answers behind a perfectly positioned mug.

Welcome to My Control Room

My workspace looks less like a cosy home office and more like mission control.  Dual monitors?  Check.  Webcam vigil?  Constant.  Is a headset sensitive enough to pick up a sigh in São Paulo?  Absolutely.

Candidates log in, nervously blinking into their cameras like deer in headlights, and I do my best to sound calm, professional, and not at all suspicious that their cousin might be crouched just off-screen holding up flashcards.

“Please scan your room with your mobile phone.”  Yes, I want to see your desk.  Your walls.  Your ceiling fan.  No, I don’t believe that coat rack moves on its own.  Especially not when it mutters, “It’s B.”

Proctoring Online Exams: Yes, I Can See Your Screen. No, You Can’t Pet Your Cat Right Now

Look, I love cats.  I do.  But when Whiskers hops up mid-exam, sprawls across your keyboard, and blocks the camera with her tail, we’ve got a problem.

Then there’s the “screen sharing” crowd—those shocked, shocked I tell you, that I can see their open WhatsApp window or the ten tabs labelled “exam answers fast.”  Yes, I can see your screen.  That’s literally the point.  And no, your background music, snack breaks, or yoga stretches aren’t helping your case.

Audio: Where the Plot Thickens

You’d think visuals would be the main challenge in virtual proctoring—but oh no.  Audio is where the drama unfolds.  Sometimes it’s crystal clear.  Other times, it sounds like someone is taking the test inside a washing machine full of cutlery.

And then, there’s the whisper.

The dreaded, sneaky whisper.

It’s always just soft enough to be maddening.  Just loud enough to raise suspicion.  So, I lean in, replay the clip, and suddenly I’m less “exam supervisor” and more “budget MI6 operative.”

Thank You, Headphones

This is where my headphones shine.  They’re my most loyal coworker—never late, never complains, and always ready to catch a muttered “try C instead.”

Once, I heard a full-on conversation during what was supposedly a silent exam.  Another time, someone’s friend coughed out Morse-code-style hints from the hallway.  (Okay, maybe not Morse code, but it was suspiciously rhythmic.)

Bless these headphones.  They’ve made me fluent in the language of dodgy background noise.

Comic Relief (aka: Just Another Friday)

Not everything suspicious is shady.  Some students forget they’re being watched.  One candidate ate a bag of chips like they were at the cinema.  Another muttered answers to themselves in such a dramatic whisper, I thought they were narrating a true crime podcast.

And then there was the cat again.  Same cat.  New exam.  Still flopping directly onto the keyboard mid-test, looking smug about it.

It’s Not Just About Catching Cheaters

Here’s the thing: virtual proctoring isn’t just about busting people.  It’s about ensuring the people doing it right aren’t undermined by those who aren’t.  It’s about fairness.  Trust.  Integrity—even if it sometimes means being invisible in someone’s living room with a not-so-invisible microphone.

So yes, I’ve got 99 problems.  But a whisper?  A cheat sheet on a sticky note?  A cat trying to help with question 6?

Not one of them.

The VICTVS Podcast: Revision Notes – Devices of Deception

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Our hosts Xanthe Mitten and Katherine Barnett are back for another edition of Revision Notes – the series where we give you the latest news in assessments, education, and the ed-tech space. 

In this episode, Katherine and Xanthe speak to head of research at the Assessment Security Research Group, Niamh Pierce, about their latest research into the wearable technology threatening academic integrity, and examine some of the most popular devices marketed to students as cheating tools.  

They put the Even Reality smart glasses to the test – a discreet device that lets users scroll through pre-loaded text and even communicate with AI – before examining other tools, including an ordinary-looking pen with a hidden camera.  They also unpack the health and safety risks of certain devices, including the miniature earpieces that have reportedly sent large numbers of students in Russia to hospital. 

As well as this, Niamh shares insights from ASRG’s latest findings, highlighting just how accessible these devices have become and what that means for the future of secure assessments. 

You can watch the full episode via YouTube at the link below, or listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.  You can also get involved in the discussion using the comments section below or on YouTube. 

 

 

About The VICTVS Podcast

Learning goes beyond exams and qualifications – it’s about expanding horizons, overcoming challenges, and building skills and knowledge.  At VICTVS, we invite guests from a variety of industries and cultures to share their insights, offering lessons from their diverse experiences. If you’re passionate about education and how learning can help you achieve your goals, the VICTVS podcast is for you.

Enjoy our content?  Subscribe, rate, and share The VICTVS Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.  A full episode transcript is also available here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Hidden in Plain Sight: How Wearable Technology is Putting Exam Security at Risk

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A male student sits in an exam hall, wearing subtle smart glasses and a smart watch. He is glancing down at his watch discreetly whilst taking an exam.

With students across the globe increasingly turning to AI tools like ChatGPT when taking online exams, many establishments are reverting to analog methods of assessment and switching to in-person, handwritten exam papers.  But this does not remove the threat of cheating – particularly as high-tech wearables, designed and marketed for exam cheating, are becoming increasingly common. 

It’s understandable that many institutions are reintroducing in-person, handwritten exams as a means to try and combat AI usage.  As Ben Cohen reports in The Wall Street Journal, traditional American exam booklets – known as blue books – are making a notable comeback. Sales of blue books have risen by nearly 50% at the University of Florida this academic year, while at the University of California’s Berkeley campus, sales have soared by 80% over the past two academic years. Cohen highlights the case of Kevin Elliot, a lecturer at Yale university, who has switched to oral and blue book exams after seeing “smoking gun evidence of AI” in students take home papers.  Meanwhile, Townsend Harris High School in Queens, New York, has begun requiring students to complete their summer reading essays by hand, in class, in an effort to reduce reliance on AI tools. 

While these moves make important steps to limit the use of AI in assessments, unfortunately they overlook the many other developing ways students can still cheat and access AI, even in the classroom.  Among these, wearable tech is arguably the most prominent emerging threat. 

The Threat of Wearable Tech

Without a doubt, wearable tech is changing the threat landscape of exams.  From more obvious technology like smartwatches – which are banned in many exams – to high tech button-hole cameras, there’s a wide range of devices out there being marketed towards students as a way to gain an unfair academic advantage. 

Smartwatches and smart glasses can deliver notes, messages, or even real time answers from a third party to the devices screen – in the case of smart glasses, this is usually via a discreet panel at the top of one or both frames.  The most popular versions of these devices are designed to be recognisable – such as Meta’s Ray Bans, which have a flashing light in the lenses – but more innocuous versions are becoming widely available, and these can be extremely difficult to detect. 

This summer, a student in Japan was caught cheating using smart glasses.   During an English proficiency test, Wang Likun was found with a miniature microphone hidden inside his face mask, and smart glasses connected to his mobile phone.  Police suspected he was using the devices to communicate with other candidates during the exam. 

As is the case in this story, smart glasses can be combined with other devices, like hidden earpieces, to get access to answers or pass them to other candidates in an exam.  A student can quietly recite a question into a hidden microphone and receive a response back via a watch, hidden earpiece, or smart glasses lens. 

It is clear, then, that reverting to in-person exams does not prevent students from using technology to cheat.   With so much attention directed at the risks of AI in online and take-home assessments, many test centres and invigilators remain unprepared for the growing threat of wearable devices – and are therefore less likely to recognise and intercept them. 

Devices of Deception: New Whitepaper Findings

In the Assessment Security Research Group’s latest whitepaper, researcher Niamh Pierce identifies some of the wearable technologies being marketed to students as cheating tools on popular social media sites like TikTok.  With the vast majority of the devices tested in this paper available for Amazon Prime next day delivery, Niamh’s research gives a shocking insight into the risks facing the integrity of in-person exams.  

In ‘Devices of Deception: The Cheating Tools Undermining Assessment Integrity’, Niamh looks at four categories of wearable devices, as well as smart calculators and pens.  Of these, modern earpieces stood out to me as particularly alarming.  Niamh notes that basic models can be bought for as little as £20 on Amazon, while more advanced versions – explicitly marketed as cheating tools – range from £319 to £1,019.  These higher-end products are so small that they must be inserted and fixed inside the ear canal.  Unsurprisingly, this comes with health and safety concerns – doctors in Russia noted earlier this year that they had seen a significant increase in students needing medical attention for such devices being stuck inside their ear canal. 

The growing use of earpieces, despite the health risks they carry, shows just how far some students are willing to go to avoid taking an exam unaided.  This case study, and others present in ASRG’s whitepaper, also demonstrates how small and discreet these wearables are becoming.  

Protecting the Future of Exam Integrity

Given the worrying number of videos about these products on social media – and their easy availability on sites such as Amazon – it is clear that in-centre assessment security needs to change.  To begin with, there must be an enforced ban on wearables in exams, alongside increased training for test centre staff and invigilators so they understand what devices are available, what they are capable of, and how to identify them. 

Another crucial step in tackling these devices is being able to recognise the body language of those who use them.  Candidates mumbling or talking to themselves, or repeatedly glancing up into their glasses, may be signs of a hidden earpiece, voice-activated device, or smart glasses.  By educating invigilators and test centre staff on the behaviours associated with these technologies (as well as standard analogue cheating methods), exam organisers and awarding bodies can greatly improve their chances of spotting and dealing with them appropriately.  This is also why we hold regular training calls with our own invigilators and test centre staff, to ensure everyone is up to date with the latest cheating methods. 

Technical countermeasures will also be essential in the fight against high-tech devices.  Scanners capable of detecting Wi-Fi, mobile data, or Bluetooth signals can be used to identify wearables connected to external devices or people outside the exam hall.  Standard metal detectors should also be employed to locate hidden devices, while invigilators can manually check accessories or items such as calculators and pens for signs they fall outside regulation. 

These solutions undoubtedly require additional effort from awarding bodies, exam organisers, and staff – but only by introducing such measures can we hope to preserve academic integrity.  Importantly, even the presence of these extra safeguards can act as a powerful deterrent, reducing the likelihood of candidates attempting to use them in the first place. 

 

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