Test Security and the Pandemic: Comparison of Test Center and Online Proctor Delivery Modalities

Abstract

Published information is limited regarding the security of testing programs, and even less on the relative security of different testing modalities: in-person at test centers (TC) versus remote online proctored (OP) testing. This article begins by examining indicators of test security violations across a wide range of programs in professional, admissions, and IT fields. We look at high levels of response overlap as a potential indicator of collusion to cheat on the exam and compare rates by modality and between test center types. Next, we scrutinize indicators of potential test security violations for a single large testing program over the course of 14 months, during which the program went from exclusively in-person TC testing to a mix of OP and TC testing. Test security indicators include high response overlap, large numbers of fast correct responses, large numbers of slow correct responses, large test-retest score gains, unusually fast response times for passing candidates, and measures of differential person functioning. These indicators are examined and compared prior to and after the introduction of OP testing. In addition, test-retest modality is examined for candidates who fail and retest subsequent to the introduction of OP testing, with special attention paid to test takers who change modality between the initial attempt and the retest. These data allow us to understand whether indications of content exposure increase with the introduction of OP testing, and whether testing modalities affect potential score increase in a similar way.