Proctoring: Meaning, How AI and Live Proctoring Work, and What Gets Flagged

Proctoring means supervising a test so that the person taking it is who they claim to be and is not getting outside help. In a physical exam hall the proctor is the invigilator. In an online test, proctoring is software, sometimes with a human watching remotely, that monitors your webcam, microphone, screen and browser for the length of the test. Almost every Indian campus and off-campus hiring test, including the TCS NQT, Wipro NLTH and Cognizant's GenC assessments, is proctored.

Types of proctoring

Many hiring tests combine automated proctoring with record-and-review.

What the software monitors

• Webcam: continuous video of your face and immediate surroundings. Vendors state that a webcam only captures what is physically in front of it; it cannot see your monitor.
• Microphone: background voices, whispering, another person speaking.
• Screen: a recording or live share of your display, which is how a second window would be seen.
• Browser lockdown: a secure browser mode that blocks tab switching, copy-paste, screenshots and opening other applications, and records attempts to do so.
• Identity: a photo or ID check at the start, sometimes repeated during the test.

Common flags, as described by proctoring vendors

Multiple faces in frame, the candidate leaving the frame, frequent glances away from the screen, background conversation, sudden changes in lighting or environment, window or tab changes, and unauthorised materials visible on camera. A flag is not an automatic fail; a reviewer usually looks at the recording. Repeated flags, or a clear violation, can invalidate the attempt.

A concrete example

A candidate takes a proctored aptitude test from home. Halfway through, her brother walks into the room behind her to ask a question. The system logs "second face detected" and "background voice". She does not stop; she keeps working, and the review team later watches the clip, sees a family member walk in and out, and clears the flag. Her roommate in the next drive switched to a calculator app twice during the quant section; the lockdown browser logged both attempts, and the attempt was invalidated. Same platform, different outcomes, because one was an accident and one was a violation.

What this means for you

1. Take the test alone, in a quiet room, with the door closed, and tell your family the timing.
2. Keep your face in frame and your eyes on the screen. Do not look down at notes.
3. Close every other application before starting. Lockdown browsers log attempts, not just successes.
4. Do not use any assistance tool. A proctored test is a no-assistance setting.

Where MockMate stands

MockMate is built for two things: Practice sessions in the browser, and authorised Live assistance on Windows in interviews and meetings where the organisation, interviewer or applicable rules permit assistance and disclosure. Its Acceptable Use and AI Safety policies say plainly that it does not authorise cheating in exams or unauthorised interview use. The companion's capture resistance is a Windows display feature, not a statement about any proctoring product, and MockMate never claims to be undetectable. For anything proctored, the right mode is Practice: rehearse the aptitude, coding or interview questions beforehand, then take the test on your own. For a longer discussion of Indian proctored platforms, see AI interview assistants and proctoring: Talview, HackerEarth and others.

Related terms

• Aptitude test: the most commonly proctored stage of Indian hiring.
• HireVue: recorded video interviews, often paired with proctoring.
• Interview copilot: what live assistance tools are, and where they are appropriate.
• NQT and NLTH: two proctored national tests.