What Professional Certification Industries can Use SmarterProctoring?

Proctoring has been around for many years and in many different forms. Traditionally, for example, there have been teaching assistants who assist professors in a university-setting to administer and proctor exams. Another traditional method includes testing centers on college and university campuses that assist with proctoring. However, exam proctoring is not limited to higher education, it is often utilized in professional certifications as well.

So, which industries could use SmarterProctoring for Professional Certifications? Almost any industry that needs licensing, certifications, continuing education, and pre and post-assessment services can likely utilize SmarterProctoring, including:

• Legal firms and organizations for licensing, certifications, and bar examinations.
• Insurance agencies for pre and post-licensing exams and certifications. 
• Medical schools and organizations for end of rotations, as well as board and oral examinations. 
• Real Estate firms and agencies for pre and post-licensing examinations.
• Food Handling and Services for quality assurance examinations and certifications. 
• Pre-Employment Services that require screening, skills assessments, and even psychological testing. 
• Vocational and Construction Services that require licensing, certifications, and other pre and post-examinations.
• General Education Continuation through post-licensing examinations.

Proper Certification is Critical

Back in 2017, there was a rash of black market sales of fake Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety certificates in New York City. The training required by OSHA to get proper safety certification can be costly for construction industry employees, especially in terms of time. Workers on large projects must have at least 10 hours of training approved by the OSHA and carry a card certifying that they have completed the training. This training is more often done off-site and there are a myriad of other barriers, including education level, language, and overall cost, that could prevent a worker from completing it.

From 2015 to 2017, officials reported more than 30 construction-related deaths in New York City. Following the investigation into several of the deaths, officials related the incidents back to lack of proper safety training and certification, driving home the importance of the requirements and the need for a way to validate workers' certifications. 

A host of certifications, not just this specific example within the construction industry, are exposed to the dangers of counterfeiting which could affect accreditation and evaluations of legitimate programs, or result in death. Employers must take the time to verify certificates of job candidates. 

The key for verification is to narrow the scope of potential fraud issues through either in-house staff or outside third-party reviewers. These individuals need a consistent process to spot inconsistencies that indicate potential fraud, which means they need increased efficiency in test proctoring, more security, and above all, custom-driven solutions that help to manage the certification process. 

The Need for Secure and Flexible Proctoring

SmarterProctoring for Professional Certifications is a credible option to manage certifications and can, and should, be used within the professional sphere. Keeping the content of your certifications secure and validating your candidates is an important part of protecting your industry and organization’s integrity. 

SmarterProctoring provides a credible, secure, and flexible certification proctoring option that validates your candidates before their exams, detects anomalies potentially related to cheating/distributing your certification to the public by monitoring candidates’ screens, webcam, and microphone, and enables computer lock-down capabilities to keep your exam protected. Screen capturing and copy/paste functionality are also disabled during the exam to ensure the integrity of the certification. These actions, among several others, can be flagged for review by your organization and determine whether further action is required. 

Every candidate learns and tests differently, so when it comes to their certification, they need a flexible professional proctoring solution that meets their unique needs. Through SmarterProctoring, there are several proctoring modalities available, including face-to-face with an instructor serving as a proctoring or utilizing a proctoring professional and online through automated means or live online through specified partners. Through SmarterProctoring for Professional Certifications, your organization can offer your candidates a centralized proctoring experience.

SmarterProctoring is also a flexible solution for Testing Managers, Associations, and Certification Leaders. Flexible pricing allows you to only pay for the proctoring solution that best suits your employee and candidate preferences, and with online and automated proctoring options – you can reduce or forgo the need for a physical testing center and all associated costs. SmarterProctoring also frees up your time by limiting the number of manual tests and automating standard proctoring processes. Finally, the integrity of candidates’ certification test results, as well as your exam content, are certain when using a professional certification management system such as SmarterProctoring.

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