An ExamSoft flag means the software detected something during an exam that it marked as an incident for review, not that a student was found to have cheated. ExamSoft’s review tools are built around human review: detected incidents go into a review queue where people at the student’s institution examine them and record their conclusions. Because ExamSoft is widely used in law, medical, and nursing programs, a flag often arrives in a professional program where the stakes of an academic integrity case are especially high.
A note on tools and policies: ExamSoft’s software is updated regularly, and features differ depending on what an institution enables. Programs also set their own rules for how proctoring results are used. This article describes ExamSoft’s tools as ExamSoft and schools using it have published them. The current documentation and the program’s current policies are the controlling sources.
What Are ExamSoft, Examplify, ExamID, and ExamMonitor?
ExamSoft is a digital assessment platform, now part of Turnitin, and Examplify is the application students use to take exams on their own devices in a secure environment.
According to ExamSoft’s support documentation, two optional tools add proctoring. ExamID verifies a student’s identity using their camera at the start of an exam. ExamMonitor proctors the exam by using the device’s screen recorder, camera, and microphone throughout. ExamSoft’s materials describe students taking a baseline photo before exam day and another photo when the exam begins, then completing the exam with audio and video recording.
What Is an ExamSoft Incident?
An incident is something ExamID or ExamMonitor detected during an exam that is marked for review.
ExamSoft’s documentation describes a Review Queue in which institutions can filter for exam-takers with ExamID or ExamMonitor incidents, including incidents still pending review. ExamSoft’s materials also note, for example, that headphones are never permitted during an assessment and can create potential audio flags during the proctoring review.
Who Decides What a Flag Means?
People at the student’s institution do. ExamSoft’s documentation describes “dispositions” as the conclusions that people at the institution submit about incidents.
In other words, the software surfaces incidents, and the school’s reviewers decide whether anything warrants further action. If a program believes a violation occurred, the matter can be referred to its academic integrity or professionalism process.
Why Do ExamSoft Flags Carry High Stakes?
ExamSoft is commonly used in professional programs, such as medical, nursing, and law schools, where an academic integrity finding can affect progression, professionalism records, and later licensing or admissions questions.
That’s why a flag in these programs deserves to be understood clearly from the start. For more on what’s at stake in professional programs, see dismissed from medical school and can you fight a graduate school dismissal.
Common Misconceptions About ExamSoft Flags
“ExamSoft decided I cheated.” ExamSoft’s review tools are built around people at the institution reviewing incidents and recording their conclusions.
“An incident is the same as a violation.” An incident is something marked for review; whether it means anything is decided by reviewers.
“Every exam is recorded.” ExamID and ExamMonitor are optional tools that an institution chooses to enable.
“Only the exam answers matter.” In professional programs, an integrity finding can also affect professionalism records and later licensing or admissions questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ExamMonitor?
An ExamSoft tool that proctors exams by using the device’s screen recorder, camera, and microphone throughout the exam.
What is ExamID?
An ExamSoft tool that verifies a student’s identity using their camera at the start of an exam.
Does an ExamSoft flag mean I cheated?
No. ExamSoft’s review tools route incidents to people at the institution, who review them and record their conclusions.
Can headphones cause an ExamSoft flag?
ExamSoft’s materials state that headphones are never permitted during an assessment and can create potential audio flags during the proctoring review.
Representation for Students Flagged by ExamSoft
Every case turns on its specific facts and on the program’s policies as they stand at the time of the case, and both proctoring tools and program policies change. Attorney Richard Asselta is a student defense attorney who represents students in professional programs, including medical, nursing, and law students, facing exam and academic misconduct allegations nationwide. Call 855-338-5299.