Created by Mustafa Ekim / November, 2023
Small-scale operations are easy to administer and manage, but when the volume grows, managing operations can become a nightmare unless specialized software is in place to handle large-scale testing effectively.
Similarly, if your intention is to conduct online assessments for a small group of individuals, most assessment tools can serve that purpose. However, when confronted with the task of simultaneously administering online assessments to a substantial number of test-takers, it becomes crucial to empower yourself with a robust and scalable assessment platform capable of efficiently managing a high volume of test-takers. Testinvite is precisely the kind of online assessment software designed to meet the unique challenges associated with conducting assessments on a large scale.
When administering an online assessment for a large number of participants, every action you take becomes more demanding. A specialized solution can significantly ease the process, handling tasks such as registering candidates in batches, updating them, sending mass invitations with personalized content, and monitoring delivery status.
Testinvite enables the division of a large number of test-takers into smaller groups, simplifying administration processes. Multiple administrators can be assigned to each group, facilitating the organization of participants into these manageable clusters.
Just as administration becomes more manageable by dividing test-takers into smaller groups, monitoring their real-time activities and online proctoring can also be organized in groups. Each proctor can be assigned a smaller number of test-takers to assist throughout their assessments.
The filtering feature empowers test administrators to efficiently access and identify the appropriate group of test-takers in large-scale online assessments through the use of custom labels or stages. This functionality is essential for ensuring effective administration, communication, and personalization of the assessment experience when dealing with a significant number of test-takers taking the test simultaneously. Furthermore, it simplifies the process of post-assessment data analysis and reporting.
Not every assessment software can effectively manage high traffic or concurrency issues. Poorly designed assessment systems can quickly become congested, resulting in service outages and user frustration. To successfully conduct large-scale assessments, a system must be structured as a set of scalable services capable of adapting to changing volumes. Otherwise, each component of the assessment process can turn into a bottleneck, leading to overall failure.
Testinvite's cloud-based platform excels at handling tens of thousands of assessments concurrently, ensuring a seamless and efficient assessment process. Our online examination system is engineered to efficiently manage high concurrency. It comprises multiple independent services, each dedicated to a specific facet of the assessment process. These services can automatically scale up or down based on incoming traffic, guaranteeing system responsiveness and availability. With Testinvite, you can conduct assessments with a large number of participants without concerns about performance or availability.
Preparing tens or even hundreds of servers for only a few hours can result in significant costs if the infrastructure is not purpose-built to handle such spikes in demand. We adhere to an automatic scaling approach that doesn't tie up resources unnecessarily but instead scales active services in response to increased concurrency. This resource-efficient approach enables our system to facilitate tens of thousands of simultaneous assessments while maintaining minimal costs. By utilizing only the resources required, our cloud-based proctored testing system remains cost-effective and consistently capable of managing high traffic seamlessly.
When managing a large number of participants in real-time assessments, closely monitoring activities and taking timely actions become paramount. Our platform provides various administration screens and a live monitoring panel designed specifically to deliver the most up-to-date information.
Testinvite collects and integrates data from various sources in real-time, offering a comprehensive view of the assessment process and enabling timely, focused actions. Our platform features a real-time monitoring panel that facilitates live interaction with test sessions. This panel delivers current progress updates for each test session. Key information available through the live monitoring panel includes:
Fast and timely communication is critical to providing support and intervention when needed. The real-time chat panel can be enabled for test-takers, allowing them to initiate a chat with administrators. Similarly, administrators can initiate chats with selected test-takers when necessary. The text-based format of live communication is an effective and scalable solution that enables a single test administrator to coordinate a maximum number of test-takers simultaneously.
Timely actions in the assessment process refer to the actions that a test administrator must take promptly to ensure the smooth progression of the assessment. Whether it involves assisting test-takers who encounter issues like incorrect password entry when trying to access the assessment or addressing situations where webcam views are obstructed during proctoring, a well-informed test administrator, armed with dependable information at the right moment, can execute the appropriate measures to guarantee fairness, equity, and a hassle-free experience for all involved parties.
Preventing cheating in online exams is already a significant challenge, but it becomes exponentially more complex when hundreds or thousands of test-takers are taking assessments simultaneously. Nevertheless, test administrators must exert every effort to ensure fairness and equity in the assessment process. Therefore, they require specialized solutions to effectively address this heightened challenge.
The integrity of an online assessment process is maximally maintained when various anti-cheating safeguards are applied collectively. Testinvite utilizes a powerful cloud-based infrastructure that enables the application of all these anti-cheating measures, even on a large scale.
The robust media servers can efficiently handle thousands of webcam video streams and screen streams from the devices of test-takers. Test-takers can be organized into smaller groups, each assigned a proctor who can monitor their screens and webcams in real-time, initiate chat when necessary, and intervene in the assessment process as needed.
Testinvite offers the capability to proctor multiple completed test sessions at the same time, even if they occurred at different times. The post-proctoring tool enables the review of recorded materials to verify and validate any potential fraudulent activities.
Screen locking and preventing test-takers from accessing other tabs, windows, or apps during assessments are top anti-cheating features. This is especially critical for large-scale assessments, where preventing cheating among hundreds or thousands of individuals is challenging if external resources are accessible. These measures restrict test-taker actions and establish clear rules for finalizing test sessions in case of violations, ensuring consistent enforcement on a large scale.
From incorporating multiple time controls for each section or page to limiting navigation options, Testinvite empowers you to employ various methods to enhance the difficulty and reduce the opportunities for cheating. For more in-depth information, please refer to the anti-cheating safeguards guide.
Managing online assessments with a large number of participants is best achieved through web-based solutions that do not necessitate the installation of any apps or extensions. This is because the IT support needed to ensure correct installation for everyone can be a demanding operation. Additionally, certain devices may introduce further complexities that are challenging to overcome. Furthermore, requiring individuals to install third-party applications can raise privacy concerns that your organization is better off avoiding.
