High-stakes testing

Ensure exam integrity and improve reliability for all your high-stakes testing with Digiexam. Proprietary and unique technology to safeguard your most important exams. 

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What is high-stakes testing?

High-stakes testing refers to any test that is used to make important decisions about a student such as an advancement (grade promotion or graduation) or accolades (awards or scholarships). Tests, along with student grades and teacher evaluations, provide critical measures of a student’s skills, knowledge and abilities, where high-stakes tests are often the norm to determine the student’s capabilities. However, as the costly pen and paper exams have quickly become obsolete due to the digital development of the world and even inaccessible due to the pandemic, the integrity and reliability of high-stakes assessments have been put at risk.

Challenges of high-stakes assessment in a remote setting

Academic dishonesty

The arrival of on-screen and online high-stakes tests has been predicted for many years. There are several challenges with moving high-stakes testing to a remote setting. These are, however, very manageable using the Digiexam platform.

One of the most challenging aspects of digital exams, especially high-stakes tests due to their importance, is ensuring that the students are not using any other resources (such as internet, books, notes, chat, etc) than determined by the conditions of the exam to assist them. Using Digiexam, the success rate of cheating is dramatically reduced due to features such as required ID verification, in-person and automated proctoring with behavioral trackers and device lockdown functionalities.

Technology requirements

Depending on the technology required for the exam, it can put students at a disadvantage. Studies have shown that students are more likely to experience problems with an exam if it’s written online. However, we wholeheartedly believe we’ve been able to create an intuitive platform, for both students and teachers, that can safely and reliably power the complete examination lifecycle. And with each generation becoming more and more technologically skilled, this challenge will soon be a thing of the past. In the end, the future is digital, no doubt about it. We believe moving education to a remote setting is a necessity to not hinder societal and educational growth.

Internet connectivity

The reliability of internet connectivity is at times a problem in rural and remote areas. As such, online high-stakes testing can prove a huge challenge for a smooth and reliable examination process. However, in comparison to a browser-based exam environment, the Digiexam application offers offline compatibility. Our platform can be trusted regardless of internet connection.

Reliable high-stakes tests with Digiexam

We have built a secure, robust and easy-to-use platform to power the new, better and more efficient world of exams, solving the many challenges of online high-stakes assessment. In the end, exams make up a significant (and important) part of today's education system. Our goals are to ensure that institutions can provide their students with the best experience possible writing it, facilitate a smoother process for teachers in preparing and grading the exam, whilst also making sure that the academic integrity is as high as possible.

Interested in knowing more?

Features of the Digiexam platform

Online Proctoring (add on)

Combine automated and live online proctoring. Verify the identities of the students before the exam. Chat with them and monitor their activities on screen and their web camera during the exam. Download and review each student’s credibility report after the exam.

Device lockdown

Lock down the student’s device over the duration of the exam to prevent them from using anything but the chosen online resources provided.

Online & offline

In comparison to a browser-based exam environment, the Digiexam application offers full offline compatibility. Our platform can be trusted, regardless of internet connection.

Environment independent

Our platform runs perfectly both in managed environments and with BYOD setups. Digiexam is compatible with PC, Mac, Managed Chromebooks, and iPads.

Accessibility

The Digiexam platform ensures everyone is given equal opportunities to take the exam. Our solution includes supportive features such as spell check, text-to-speech functionality, and the option to extend exam time.

Automatic & anonymous grading

Choose either to grade per student or per question. Anonymous grading and auto-correction of multiple choice and word gap type questions are also available to speed up and simplify the grading process.

What our customers say

As the University continues to pursue a remote assessment strategy for all courses, confidence in the systems we use to support exam integrity is vital.

Maggie Gibson Birmingham City University

Digiexam receives a lot of attention in the south of Germany since a lot of people share the belief that it will be the only product that will meet the regulatory and data privacy requirements for future online testing.

Dr. Martin Franzen Aalen University

We have students all over Sweden and abroad and they need to be able to complete their exams regardless of location. Digiexam's proctoring solution has become a key success factor for us at FEI.

Magnus Rolf Företagsekonomiska Institutet

FAQ - High-stakes tests

What is the difference between low-stakes and high-stakes tests?

"Low-stakes tests” are used for measuring academic achievements, identifying learning problems, or informing instructional adjustments, among others. The difference between high-stakes and low-stakes tests is not its form (its design), but the function of the test (how the results are used). For example, if the test is used for determining if the student is ready for advancement to the next grade or not, it does not matter if the test is a multiple-choice exam, an oral exam, or an essay exam, it will still be considered a high-stakes test. Low-stakes exams usually carry no significant or public consequences. The results often only matter to an individual teacher or student.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of high-stakes testing?

The pros and cons of high-stakes testing have been weighted heavily by parents, educators, and students alike. It is both one of the most controversial and contentious issues in education today, and the technicalities of the debate are both highly complex and continuously evolving. 

Proponents may argue that the practice:

  • Holds teachers accountable for ensuring that their students learn what they are expected to learn.
  • Motivates students to work harder, learn more, and take exams more seriously.
  • Establishes higher expectations for both educators and students.
  • Provides a detailed measurement of student performance, revealing areas of education that need to be improved.

Opponents may argue that the practice:

  • Forces teachers to “teach to the test”.
  • Promotes a narrow academic program.
  • May contribute to higher rates of cheating.
  • May be correlated to increased failure, lower graduation, and higher dropout rates. 
  • May diminish the overall quality of learning.