Reduces carbon footprint
Online examinations have a positive impact on the environment. Pen and paper examinations not only require a lot of paper to print question and answer sheets, but it also requires the students and educators to be physically present, potentially resulting in an increased carbon footprint from the logistics of getting to and from the examination location.
Offers flexibility
Paper and pen exams have slowly but surely become obsolete because of the covid-19 pandemic and the progress of modern technology. The online exam is here to stay - even after the pandemic has ended - due to its many advantages over in-person, pen and paper, and physical examinations.
Saves time
Online exams save time for students by reducing the time it takes to write the exam and eliminating the time it takes to travel to and from the examination location. But also, the educators benefit significantly from the online setting and the features of the technology (such as automatic grading, reusing old test templates, etc.)
Saves money
Since everything is online, there are no associated printing or logistics costs. Educational institutions can also save money on examination facilities and fewer invigilators to monitor the exam. While an online exam will still require some expenses, such as administration and IT support, it's dramatically less than a pen-and-paper exam.
Scalability
For pen and paper examinations, the more people who will write the exam, the bigger the challenge to facilitate it. In comparison, an online examination system is easy to scale. Setting up an exam for 10 or 1,000 students takes almost the same time and effort.
Convenient
Last but not least, online exams are convenient for everyone. Educators can create and reuse old shared templates from their colleagues, use automatic grading, and co-grade with colleagues. Students can select exam times that suit them best, and since the exams are online, they can do it from pretty much anywhere as long as they have access to a computer and the internet. Students can also get their results almost instantaneously.
Secure
Security has always been challenging with exams, especially with more high-stakes exams such as bar exams, SATs, or college/university final exams. While an online examination system is not perfect, they solve a majority of the challenges with cheating. There are fewer risks of leaks since there are no physical papers, randomly selected questions from question banks can be utilized, and features such as device lockdown, ID verification, and credibility reports ensure high exam integrity.
