Examsoft (by NOW Software) is a test-delivery platform used heavily in pre-employment assessment, and its anti-cheating behavior is configuration-dependent. Out of the box it is a secure testing environment with integrity options layered on top — the same Examsoft platform can run almost unmonitored or with webcam proctoring, depending on what the employer or school enabled for your specific exam.
What Examsoft can enforce
Depending on settings, an Examsoft assessment may include:
- Secure browser or lockdown mode — blocks copy/paste out of the test, prevents printing, restricts navigation away from the exam window.
- Tab-switch and focus tracking — logs when the exam window loses focus and for how long.
- Webcam proctoring — photo snapshots or video recording during the session if the employer enabled it.
- Microphone/audio checks in some proctored configurations.
- Timing enforcement — hard session timers, start-window deadlines, and per-question timing.
- Response-pattern analysis — identical answer strings across candidates, suspiciously fast completion, paste-like answer entries on constructed responses.
Notice the split: the first and last groups work on the software side; the middle group works on you. The presence of one does not imply the other. Many Examsoft assessments run with lockdown and timing but no camera at all — and conversely.
How to tell what your exam is running
- The invitation and instructions page. Employers enabled for webcam proctoring normally warn you, both because consent matters and because candidates need a working camera.
- Permissions at launch. If the platform asks for camera/microphone access and runs a device check, monitoring is on. If it just opens the test, it probably isn't.
- Behavior mid-exam. Periodic photo prompts or an on-screen recording indicator mean active proctoring.
- Ask the recruiter or administrator. Legitimate employers answer this without friction.
Preparing for the lockdown layer
Most Examsoft failures are logistical, not knowledge-based. Install or launch the required secure browser before your window opens, close every application you won't use, disable anything that steals focus (messenger pop-ups, screen-recording tools, even some antivirus overlays), and use a stable connection. If your exam window loses focus unexpectedly, that time is logged whether or not you meant anything by it.
Preparing for the proctored layer
If webcam proctoring is on: sit in frame, light your face directly, keep your desk clear, and don't talk through questions aloud. Reviewers of flagged sessions look for patterns — eyes repeatedly leaving the screen, second voices, notes entering frame — and an innocent one-off is usually cleared fast if your setup produced clean footage around it.
Don't outsource answers. Beyond the integrity issue, templated AI-written responses stand out in Examsoft's environment the same way they do anywhere else: generic phrasing, mismatched role specifics, timing profiles that don't match typing. A weaker genuine attempt usually scores better with the human reviewing it.
For employers administering assessments on Examsoft
Decide your actual integrity risk before switching monitoring on. Camera proctoring on routine pre-employment screens adds reviewer overhead, depresses completion among honest candidates, and rarely changes outcomes; for compliance-driven or licensure-linked assessments it's defensible. Whatever you choose, state it plainly in the invite — and remember monitoring protects the test, it doesn't evaluate the person. The scoring design that turns assessments into ranked shortlists is a separate decision. AI candidate evaluation covers combining assessment signals into one evaluation pipeline rather than isolated pass/fail gates.
Bottom line
Examsoft detects cheating only to the extent the administrator enables it — lockdown, focus tracking, webcam proctoring, and response-pattern checks are separately configurable, and many exams run with none of them. Check the launch prompts, ask when it's unclear, prep your device against focus-loss logs, and keep your room and desk clean if the camera layer is on.