What does a live proctor do on an online exam?
A live proctor is a person assigned to your online exam sitting. Official pages describe three jobs: confirm you and the room at check-in, watch you and your screen during the test, and talk to you through chat or phone if something in the session needs a human. Pearson VUE states the model at booking. Candidates consent to monitoring by human proctors and assistive AI tools throughout the test.
The person is not always watching every minute. ETS publishes continuous human monitoring for the GRE at home: the entire session is recorded and monitored by a human proctor. Honorlock publishes the opposite: software monitors the session and alerts a live test proctor if it detects any problems, which means you will not be watched during the entire exam.
This page covers the published picture in general terms. It covers the two staffing models, the greeter-versus-proctor split on OnVUE, the camera and screen feeds vendors name, the chat and phone rules, when a proctor interrupts, what they can end the session for, and what they are published not to do. Every claim comes from official vendor pages. Nothing here describes how any alert is computed, what any threshold is, or how any system might be evaded.
Two published models: continuous watching and exception-based pop-in
Read the candidate-facing pages and the same word, live proctor, names two different jobs. In the continuous model a human watches the sitting from start to finish. ETS states it for the GRE at home: the entire test session is recorded and monitored by a human proctor, who watches you via video camera and your computer screen. Suspicious movements could invalidate the test.
In the exception-based model, software watches first and a person joins only when something is marked. Honorlock: the software monitors the exam session and alerts a live test proctor if it detects any problems. Once alerted, the human assesses the situation and then enters via chat to help you get back on track. Honorlock's student article adds the sequence: the proctor reviews the situation first and only intervenes if it is necessary.
Proctortrack sells the exception-based design as a product level. ProctorLive AI is published as a real-time hybrid that couples live remote human proctors with AI-enhanced auto-proctoring intervention in cases of suspicious behaviors, cheating, or aid to a student. Proctorio's live layer is optional: if the institution is utilizing live proctoring, a Proctorio proctor monitors the exam, flags certain behaviors as the administrator dictated, and sends the results to the administrator. The exam's rules sheet, not the brand name, tells you which model you are sitting.
OnVUE splits the greeter from the proctor
Pearson VUE's OnVUE sitting has two named people, and Microsoft's official online-exam page is the clearest published map. After self-check-in, a greeter verifies your identity, reviews your room scan, and places you in the proctor queue. If the greeter has questions about your ID or room scan, they work with you before you begin. If they do not, you wait for the proctor.
Contact channels are named too. Most communication with the greeter and proctor is in the chat window. During check-in the greeter asks for your phone number in case they need to call. After check-in, place the phone out of reach but close enough to be heard if the proctor calls. You can also use the microphone. Greeter support, proctor support, and the proctoring software are communicated in English even if your exam is in another language.
Microsoft publishes the wait rule and the in-exam silence rule. Check-in can start 30 minutes before the appointment and up to 15 minutes after. Launch and check-in take approximately 15 minutes. If you have not heard from a proctor within 30 minutes, Microsoft says the connection may be lost and directs you to OnVUE live chat. Your proctor will not contact you during the exam unless there is an issue. For a technical issue, the proctor tries chat first, then phone.
What a live proctor is published to see
The feeds are ordinary and named. ETS: during the test the proctor monitors you via video camera and your computer screen to ensure you follow testing procedures. You must be seen on camera. Microsoft: when taking the exam you are recorded, and the proctor monitors you by video and audio. Monitoring includes your face, voice, and the room where you are seated. If you do not wish to be recorded, Microsoft says to notify the proctor and reschedule at a test center.
ProctorU publishes the screen question in candidate-facing language. Once the exam starts, your proctor will monitor everything on the computer screen. During launch, some exams ask the proctor to temporarily use the mouse and keyboard to enter a password, only after you follow the on-screen steps. After that point, ProctorU says the proctor can no longer utilize your mouse and keyboard. The published job is watching the screen, not driving it.
Check-in is part of what they see, not a separate secret. ETS asks you to show ID, use a handheld mirror or cell phone to show the computer screen, and use the camera for a 360-degree view of the room, including the tabletop. Honorlock's student setup is a 60-second checklist: scan the room with the webcam, then photograph yourself and your photo ID. Proctortrack publishes live pre-test onboarding with identity verification and a room scan. Those steps are the published start of live review, not extra machinery.
How you talk to a live proctor
Chat is the default channel across this source set. Microsoft: most communication with the greeter and proctor is in the chat window. ProctorU: when a live proctor connects, they begin to communicate using the chatbox, and during the exam you can reach the proctor or support at any time from the Guardian sidebar or the proctor chat box. Honorlock: the live proctor enters the exam session via chat.
ETS publishes the delay and the inbound signal. If you need to contact the proctor, speak to get their attention and/or use the chat function. It may take 30-60 seconds for the proctor to reply. If the proctor is attempting to chat with you, there will be an audio signal from the chat function. For a technical problem, notify the proctor by speaking out loud or via the LogMeIn chat function, shown as a blue owl icon.
Phone is the backup, not the main line. Microsoft: the greeter asks for a phone number during check-in; after check-in the phone sits out of reach but close enough to hear a call; for a technical issue the proctor tries chat first and phone second. ProctorU publishes the wait to connect: for exams with a live proctor the connection process typically takes up to 2 minutes, longer at high volume. The exam timer does not start when you connect. It starts when the exam itself is opened. A proctored launch takes about 12 minutes; an un-proctored launch takes about 3.
When a live proctor interrupts the sitting
Vendors publish when the person speaks, and the answers differ by model. Microsoft's OnVUE rule is silence unless needed: your proctor will not contact you during the exam unless there is an issue. ProctorU says the same from the other direction: your live proctor will not interrupt you unless they notice one of the listed not-allowed actions during your exam. If breaks are allowed, tell the proctor before you step away. If you leave the camera's field of view, the proctor may ask you to re-secure the room with a quick room scan.
Honorlock's pop-in is a reviewed alert, not an automatic scolding. The faculty page defines blended proctoring: if the software detects potentially problematic behavior, it alerts a live proctor to review the situation. After reviewing, the proctor can decide whether to intervene and redirect the student or not. The student article is the same sequence in fewer words: the proctor reviews first and only intervenes if it is necessary. Honorlock also trains that language as support: think of the test proctors as a resource to help you complete the exam.
ETS's continuous model does not wait for a pop-in. The proctor is already watching you and the screen. The published risk is the movement itself: suspicious movements could invalidate your test. That is a different human job from Honorlock's on-call review. Confirm the model on the exam's own official page before you treat one vendor's silence rule as universal.
What a live proctor can end the session for
The published penalties attach to named events, not to a hidden score. Microsoft: if a proctor feels the Candidate Rules Agreement has been broken, a candidate is suspected of cheating or tampering with the exam software, or another person is in the exam room, they will terminate the exam and report the infraction to Microsoft, along with audio and/or video evidence. The exam may be invalidated. Microsoft may decertify and even ban the candidate from the certification program.
OnVUE and ETS publish the booking-side versions of the same idea. Pearson VUE's Microsoft program page: failure to meet the minimum requirements on exam day can result in immediate exam cancellation and forfeiture of the exam fee. ETS: you may check in up to 15 minutes before the appointment and have up to 12 minutes after the scheduled time to begin check-in. If you have not checked in by that time, the test is canceled and the fee is not refunded.
ProctorU publishes a reconnect clock and a household rule. If you are disconnected from an active exam session, follow the on-screen prompts to reconnect. If you do not return to your exam within 5 minutes, the exam may be ended. Young children can be present, but interruptions or interference may result in the proctor terminating your session. Pets are welcome as long as they do not help with the exam. Those are published session rules, not detection formulas.
What a live proctor is published not to do
They cannot help you answer the test. Microsoft states it in one line: the proctor cannot answer questions related to exam content. ProctorU states the same limit: the proctor will support questions about the ProctorU Platform, but they are not allowed to provide any assistance with the subject matter or content of your exam. Live review is a session job, not a tutoring job.
They cannot rummage through your files in secret. ProctorU's exam-day FAQ is the fullest published limit: proctors cannot access your computer files without your knowledge. Everything they do will be shown on your screen. They cannot perform hidden actions. Access is granted only with your explicit permission after you click a button to confirm. Once the exam starts, the proctor monitors the screen but can no longer use the mouse and keyboard. A chat box runs the entire time, you can see current permissions, and the chat log is saved, including a record of actions taken while accessing the computer.
They are not always there. Proctorio's FAQ asks who is watching and answers with a fork. Only approved representatives at your institution have access to recordings. If your institution is utilizing live proctoring, a Proctorio proctor monitors the exam and flags certain behaviors as the administrator dictated, then sends results to the administrator. If that live option is off, the human looks later. ExamSoft's ExamMonitor is the record-and-review extreme of the same idea: no live proctor in the sitting. Confirm the current official rules for your exam rather than assuming the brand always staffs a person.
How a live-proctored sitting starts and ends
Start-up is timed and published. ETS: check-in takes approximately 20 minutes and includes ID, a screen show with a mirror or phone, a 360-degree room view, and the ETS Secure Browser. You may be asked for a voice sample before the test begins. Microsoft: launch and check-in take approximately 15 minutes. ProctorU: a proctored launch takes about 12 minutes, and that time does not count against the exam timer.
Close-out is a human step, not an automatic submit. ETS: at the end of the test session the proctor will ask you to erase the whiteboard or transparency sleeve and hold it up to the camera, showing the front and back. Then you submit and close the ETS Secure Browser. ProctorU: if you have a live proctor, message them before submitting. The proctor may ask you to perform a few quick tasks, such as showing your notes or erasing a whiteboard. Once those steps are completed, the proctor ends the session.
Honorlock's human work continues after you leave. The faculty page says test sessions become available after students finish. After human proctors review them, instructors receive detailed reports. Each incident includes a timestamp into the test-session recording so the instructor can review it and decide whether to address it. Live review during the sitting and instructor review afterward are both published parts of that model. The person in chat is not the last person who may look.
Not every online exam has a live proctor
Live-proctor review is one published category, not the whole market. ExamSoft's ExamMonitor records the webcam and screen for review after the exam. There is no live proctor in that sitting. Proctorio's default is automated monitoring with administrator-configured review; live proctoring is an option the institution turns on. Honorlock's live person is on-call behind software alerts. ETS's GRE at home is the continuous-human end of the same spectrum.
Microsoft adds a sentence that keeps the human in charge even when software is named. Exam sessions may be monitored using a combination of human oversight and artificial intelligence technologies. AI tools may analyze session data and generate alerts for potential policy violations or irregularities. Those tools support, but do not replace, human review. Final decisions regarding exam security matters are made by authorized personnel following applicable policies. That is the same division of labor the AI-flagging page in this series reports from other vendors.
The practical test is the exam's own official page. If it names a greeter and a proctor, you are in a live OnVUE sitting. If it says you will not be watched during the entire exam, you are in an exception-based sitting. If it says recordings go to the instructor, the human may arrive after you finish. Do not borrow one vendor's contact rules for another brand.
What no vendor publishes
Set against everything the vendors do publish, the gaps are consistent. No vendor in this source set documents how a pop-in is chosen, what threshold turns a moment into an alert, how many candidates a live proctor watches on OnVUE or ETS, or what a proctor can see beyond the named camera, microphone, screen, and room-scan feeds. Proctortrack publishes a 1-proctor-to-25-students figure on its ProctorLive AI product page. That is staffing language for that product level, not a detection score, and no other vendor in this set repeats it.
The same honesty applies to capabilities people ask about on forums. ProctorU publishes that proctors cannot perform hidden actions and cannot open files without a visible confirmation click. No other vendor in this source set copies that sentence, and this page does not extend it. Pearson VUE names assistive AI tools and leaves their workings undescribed. This page reports each claim exactly as far as the vendor's own words go.
That is the correct stopping point for a general-terms explainer. When someone claims a live proctor can do some specific invisible thing, the published record is the test. If the vendor's own pages do not say it, it is not a published fact about the system. The published facts - roles, channels, named start and end steps, and named consequences - are enough to understand the sitting.
If the Sitting Itself Is the Problem
Live-proctor review, in the published picture, is a person in the session: they check you in, they watch or they are called in, they talk through chat or phone, and they can end the sitting for named reasons. Nothing in that picture required going beyond the vendors' own words.
That is the problem Exam Assist works on. If you have a proctored exam coming up and the sitting itself is the risk, send the details through the booking page: you get an honest feasibility answer, and the service fee is due only after your result posts.
For more of this series in the same general-terms format, see our guides to how OnVUE detects cheating, how AI flagging works, Honorlock's detection model, ProctorU's monitoring layers, ExamSoft's record-and-review proctoring, and what to expect at a remote exam check-in.