What Happens After a Proctored Exam Is Submitted?

Generally, the first stage is to complete the online exam, submit the answers, and successfully close the examination session; this is important for students, particularly. The exact steps depend on the platform and the rules of the assessments set by the university or examination provider.

After clicking on the Submit tab, you may experience some or all of the following:

• Session Closure: The examination session ends after the required step, the last asked question, or the time duration set for the examination.

• Submission Confirmation: You will get a notification or email that indicates you have completed the session, and your record has been submitted.

• Recording Event Logs: Depending on the exam cheating detection software, the system may save, process, or organize information collected during the session for review and other reliable uses.

• Post-Exam Instructions: You may be asked to complete a short survey, close the exam applications, or follow other instructions.

• Result Announcement: The platform may display a preliminary status, a provisional score, or a message explaining that results are pending.

After the closure of the online examination session, the next step depends on the organizer’s examination and monitoring workflow. Some of the exams may undergo a review of the proctoring session, while others may follow a different approach.

1.  The system records the Attempt – Based on the online exam monitoring software capabilities and conducting body requirements, the platform may record that the candidate has submitted the assessments. This information may include the candidate’s answers, timestamps, session status, technical events, and proctoring records.

2.  Proctoring Evidence May Be Reviewed – For exams that use automated or post-exam proctoring, the system may identify events that require further attention. An AI Proctoring software may generate flags when it detects suspicious activity during the online session.

3.  A Human Reviewer May Examine Flagged Events – When the system generates flagged events, a human proctor must intervene to check whether the alert is valid or invalid to maintain exam integrity. Sometimes, online proctoring software may generate false alerts that must be checked and evaluated fairly.

4.  Result Process - The examination provider may need to evaluate the candidate's answers, apply the marking scheme, calculate the score, or complete other quality checks. For some assessments, a preliminary score may be available before the proctoring review is finalized. In others, the result may remain pending until required checks are complete.

5.  Updates and Notification – After the relevant process and review stage is completed, the examination provider communicates the applicable outcome through email or other authorized channels.    

Not exactly. The review process depends on the examination provider, proctoring method, and the assessment’s rules. Mainly, there are two types of proctoring:

• Live Proctoring - A human proctor monitors the session in real time, from candidate verification to alerts and submission. However, some of the providers conduct post-exam checks or prefer manual review when necessary.
• Automated proctoring – In AI-powered proctoring, the system records the session, performs identity verification, and monitors the candidate during the exam. A human reviewer may examine flagged events, but the precise process varies between providers.

Nowadays, many universities and certification institutions prefer hybrid proctoring systems that include both automated proctoring through AI and human proctoring that helps institutions offer a smooth experience.

What Happens If AI Proctoring Software Flags an Exam? If software flags an event, it means that the system detects something unusual; it does not mean that the candidate is cheating. In that case, a human proctor will examine the event and understand the context, check the available evidence, ask if any other information is required, make a decision, and document it for further processing.

For some exams, but not always. The declaration of the result depends on the type of online exam and examination provider. Some online examination systems display a preliminary score as soon as the candidate completes the assessment. Other exams require the provider to process answers, verify the session, or complete a proctoring review before releasing the official result.

Conclusion

Clicking on the submit tab after completing the online exam session may not be the final step or mean that the proctoring is finished. Depending on the online exam monitoring software and conducting body, it may undergo several steps that include post-exam review, human invigilation, result processing, and notifications.

For candidates, the best approach is to confirm that the submission was successful, follow the platform's closing instructions, monitor official communication channels, and contact support if the published result timeline passes without an update.