ATP-NCTA Proctoring Best Practices

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Proctoring Best Practices
is intended to identify best practices in test proctoring, which may differ from practices currently used by certain test publishers, sponsors, or test centers. While the nature of individual testing programs is highly variable, they all operate on the same general principles. Thus, this guide should be applicable to test administration across a wide variety of programs (e.g., admissions, certification, licensure, credentialing) and settings (e.g., professional, educational, employment). In making determinations about what constitutes best practices, the sponsors of this guide gave primary consideration to those practices that promoted test security, maintained standardization, facilitated accessibility, and ensured the fair and respectful treatment of all test takers.

The document presented here is a collaborative effort between the Association of Test Publishers and NCTA to provide a comprehensive overview of best practices in proctoring that will not only maximize test security but also ensure the validity of the test data and the quality of the testing experience for the test taker. It is through partnerships such as these that we testing professionals are able to expand awareness and become more knowledgeable, thus enabling us to become more diligent as we carry out our professional responsibilities.

Steve Saladin, PhD, NCTA President 2012-14
Francesca Taylor, NCTA President, 2014-16

The Association of Test Publishers (ATP) is a global non-profit organization representing providers of tests and assessment tools and/or services related to assessment, selection, screening, certification, licensing, educational, occupational or clinical use. The goals of the ATP Security Committee are to (1) identify methods to improve test security, (2) establish and disseminate security best practices, and (3) protect the integrity of tests and test programs.