Five Tips to Reduce Student Test Anxiety During Online Proctored Exams

To ensure a supportive testing environment, the university is advising faculty who plan to use Honorlock for final examinations to implement five critical strategies designed to mitigate student test anxiety. These guidelines emphasize clear expectations, appropriate use of Honorlock settings, and robust support systems.

Faculty considering online proctoring can significantly reduce student stress by adhering to the following best practices:

• Be Prepared to Act on Settings. Instructors should only apply Honorlock settings they are prepared to act on. This includes customizing permissions to allow specific computer applications, such as Excel or Word, while blocking all others. This flexibility allows for diverse assessment methods beyond traditional question formats.
• Proactively Prepare Students. Prepare students thoroughly by explaining the system's function, clarifying what behaviors are typically flagged, outlining technical requirements and test policies, and providing a practice test. Instructors may also include a link to the relevant Honorlock article, What Students Need to Know Before Taking Proctored Exams.
• Offer a Low-Stakes Practice Test. Provide a proctored practice test that incorporates all the settings intended for the actual exam. This step is especially crucial when using third-party software (e.g., Pearson, McGrawHill) so students can familiarize themselves with the setup and avoid panic during the real assessment.
  See the TigerTracks article Adding an Honorlock Practice Exam for Faculty for more information.
• Inform Students About Honorlock Live Support. Students should be advised that if a flag occurs, they do not need to panic, as the Honorlock test proctor is available to provide assistance and answer questions. Students can use the Honorlock chat tool for live support, as the proctoring team is a reliable source of information and is trained by a nationally certified counselor and educator to support students experiencing test anxiety.
• Evaluate Holistically. Instructors should assure students that every action will not result in a penalty and that they review flags from a broader perspective. When reviewing results, instructors should "keep the big picture in mind," meaning isolated incidents—such as a person briefly entering and leaving the room—should generally not be reasons for penalizing the student.

ISU Faculty Support and Resources
The ISU Idaho Falls Testing Center (IFTC) can assist faculty with reviewing Honorlock proctored exam sessions. Faculty can request assistance by completing the Request for Assistance in Reviewing Your Exam Results form.

For additional information on using Honorlock, please visit the TigerTracks Knowledge Base. For assistance adding Honorlock to a course or setting it up with third-party software, email AnswersITRC@isu.edu.