Minimal data
No Recording
No video, audio or screenshots are captured.
- Screen not captured
- Webcam not captured
- Audio not captured
- Best for
- In-person invigilated sittings, or lockdown-only security.
- Trade-off
- No footage to review after the exam.
Synoptic guide
How Synoptic proctoring works
How Synoptic works, what each level detects, the trade-offs, and how to choose the right setup for your exams.
Overview
One proctoring tool, built for range
Synoptic is Synap’s built-in proctoring, designed to cover everything from a quick practice test to a high-stakes professional exam, without bolting on a third-party tool.
For every exam you make two choices: how it’s delivered (the install level) and what’s recorded (the monitoring level). Mix and match to get the security and evidence each assessment needs.
One place to set up and review
Proctoring is set on the exam itself, and the evidence opens alongside each candidate’s attempt.
No sync gaps or hand-offs
No second login, no data passed between systems and no candidate lists to keep in step.
Runs where your candidates are
Three ways to deliver the same exam, so it fits locked-down campus machines and candidates’ own laptops.
The core idea
Two independent choices
Pick both for every exam. They work independently, so you can match security and evidence to the stakes.
Install level
How much can be locked down?
No Install
Runs in any browser
Browser Extension
Detects extra tabs and screens
Desktop App
Full device lockdown
Lockdown
Monitoring level
How much evidence do you keep?
No Recording
Nothing captured
Recreation & Snapshots
Images about every 5 seconds
Video & Audio Recording
Continuous recording
Evidence
For example
Invigilated sitting: Desktop App + No RecordingRemote test: Browser Extension + Recreation & SnapshotsNo Install
Lowest frictionRuns in any browser, with nothing to install
No Install runs entirely in a modern web browser, with no plugins, extensions or downloads. It is the most seamless, lowest-friction option, and the most universally compatible.
Best for
Corporate or school environments where candidates can’t install software, and exams sat on mobile devices.
- Any modern browser
- Desktop & mobile
Key capabilities
- Webcam and screen recording, with permission
- Snapshot capture and on-screen recreation
- Focus and tab-switch detection
- No download, plugin or admin rights required
Good to know
- Cannot hard-block other apps or websites
- Relies on monitoring and detection rather than lockdown
Browser Extension
BalancedA lightweight extension for tighter oversight
A Chrome extension adds a higher degree of security while keeping a streamlined, browser-based experience, most notably the ability to detect additional monitors.
Best for
Medium-stakes remote exams that need more oversight without a full desktop install.
- Google Chrome
Key capabilities
- + Everything in No Install
- Detects additional monitors and screens
- Enhanced breach detection
- Tighter tab and window monitoring
Good to know
- Requires a supported Chromium browser
- Some controls detect-and-flag rather than hard-block
Desktop App
Highest securityFull lockdown for high-stakes exams
The desktop app delivers the strongest lockdown: a controlled testing environment that blocks other software, prevents content capture, and protects your exam material.
Best for
High-stakes exams where integrity and content protection are critical.
- Windows 10
- Windows 11
- macOS
Key capabilities
- Blocks other websites, browsers and applications
- Blocks AI tools
- Prevents screenshots and content capture
- Prevents minimising the exam window
- Detects additional monitors
Good to know
- Requires an install; desktop and laptop only
- Best paired with a monitoring level for a full record
Monitoring levels
What gets recorded
Choose what Synoptic captures for each exam, from nothing at all to continuous video and audio.
Cost-effective
Recreation & Snapshots
Periodic webcam and screen images (about every 5 seconds) plus a playable reconstruction of on-screen activity.
- Screen captured
- Webcam captured
- Audio not captured
- Best for
- Medium-stakes exams or low-bandwidth environments.
- Trade-off
- Gaps between snapshots; not continuous video.
Maximum coverage
Video & Audio Recording
Continuous screen, webcam and audio recording for a complete record.
- Screen captured
- Webcam captured
- Audio captured
- Best for
- High-stakes exams needing a full audit trail.
- Trade-off
- The most data captured and stored; highest bandwidth.
Before the exam
Every candidate passes a pre-flight check
Synoptic checks each candidate’s device, connection and setup before the exam opens. Candidates can’t start until the required checks pass, so problems are fixed up front, not mid-exam.
Optional add-ons
- Identity checks
- Room scans
- Second camera
Detection and lockdown
What Synoptic detects and blocks
Pick an install level to see what it picks up. Anything detected is logged with a time, so reviewers can jump straight to it. The Desktop App also stops the most serious actions from happening at all.
Detected and logged
- Leaving the exam window when fullscreen is required
- Exiting fullscreen or minimising when fullscreen is required
- Opening a new tab or window when the no extra tabs rule is on
- Connecting an extra monitor when the no extra displays rule is on
- Losing webcam, screen or audio access
- Monitoring interrupted or connection dropped
- Face not visible, another person or camera blocked with live AI detection and video and audio recording on
Blocked
Nothing is blocked at this level. Choose the Desktop App for lockdown.
- Other websites, browsers and tabs (not blocked at this level)
- Desktop applications (not blocked at this level)
- AI tools (not blocked at this level)
- Screenshots and content capture (not blocked at this level)
- Minimising or leaving fullscreen (not blocked at this level)
Choose whether rule breaks are just logged, or freeze the exam until the candidate fixes them.
AI review flags, at every level
- Mobile phone in shot
- Candidate leaving frame
- Multiple people in frame
- Open textbook (beta)
After the exam, with webcam video recording on. Every flag is timestamped.
Desktop app · lockdown
Screenshot blocked
Content protection
Stop screenshots and copying of exam content
Keep your questions inside the exam. Block copying, pasting and right-click on any exam, and with the Desktop App, stop screenshots and screen recording too.
Screenshot prevention Desktop App
Blocks screenshot shortcuts and capture tools, when turned on.
Screen recording protection Desktop App
Hides the exam window from screen recorders and capture software.
Copy, paste and right-click blocking Any level
Stops questions being copied out, or answers pasted in.
AI monitoring
AI proctoring during and after the exam
During the exam
With live AI detection on, Synoptic warns candidates the moment their face leaves view, someone else appears or the camera is blocked. It runs alongside video and audio recording.
After the exam
AI review flags moments in the webcam recording that are worth a closer look, each with a timestamp. Your team makes every decision.
How to choose
Match proctoring to the stakes of each exam
The higher the stakes, the more you lock down and record. Lower-risk exams stay easy for candidates to sit and quick for your team to review. Use these as a starting point and adjust per exam.
Then fine-tune it with
Breach response
When a candidate breaks a rule, pause the exam until they fix it, or just log the breach and let them carry on.
Live proctoring
Let your own invigilators watch candidates’ screen and webcam live, so problems are spotted as they happen, not days later. Needs video monitoring.
Review requirement
Decide whether every attempt needs a proctor review before it’s finalised.
Practice tests and low-stakes exams
- Install
- No Install
- Monitoring
- Recreation & Snapshots or No Recording
Medium-stakes remote exams
- Install
- Browser Extension
- Monitoring
- Recreation & Snapshots
High-stakes exams
- Install
- Desktop App
- Monitoring
- Video & Audio Recording with AI review
In-person exams
- Install
- Desktop App
- Monitoring
- No Recording
Data protection & privacy
Proctoring, handled responsibly
Proctoring is sensitive by nature, so Synoptic is built to protect candidate data and treat every candidate fairly. For platform-wide encryption, hosting and compliance detail, see our security and data protection page.
Your data, your control
- ISO/IEC 27001 certified
- EU or US regional hosting for data sovereignty
- Configurable data-retention periods
- Time-limited access links, enforced MFA
Responsible AI
- AI assists reviewers; it never decides
- Your data is never used to train models
- Open-source models on Synap’s own infrastructure, no third-party LLMs
Fair by design
- Built by our UK team around privacy, fairness and proportionality
- Data captured only at the monitoring level you choose
- A proportionate level of security you set per exam
Independently certified, private by design
ISO/IEC 27001 certified and fully GDPR compliant, with encryption and access controls across the platform.
Built on years of experience in the field, and shaped by our customers’ feedback.
Still not sure?
Tell us what you need to assess and we will point you to the right answer.
Yes. The No Install level runs entirely in a modern web browser. Only the Desktop App requires an install.
No — they are independent. Lockdown (Desktop App) prevents access to other apps, websites and AI tools, while monitoring controls whether anything is recorded. You can run lockdown with No Recording at all.
Yes. Identity checks match a selfie to a government-issued photo ID before the exam opens, and room scans record the candidate’s environment before they start. Both are set per exam.
Coming soon. A Synoptic app for iPad will bring lockdown proctoring to tablets.
No. AI review highlights and timestamps moments worth checking and outlines people and objects to make footage faster to review. Every decision is made by your team.
Synoptic runs in a modern web browser on desktop and laptop. The extension is available for Google Chrome, and the Desktop App for Windows and macOS. Candidates can pair a phone as a second camera, and a Synoptic app for iPad lockdown proctoring is coming soon.
See Synoptic configured for your exams
Book a walkthrough and we will set up the right install, monitoring and review for your assessments.
