Student Exam Flow

The Student Exam Flow is a multi-stage interactive experience designed to ensure environmental readiness, maintain academic integrity through real-time monitoring, and provide a seamless submission process. The flow is divided into three distinct phases: Setup, Examination, and Submission.

Phase 1: Pre-Exam System Setup

Before accessing the exam content, students must pass a series of automated system checks. This phase ensures the local environment meets the technical requirements for AI proctoring.

• Browser & Network Check: Verifies WebRTC support and connection stability (measuring RTT/latency) to ensure the live stream and telemetry data can be transmitted without interruption.
• Hardware Permissions: Requests and verifies access to the Webcam and Microphone.
• Identity Verification: Uses the webcam to perform an initial identity check, ensuring the student's face is clearly visible and centered before the exam begins.
• Environment Initialization: Prepares the audio-visual analyzers, including canvas-based pixel analysis for face presence and frequency analysis for audio level monitoring.

Phase 2: The Monitored Examination

Once the setup is complete, the student enters the active exam environment. This interface is governed by several "Anti-Cheat Guardrails" that trigger real-time alerts.

Active Proctoring Mechanics

The platform employs several concurrent monitoring strategies to maintain integrity:

• Fullscreen Enforcement: The exam is designed to be taken in fullscreen mode. Attempting to exit fullscreen triggers an immediate warning.
• Tab Visibility Detection: If a student switches browser tabs or minimizes the window, the system increments a "Tab Switch" counter and logs a violation event.
• Input Restrictions: Standard browser shortcuts and interactions are disabled, including:
  • Copy, Cut, and Paste.
  • Right-click context menus.
  • Common search and navigation shortcuts.
• AI Behavioral Signals:
  • Gaze Tracking: Detects when a student's focus shifts away from the screen for extended periods.
  • Face Presence: Monitors for "Face Not Detected" or "Multiple Faces Detected" scenarios.
  • Audio Anomalies: Visualizes real-time audio levels and flags sustained noise or speech patterns.

The Exam Interface

• Timer & Progress: A persistent 90-minute countdown timer with automated "time-remaining" toasts to help students manage their pace.
• Navigation: A dedicated sidebar allows students to jump between questions, while the main panel handles multiple-choice selections.
• Warning Panel: A collapsible log where students can view real-time feedback from the proctoring system (e.g., "Low lighting detected" or "Tab switch detected").

Phase 3: Submission and Compliance

The final phase handles the secure wrap-up of the examination session.

• Review and Confirm: Students are prompted to confirm their submission, preventing accidental completions.
• Automated Scoring: For multiple-choice prototypes, the system calculates results instantly against a defined key.
• Integrity Summary: Upon submission, the student receives a compliance status. This includes a summary of any flagged events (like tab switches) that will be sent to the institution for manual review.
• Resource Cleanup: The system automatically terminates the webcam and microphone streams, ensuring student privacy once the session is closed.

Integration Example

The exam flow is controlled via a centralized state machine within the /exam route. Developers can interface with the flow by monitoring the Phase type:

type Phase = "setup" | "exam" | "submitted";

// Example of the transition logic
if (systemChecksAllPassed) {
  setPhase("exam");
  enterFullscreen();
}