30% to 50% candidates cheat during entry-level job assessments, says study

NEW DELHI: 30 to 50 percent of candidates cheat during entry-level job assessments while the number of people attempting to cheat during online job exam increases by 80% to 100% when effective proctoring is absent, according to a study by HirePro, a recruitment automation and assessment solutions provider.

The report revealed that the percentage of such candidates reduces to almost half, 10% to 25%, for lateral job assessments. The report further suggested that candidates' tendency to cheat declines as they gain work experience.

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HirePro conducted the study on a sample size of 9 lakh assessments in the past six months, out of the total 43 lakh assessments undertaken over the past 12 months on its platform.

Major findings of the study:

• The cheating detection is most efficient when the proctoring combines all three forms - video, audio, and image. This combination is highly effective for online assessments as only 2% of cheating gets missed out.
• When the proctoring combination is of only audio and image, 58% of cheating misses detection.
• With an image-only proctoring, almost 92% of cheating goes undetected.

“The findings indicate that effectively proctored online assessments are better than physically proctored assessments. Proctoring as a technology has evolved to be safe and reliable for conducting formal online assessments. However, for it to yield the best results, online proctoring needs to be holistic which includes monitoring a combination of video, audio, image and web browsers. The process can be made fool-proof by adopting AI-proctored assessments, assisted by manual reviews, especially for candidates given final job offers,” said the HirePro report.

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Commenting on the report, S Pasupathi, Chief Operating Officer, HirePro, said, "Fraudulent practices in remote recruitment not only undermine the integrity of the hiring process but also erode the trust between employers and candidates. However, with the right tools and strategies in place, such as advanced proctoring solutions, identity verification, and behavioral analysis tools, organizations can overcome these challenges and ensure a fair and transparent recruitment process.”

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