Watching you watching me: Online proctoring, anxiety and test performance

Document Type

Poster Presentation

Publication Date

4-17-2026

Keywords

fsc2026

Abstract

Lower exam performance on proctored online exams is typically attributed to the idea that proctoring curtails cheating. The current study examined the relationship between online proctoring, test anxiety, and test performance longitudinally to test an alternative hypothesis that proctoring may lead to lower exam scores due to the cognitive and affective consequences of being surveilled. We compared the use of a virtual proctoring service in three different online psychology courses (N=112), which each had an experimental section and a control section. The experimental sections used online proctoring for the first exam only, while the control sections had no online proctoring. A mixed factorial ANOVA replicated the effect that students in proctored exams scored lower than students in non-proctored exams, regardless of whether the exam was open-book. A mediation analysis revealed that proctoring negatively influenced exam performance due in part to test anxiety. These results indicate that proctored students may score lower due to the anxiety that can occur from being watched. These results and alternative methods to support academic integrity in an online setting will be discussed.

Comments

Poster presented at the 2026 Fisher Showcase, St. John Fisher University, April 17, 2026.

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