Thinking on paper is part of how people work through a hard problem, but in a proctored exam, loose scratch paper has always carried an integrity risk. OctoProctor v5.13.0 brings that workspace inside the exam itself. The new digital whiteboard for exams gives test takers a private place to diagram, calculate, and jot notes on desktop or mobile, with their work saved automatically from the first stroke.
Papers and scratchpads on the test-taker table during an online proctored exam triggered multiple compliance conversations. It’s an extra thing to go over during the pre-exam check. Maybe a student pre-wrote something on their allowed physical draft. Maybe they kept working on the task during the break or brought in a formula? It’s also not impossible to use physical whiteboards to leak exams. The exam owner never fully knows what happens to the materials, and drafts remain a loophole.
OctoProctor v5.13.0 introduces a built-in online exam whiteboard that gives test takers a private space to sketch diagrams, work through calculations, and take notes without leaving the proctored assessment environment. Available on desktop and mobile, it preserves work automatically during exams.
Inside the test, students can open a whiteboard to take notes, create diagrams, and draw.
The toolset includes freehand drawing, shapes, and formatted text, along with select, move, resize, eraser, and undo, plus a choice of colors, stroke widths, and text styles. A contextual toolbar keeps only the relevant controls active.
By providing digital scratch paper for online exams within the protected assessment environment, the proctored browser window enables institutions to lessen their dependence on physical scratch paper and other external tools.
The new feature was built without adding any third-party code to the proctoring SDK, reducing friction and loopholes further.
Whether you are organizing a day-long or standard 2-hour exam, the whiteboard automatically saves the test taker's work after every action. If the browser is reloaded or restarted, the draft is restored, so a technical interruption doesn't cost a candidate their work. This makes the whiteboard for online exams particularly useful for STEM assessments, where test takers may need to work through calculations or sketch diagrams before arriving at an answer.
On mobile devices, the whiteboard opens full screen with larger touch targets and a streamlined toolbar, with touch handling tuned for reliable drawing on phones and tablets.
The whiteboard works much like paper notes during an offline exam: its content stays private to the test taker and is not stored separately for administrators or proctors to access. When video recording is enabled and available, the test taker’s work on the whiteboard can be seen as part of the session recording, giving reviewers additional context when they need it.
Whiteboard is clearly the star of v5.13.0, but we did not spend the entire release drawing rectangles. And, as with our previous proctoring software update, some of the smaller changes deserve a mention too.
We've added clearer hover states to interactive elements across the administrator interface, making it easier to see what can be clicked before taking an action.
The improvement applies to elements such as filters, status controls, and table rows, providing more immediate visual feedback and making the interface easier to navigate, particularly for administrators using it for the first time.
We've updated our storage deployment recommendations for on-premise customers to avoid dependency on a third-party storage component that is no longer supported by its vendor.
The recommendations now point to another S3-compatible server that is actively developed, with recent bug and security fixes addressing known vulnerabilities. \
Password protection in the signup scenario is now more straightforward: new test takers are always asked to create a password, and that password is required when they return.
The familiar password rules stay the same: at least 12 characters, with an uppercase letter, a lowercase letter, and a number. Existing accounts created without a password continue to work as before, so there is nothing organizers need to update.
The v5.13.0 proctored exam whiteboard keeps a candidate's working inside the proctored environment — stronger integrity for institutions, less friction for test takers, and no extra software to install. See how it fits into your assessments.
Book a demoOctoProctor v5.13.0 introduces a built-in digital whiteboard for exams, allowing test takers to draw, calculate, and take notes within the proctored assessment environment. The release also improves administrator interface usability with clearer hover states, makes password protection more consistent for the signup scenario, and updates storage deployment recommendations for on-premise customers.
Yes. OctoProctor's built-in online exam whiteboard provides digital scratch paper for online exams, allowing test takers to sketch diagrams, work through calculations, and take notes without leaving the assessment.
The online assessment whiteboard includes freehand drawing, shapes, formatted text, and editing controls. It works on desktop and mobile devices, providing a practical alternative to physical scratch paper for online exams.
The proctored exam whiteboard keeps notes, calculations, and diagrams within the protected assessment environment, reducing reliance on physical scratch paper and external applications.
As one of OctoProctor's built-in proctored exam tools, it gives test takers a workspace for solving problems while supporting a secure online assessment.
The online whiteboard for exams automatically saves the test taker's work after every action. If the browser is reloaded or restarted, the saved draft is restored, allowing test takers to continue working without losing their notes or calculations.
The whiteboard for online exams is private to the test taker, and its content is not stored separately for administrators or proctors to access. If video recording is enabled and available, the test taker's work may be visible as part of the session recording, providing additional context during assessment review.
The update introduces clearer hover states across interactive elements, including filters, status controls, and table rows. These provide immediate visual feedback, helping administrators identify clickable elements and navigate the platform more easily.
OctoProctor updated its storage deployment recommendations to address a dependency on a third-party component that is no longer supported by its vendor. The updated recommendations identify an actively developed S3-compatible alternative with recent bug and security fixes.
Most assessments still reward one version of normal. This article shows what neurodiverse-inclusive design looks like: test-taker exam agency, low-stakes continuous testing, and timely feedback that teaches. It also names what fails and where remote proctoring can help, if humanely built.
