Examplify is the exam application from ExamSoft, used heavily in law, medical, nursing and pharmacy programs. Whether it records you is not a fixed property of the app — it depends on which add-ons your institution licensed and enabled for your specific exam. Everything below comes from ExamSoft’s own exam-taker documentation.
ExamID and ExamMonitor are two different things
This is the distinction that answers the question, and it is the one most write-ups blur. ExamSoft’s documentation states that your assessment “might include one or both of them.”
| Feature | What it does | When |
|---|---|---|
| ExamID | “The software that will authenticate your identity by using your camera at the start of the exam.” | Once, at the beginning |
| ExamMonitor | “The software that will proctor your assessments by using your screen recorder, camera, and microphone throughout the exam.” | Continuously, for the whole exam |
| Examplify alone | Delivers the exam and locks the device down. No recording. | — |
Quotations from ExamSoft support: Prepare to Take an Exam with ExamID and ExamMonitor (updated 5 December 2024).
So “does Examplify record you” has three possible answers depending on your exam: no recording at all, a single identity photo, or a full screen-camera-microphone recording of the session. It is worth knowing which one you are sitting.
How to know which one your exam uses — before it starts
You do not have to guess, and you should not have to ask on the day. ExamSoft builds the answer into the interface:
- The exam tiles. After the exam downloads you see Exam Settings and Exam Details, including the time limit and available features. ExamSoft notes that “for exams with ExamID and/or ExamMonitor, you’ll also see additional tiles.”
- If the tile is missing. The documentation says to verify you selected the right exam, and if you still expect the feature, “check with your instructor to confirm that this exam will use ExamID and/or ExamMonitor.”
- The consent screen. Covered below — you cannot start a monitored exam without passing through it, so it is an unmissable signal.
The consent screen: biometric data
This is the part of the process students are most often surprised by, and it is stated plainly in the vendor’s own guide. After entering the exam password you reach a “Notice and Consent Request to Collect Biometric and Other Personal Data”. The documentation is explicit about what happens next: “You must consent to the collection of biometric and other personal data to continue.”
ExamID uses your camera at the beginning of the assessment; ExamMonitor uses it throughout. The consent covers both. Practically, this means a monitored exam cannot begin without an affirmative agreement to biometric collection — which is worth reading rather than clicking past, particularly if you have questions about retention or who can access the footage. Those are questions for your institution, since it is the institution, not ExamSoft, that decides how the assessment is run.
What the setup actually asks you to do
For a monitored exam the sequence is consistent, and knowing it removes most of the exam-day anxiety about whether something has gone wrong:
- Exam password. Provided by your instructor at the scheduled time.
- Consent. The biometric notice described above; you tick I consent.
- Device permissions. If prompted, you grant camera and microphone access. ExamSoft notes that if you consented previously you may simply see a confirmation and select Next.
- Camera and microphone selection. You choose the devices, verify camera placement and test the microphone — the guide notes you should see sound bars move while speaking, which is how you confirm the microphone works.
- Photo capture. “You’ll need to take a photo, which ExamID will process to validate your identity.” The guidance is to keep the webcam uncovered, face the camera straight on and stay still. You can retake the photo before saving.
What can get you flagged for something innocent
ExamSoft publishes an exam-day guide covering lighting, background noise, devices, hats and headphones, and it is worth following precisely because the review process is looking for anomalies rather than reading your mind. The single clearest rule in the documentation:
The general principle is the same one that applies to every automated proctoring system: a flag is raised by the software and reviewed by a person afterwards. A quiet, well-lit, uninterrupted room produces fewer things for a reviewer to wonder about — which protects an honest test-taker more than it constrains anyone.
Requirements that can stop you sitting the exam
Several of these catch people out, and all are documented rather than obscure:
| Requirement | What the documentation says |
|---|---|
| Internet connection | Required to download the exam and to start an assessment with ExamID. Attempting to start an ExamID exam without a connection produces an error message. |
| Minimum system requirements | Examplify runs device checks at launch and at download. Depending on the issue you may be able to Continue, or you may see only Return to Dashboard — in which case the device cannot be used until it is updated. |
| Anti-virus software | ExamSoft recommends temporarily disabling anti-virus before starting the exam. |
| Camera and microphone | Required for ExamID and ExamMonitor. An external camera or microphone should be connected before you begin. |
Source: ExamSoft support documentation.
For longer assessments the exam-maker can split the paper into sections, which appear by title in the Exam Details — so a list of section names on the pre-exam screen is a normal feature, not a sign that something is misconfigured.
What happens to the recording after the exam
ExamSoft’s own wording is the clue here: audio anomalies create “potential audio flags during the proctoring review.” That phrase describes the model. The software does not decide anything during your exam — it records, and it marks moments for attention. A review happens afterwards, and a person looks at what was marked.
Two practical consequences. First, nothing being “flagged” mid-exam is a verdict, so a stray noise is not something to panic about while the clock is running. Second, the decisions that actually matter — who reviews the footage, how long it is kept, what happens if something is escalated — are set by your institution rather than by ExamSoft, which supplies the tool. If you want answers on retention or access, the exam office or registrar is who can give them.
How Examplify compares with other proctoring tools
Examplify sits at the more locked-down end of the range, largely because of where it is used: high-stakes professional licensure and graduate programs. The pattern across tools is similar though — software records, software flags, a human reviews.
- Respondus LockDown Browser — browser lockdown, with recording only when the Monitor add-on is enabled. Same two-part structure as Examplify and ExamMonitor.
- Proctorio — a browser extension rather than a separate application.
- Honorlock — adds second-device detection to session recording.
- ProctorU — and what actually happens if you are flagged by it.
If you want the whole landscape rather than one tool, we maintain a tool-by-tool guide to what online tests can actually catch, and a separate answer for the learning platform itself in can Canvas detect cheating.
Frequently asked questions
Does Examplify record you?
Only if your institution enabled ExamMonitor for that exam. ExamSoft describes ExamMonitor as proctoring your assessment “by using your screen recorder, camera, and microphone throughout the exam.” Examplify on its own delivers and locks the exam without recording.
What is the difference between ExamID and ExamMonitor?
ExamID authenticates your identity using your camera at the start of the exam. ExamMonitor proctors the whole assessment using screen recording, camera and microphone. An exam may use one, both or neither.
Does Examplify record your screen?
ExamMonitor does — ExamSoft’s documentation lists the screen recorder alongside the camera and microphone. ExamID does not; it only captures an identity photo.
Will I know if my exam is being recorded?
Yes. Exams using ExamID or ExamMonitor show additional tiles in the Exam Details after download, and a monitored exam cannot start until you pass a consent screen for biometric data collection.
Do you have to consent to Examplify recording you?
To take a monitored exam, yes. The documentation states you “must consent to the collection of biometric and other personal data to continue.” If that is a problem, raise it with your exam office before exam day rather than at the consent screen.
Can you wear headphones during an Examplify exam?
No. ExamSoft states that headphones, earbuds and headphone-attached microphones “are never permitted during an assessment and can create potential audio flags during the proctoring review.”
Does Examplify need internet?
You need a connection to download the exam and to start an assessment with ExamID. Starting an ExamID exam without one produces an error message.
Does Examplify use your webcam the whole time?
With ExamMonitor, yes — ExamSoft says it uses the camera throughout the assessment. With ExamID alone the camera is used at the start for the identity photo.
Sources
- ExamSoft support — Examplify: Prepare to Take an Exam with ExamID and ExamMonitor (updated 5 December 2024)
Josh Hutcheson — Editor, PriorityLearn
Josh researches, writes, and updates the answers on PriorityLearn, checking each one against current tools, official sources, and real school policies — and flagging what varies by state or district. About PriorityLearn →