What to Consider Before Replacing an Exam Platform

Replacing an exam platform is a significant undertaking that shapes how assessments are delivered, managed, and experienced. It goes beyond software selection, influencing academic standards, staff workflows, and student outcomes. A thoughtful review of the right areas helps ensure that the transition strengthens, rather than disrupts, institutional goals.

Here are the key areas to review before replacing an exam platform.

Objectives and Institutional Priorities

The first point of review is clarity of purpose. Identify exactly why the existing platform no longer meets requirements. This could include unreliable performance during peak exam periods, limited question types, or a lack of insightful reporting. Reviewing institutional priorities ensures that any new platform directly addresses the problems at hand and aligns with broader academic goals.

Security and Data Protection

Another area that requires careful and continuous review is data security. Exam platforms manage highly sensitive student information and assessment content, making it essential to scrutinise how each system protects this data. Key security measures include encryption, robust authentication protocols, granular user permissions, comprehensive audit trails, and regular penetration testing. 

Weak data protection not only risks unauthorised access but also undermines academic integrity and trust. As emphasised in the DLA Piper analysis of Australian privacy laws, organisations must implement both technical and organisational safeguards to meet legal obligations and mitigate severe penalties tied to data breaches and privacy violations. This makes rigorous security assessments critical before selecting or replacing any online exam platform.

Accessibility and Student Experience

Accessibility is central to fair assessment. When reviewing potential replacements, it’s also important to check how the platform supports diverse needs, such as compatibility with screen readers, captioning, or keyboard-only navigation. Reviewing usability under exam conditions is also valuable, as a platform that is difficult to navigate could increase stress and disadvantage students. Accessibility and experience reviews ensure equity is upheld.

Migration and System Integration

A major review point when switching online assessment systems is how existing content and data can be migrated without disruption. Institutions often hold years of item banks, results, rubrics, and metadata that must remain accurate and usable in the new platform. Careful attention should be given to migration processes, data compatibility, and whether the system supports smooth integration with learning management platforms and student record systems. Without thorough planning, there is a risk of losing valuable assessment assets or introducing errors. Rehearsed migrations and contingency strategies provide additional assurance before a full transition is made.

Delivery and Academic Integrity

When evaluating replacements, exam delivery capabilities and integrity safeguards should be reviewed closely. Platforms should support the types of assessments required, whether traditional tests, essays, or adaptive exams, while also offering features such as secure browsers, candidate verification, and monitoring tools. Reviewing these aspects ensures assessments remain fair, credible, and resistant to malpractice.

Administration and Support

Administrative efficiency is another area that deserves close attention. Scheduling functions, role-based permissions, and reporting dashboards all affect staff workload. The quality of vendor support is equally significant, especially during critical exam windows. Reviewing service levels, escalation processes, and training provisions helps ensure the platform is reliable not only for students but also for the staff who manage it.

Costs and Long-Term Value

Finally, cost and sustainability require a detailed review. Beyond licence fees, the total cost of ownership should be considered, including training, migration, integrations, and long-term support. At the same time, it is important to review the value gained—such as efficiency savings, improved data insights, or new assessment possibilities. This ensures financial decisions are balanced with long-term benefits.

Not A Simple Swap

Replacing an exam platform is not a simple swap. It requires reviewing objectives, security, accessibility, migration, delivery, administration, and costs to ensure the new system supports institutional goals. A thorough review process reduces risk, protects integrity, and ultimately delivers a better experience for both staff and students.