An objective measure of English proficiency must be SECURE.
Test security focuses on preventing exchange visitors from gaining an unfair advantage — and gives your institution confidence that every score report is an accurate representation of the applicant’s true English ability.
After readily identifying threats to test security in common online English tests, the assessment experts at English3 became convinced that an innovative approach was needed. The English3 Interview was built around security from the ground up.
Keys to maintaining the security of the interview
Real-time free response
Interactive video prompts simulate the academic and everyday scenarios an exchange visitor will face, assessing real-time ability to produce language under the pressure of authentic situations. Because responses must be produced live, strategies for gaming multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank formats don’t apply — every answer requires genuine language production.
Facial recognition with proctor review
Facial recognition software compares each applicant's photo ID and pre-interview setup photos against their interview videos, and across our complete applicant database, preventing anyone from testing multiple times under different identities. Every match is confirmed by a manual proctor review before a score report is created.
1:1 proctor-to-applicant ratio
Interviews are proctored and rated remotely by experienced language professionals who complete a rigorous certification process. Raters are trained to spot security concerns such as looking off camera, reading from notes, or receiving outside help. Attempts at cheating are readily visible and documented, and video recordings remain available to authorized university staff.
Randomized test forms
No two interviews are the same. Questions are drawn from large banks with variable item types, progressing from introductory and beginner prompts through intermediate and advanced ones. Topics span day-to-day interactions, cultural exchange, safety, and professional goals.
Security questions
Unique item types with thousands of variations — including picture descriptions, scrolling text, and elicited imitation — serve as an independent benchmark of an applicant’s language ability against their graded responses.
Screen monitoring
Proctors review interview questions, videos, and on-screen activity for the full duration of the interview, giving deep visibility into the testing environment and further strengthening security.
Why interview security matters
Confidence
Secure assessment gives faculty and staff confidence that exchange visitors have the English proficiency required to participate in their program and function day-to-day.
Continuity
It keeps academic work uninterrupted by the problems that arise when a visitor arrives without the ability to function in an English-speaking academic environment.
Compliance
It offers an objective measure of English proficiency — helping universities protect the health and safety of their international community while promoting strong academic environments.
Bring secure assessment to your campus
See how the English3 Interview gives your ISSS office verifiable, video-backed English proficiency scores.
Talk to Our TeamReferences
- Griffiths, M. E., & Graham, C. R. (2009). The potential of asynchronous video in online education. Distance Learning, 6(2), 13–22.
- 22 CFR § 62.10 — Exchange Visitor Program, Program Administration. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
- Griffiths, M. E., & Graham, C. R. (2009). Using asynchronous video in online classes: Results from a pilot study. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 6(3), 65–76.
- Norman, J. Applying Computer Vision to Images with Amazon Rekognition, AWS Lambda, and Box Skills. Amazon Web Services.
- Plymouth University (2017). E-Invigilation of E-Assessments.
- Lavalle, P. I., & Briesmaster, M. (2017). The Use of Picture Descriptions in Enhancing Communication Skills. i.e.: inquiry in education, 9(1), Article 4.
- Graham, C. R. (2006). An analysis of elicited imitation as a technique for measuring oral language proficiency. Selected Papers from the 15th International Symposium on English Teaching.
- Kennington, C., & Graham, C. R. Elicited Imitation as an Oral Proficiency Measure with ASR Scoring.
