Exam Security Advantages of Moving from Paper and Pencil to Computer Delivery

This article originally appeared in The Bar Examiner print edition, Winter 2025-2026 (Vol. 94, No. 4), pp. 35–37.By Susan Baek

A black laptop sits on a wooden counter. The laptop screen displays a white lock symbol. The NextGen UBE is a fully computer-based test. This may seem a radical break from how the bar exam is currently administered, but NCBE has explored the pros and cons of such a move over the years. Susan M. Case, PhD, former Director of Testing, wrote a column for this magazine on the subject over a decade ago, discussing how digital delivery would allow NCBE to randomize all items, virtually eliminating any potential cheating concerns by reducing the risk of examinees copying from those seated nearby. Case also suggested that the computer-based model would remove the printing, shipping, or storage requirements of paper test forms, avoiding the associated handling risks and security vulnerabilities across vendors and test administration staff.1

As time moved on and NCBE explored the potential benefits of switching to digital delivery, other testing organizations and institutions also modernized their assessment methods. Although benefits such as convenience and scalability tend to receive the most attention, another major motivation for computer-based testing may be the substantial enhancement of exam security.2 Digital delivery provides a multilayered approach to securing exam content, real-time monitoring of examinee behavior, and efficiently maintaining chain of custody. The NextGen UBE adopted digital delivery with all this in mind. The following sections outline the primary security advantages that computer-based testing offers over traditional paper formats, including a brief overview of how digital risks differ from physical risks, so we may anticipate changes in the threat landscape.

Enhanced Management of Exam Content

The most immediate security improvement comes from eliminating printed exam materials. Test booklets have additional logistical requirements, such as secure storage and transportation, which can create security vulnerabilities. These logistics risk widespread exposure of intellectual property, as thousands of printed forms are transported and distributed to jurisdiction exam sites that can be compromised by a single breach, whether due to misplacement, storage errors, or unauthorized access to gain advance knowledge. With digital delivery, exam content is encrypted and kept secure until examinees are approved to begin their sessions.3

Digital delivery enhances security and flexibility by enabling the generation of unique forms, randomization of items, and isolation of security risks.Implementing time restrictions and examinee authentication requirements also strengthens access control. This level of security is essential to ensure exam materials’ integrity and confidentiality at all stages of the examination cycle. Every exam session will produce comprehensive digital audit trails, detailing user access and flagging unusual activity. Real-time tracking of content and activities provides visibility, transparency, and traceability; this allows for better oversight than paper-based testing. Combined with complete audit trails, these capabilities help detect unauthorized access, maintain exam material integrity, and strengthen overall exam security posture.4

Accelerated Response to Security Incidents and Concerns

When a paper-based exam session is compromised, recovery options are extremely limited. Once test booklets are printed and distributed, they cannot be recalled, disabled, or easily retrieved if stolen. Any leak or breach may force testing organizations to invalidate an entire exam administration, affecting the whole examinee population. In contrast, digital platforms offer considerably greater adaptability and broader mitigation strategies. Administrators can pause or terminate sessions in real time and instantly invalidate affected exam forms, and replacement forms can be issued quickly to control an incident and prevent wider exposure. This rapid response ensures that security breaches are managed effectively without compromising examinee outcomes.

Ability to Leverage Advanced Forensics and Data Analytics

Paper-based testing generally relies on visual observation to detect misconduct. Methods typically involve proctors’ reports of irregularities or handwriting comparisons for potential imposter concerns. These are inherently limited and often subjective approaches. Conversely, computer-based delivery generates an abundance of data, enabling post-administration analyses, including forensic analysis. Examinees’ testing activities and patterns, including item answering times, navigation patterns, answer choices, or corrections, all contribute to a more detailed understanding of examinee behavior. These digital footprints can help identify collusion, preknowledge, or anomalous testing patterns that would be nearly impossible to detect in a paper-based environment. Forensic analysis of exam data helps detect cheating, proxy testing, and other misconduct to strengthen security, ensure fairness, and allow real-time monitoring for rapid detection and response to suspicious behaviors. It can also provide evidence for legal or disciplinary actions when necessary.5

Foreseeable Digital Security Challenges

Digital delivery enhances security and flexibility by enabling the generation of unique forms, randomization of items, and isolation of security risks. If a single session or form is compromised, only that administration is affected, and it can be quickly mitigated through invalidation or replacement. Paper-based exams lack such options. Nevertheless, it is important to acknowledge that digital delivery changes the nature of potential security risks and exam content exposures. An extremely sophisticated hacker could hypothetically penetrate the systems and access all exam content. However, modern computer-based testing platforms are specifically designed to prevent such scenarios. Secure lockdown browsers, high-level encryption, zero-trust architecture, and real-time intrusion detection are just some of the measures that make unauthorized access extremely difficult and highly detectable.6 Risks associated with paper-based testing typically arise from errors during printing, shipping, or handling and often go unnoticed until a breach occurs. Digital delivery eliminates many of these routine vulnerabilities.

Conclusion

Transitioning from paper-and-pencil exams to computer-based delivery offers substantial security advantages by reducing human vulnerabilities, strengthening content management and control, enabling rapid incident-response measures, and permitting forensic analyses. Although digital delivery may introduce different types of risks, modern cybersecurity tools provide robust protection far stronger than what is currently available in a paper-based environment. This overall enhanced security posture offers more resilient, traceable, and adaptive approaches to safeguarding our exam integrity in an increasingly complex testing landscape.

Notes

Susan M. Case, PhD, “The Testing Column: Exploring the Pros and Cons of Moving to Computer-Based Testing for the Bar Exam,” 81(1) The Bar Examiner 46–49 (March 2012). (Go back)
Martha Thurlow et al., “Computer-Based Testing: Practices and Considerations” (National Center on Educational Outcomes, September 2010), available at https://nceo.umn.edu/docs/OnlinePubs/Synthesis78/Synthesis78.pdf. (Go back)
Ebenezer Teigaga and Augustine Mbeah, “Securing Exam Papers through Digital Solutions: Enhancing Integrity and Efficiency in Academia,” 11(10) International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development 58–60 (2024), at 58, available at https://www.allsubjectjournal.com/assets/archives/2024/vol11issue10/11238.pdf. (Go back)
David Wallace, “Supply Chain Traceability Systems—Robust Approaches for the Digital Age,” LinkedIn (April 23, 2023), available at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/supply-chain-traceability-systemsrobust-approaches-digital-wallace. (Go back)
PSI, “Data Forensics” (n.d.), available at https://www.psiexams.com/data-forensics-guide/. (Go back)
Matthew Delman, “How Encryption at Rest and In Use Stymies Ransomware Gangs,” Sotero, available at https://www.soterosoft.com/blog/how-encryption-at-rest-and-in-use-stymies-ransomware-gangs/; Meegle, “Zero-Trust Security for Penetration Testing” (October 26, 2025), available at https://www.meegle.com/en_us/topics/zero-trust-security/zero-trust-security-for-penetration-testing; Matt Weber, “What Is Endpoint Security and Why Is It Important?” SymQuest (June 19, 2025), available at https://blog.symquest.com/endpoint-security. (Go back)