Patent ID: 7099620

Claim:
A method of securely administering an examination by computer, comprising the steps of: (i) preparing examination content, including: a. formulating examination content within individual questions; b. creating a plurality of testlets, each of said testlets comprising a grouping of one or more of said questions; and c. storing said testlets within a database; (ii) logging an examinee into a client computer module, including: a. prompting entry by said examinee of provided registration information through a user interface incorporated within said client computer module; b. capturing said entered registration information on said client computer module; c. transmitting said captured registration information to a server computer module over a secure data transmission route; d. verifying said transmitted registration information; and e. logging said examinee into said examination upon said verification; (iii) displaying examination content to said logged in examinee, including: a. retrieving from said database by said server computer module, individual testlets appropriate for said examinee in accordance with at least one criterion associated with said examinee; b. transmitting said retrieved testlets to said client computer module over a secure data transmission route; and c. displaying said transmitted testlets to said examinee on said user interface; (iv) capturing and recording responses from said logged in examinee to said displayed examination content, including: a. capturing responses to said displayed testlets from said examinee entered through said user interface; b. transmitting said captured responses over a secure data transmission route to said server computer module; and c. recording said transmitted responses on said server computer module; (v) limiting interaction with said client computer module by said logged in examinee to sanctioned examination interactions only, including: a. locking display of said user interface on a display screen displaying said user interface, above all other elements of said client computer module, and to an entirety of said display screen; b. preventing access by said examinee to elements of said client computer module underlying said user interface; c. filtering out non-sanctioned commands inputted from input devices of said client computer module; and d. controlling navigation by said examinee linearly within said user interface to control progress through said examination; and (vi) iterating steps (iii) through (v) until completion of said examination.