ExamSoft

ExamSoft is a paid digital assessment platform for creating, delivering, grading, and reporting exams. It suits higher and secondary education programs plus organizations running certification or licensure tests, especially where controlled, repeatable assessments matter. The main trade-offs are custom pricing, strict device requirements, and capabilities that depend on the customer’s order terms.

Overview

Founded in 1998 and acquired by Turnitin in 2020, ExamSoft brings an exam portal and a dedicated delivery application into one workflow. That combination is more substantial than a basic quiz tool: teams can build a question bank, schedule assessments, score them, and follow performance across categories and time. It is a better match for structured assessment programs than for occasional informal tests.

Key features

The ExamSoft Portal covers item banking, assessment authoring, scheduling, scoring, and reporting. Mixed grading modes and advanced question types support assessments that need more than simple right-or-wrong questions. Questions can be tagged for reporting, with analytics spanning items, assessments, exam-takers, categories, and longitudinal performance. Those views can help a program identify recurring strengths and weaknesses across cohorts, provided it has enough ongoing assessment activity to make trend reporting useful.

Examplify delivers exams after candidates download the files before the scheduled sitting, then allows completion offline. For assessments marked secure, it restricts access to other files and applications and blocks network access during the exam; files are deleted from the device afterward. This is well suited to controlled, high-stakes sessions, but it is less flexible than a browser-first exam for candidates who need to change devices. An assessment cannot be downloaded on multiple devices.

ExamMonitor can record video and audio during secure assessments when remote proctoring is enabled, allowing later review of possible academic-integrity breaches. ExamSoft also lists LMS integrations for Blackboard 9.1 and above, Canvas, D2L, and Moodle 2.9 and above, synchronizing student and course data and sending grades to an LMS GradeBook. SSO, SAML, LDAP, and Shibboleth are add-on options rather than assumed inclusions. ExamSoft says it uses technical, administrative, and physical safeguards, encrypts information in third-party data centers, and does not sell personal information. ExamID may process facial-geometry data for identity authentication when the provider obtains consent, so institutions should align configuration with their privacy obligations.

Pricing

ExamSoft Core Platform uses custom pricing. Capabilities depend on the product and terms in the customer’s order form, and some integrations and services are add-ons. There is no published free plan or standard trial to evaluate before purchase, so budget and scope need to be settled directly with the vendor. This model fits institutions buying a defined assessment program, but it gives smaller teams less price transparency than fixed self-service plans.

Platforms

The service spans iOS, macOS, web, and Windows, while Examplify itself supports Windows, macOS, and iPad. It does not run on Chromebooks, Android, or Linux. Unsupported versions may not receive troubleshooting, and iPad version 5.4.1 is marked for retirement in October 2026. Institutions should standardize supported devices and versions before scheduling exams rather than treating compatibility as an afterthought. Global 24/7 phone support is supplemented by help-center, live-chat, and email technical support.

Who it's for

ExamSoft is aimed at higher and secondary education, including health sciences, law, business, and humanities, and at businesses, organizations, and government entities administering certification or licensure exams. It is a strong choice when secure offline delivery, formal grading, and longitudinal reporting belong in the same process. It is less suitable for casual quizzes, bring-your-own-device environments with mixed operating systems, or buyers who need transparent per-seat pricing.

Pros and cons

• Pros: one portal covers question banking, authoring, scheduling, scoring, and reporting.
• Pros: offline delivery and secure controls reduce dependence on connectivity during an exam.
• Pros: tagged questions and longitudinal reports support analysis across cohorts.
• Pros: LMS connections and global 24/7 phone support can simplify institutional operations.
• Cons: pricing and included capabilities depend on a custom order form, with integrations and services potentially extra.
• Cons: no Chromebook, Android, or Linux support, plus single-device download rules, create operational constraints.
• Cons: remote proctoring and facial-geometry authentication introduce additional privacy and consent considerations.

Alternatives

For curriculum-focused work rather than exam delivery, Atlas offers a web platform with a free Standards plan and a $500.00 USD-per-year Public Atlas Site. OpenCurriculum is worth considering when a free web plan matters: its Teacher tier supports one user and 10 courses, while Team supports up to 10 users and 50 courses. Outcomap suits buyers wanting a free web plan for one map with five AI generations or edits per month and a five-page PDF cap.

Modern Campus CMS, Kuali Curriculum Management, Akari, and Coursedog Curriculum Management are paid curriculum-management alternatives; Kuali and Akari use personalized or demo-based pricing. PeopleGrove Engagement Hub is a paid web option with a free plan, but it addresses engagement rather than ExamSoft’s exam workflow. Browse online exam software, assessment software, or lockdown browser software when you want a broader category comparison.

Verdict

Choose ExamSoft if your institution or certifying body needs secure offline exams, advanced assessment authoring, grading, and performance reporting in one managed platform. Look elsewhere if unsupported devices, opaque custom pricing, or privacy requirements around proctoring and biometric authentication make those constraints unacceptable.