RM has highlighted candidate experience as a growing strategic issue for awarding bodies and professional qualifications organisations as expectations around fairness, accessibility and digital delivery continue to evolve.
The company recently brought together a selected group of awarding body leaders in London to discuss how candidates experience high-stakes assessment in practice. The conversation focused on the gap between how assessment processes are designed and how they are perceived by the people taking them.
Participants described candidate experience as more complex than many organisations assume. Concerns included stress, slow processes and situations where candidates feel that assessment systems do not accurately reflect their abilities or expectations. These issues can affect trust in awarding bodies and create operational, reputational and delivery risks.
RM has used the discussion to inform a new report examining the current state of candidate experience across professional and general qualification assessment. The report considers areas including communication, process design, accessibility, trust and digital expectations.
The focus is relevant to RM’s position in the assessment technology market. Awarding bodies are under pressure to improve efficiency while maintaining credibility, consistency and fairness. At the same time, candidate groups vary widely in their confidence with digital systems, their accessibility requirements and their expectations of how assessment should be delivered.
This creates demand for assessment platforms and services that can accommodate different user needs without increasing complexity for awarding organisations. It also places greater emphasis on clear communication, reliable delivery and systems that reduce unnecessary friction throughout the assessment process.
RM is seeking to position its assessment business around these operational challenges rather than treating digitalisation as a simple technology upgrade. Assessment providers are often managing high-stakes processes in which service failures, unclear instructions or poor accessibility can undermine confidence in the entire qualification.
The report also examines the difference between organisational intention and candidate perception. An awarding body may believe that a process is efficient and clearly explained, while candidates may still find it confusing or difficult to navigate. Closing that gap may require changes to technology, communication and assessment design.
RM plc (LON:RM) is a global EdTech provider of learning and assessment solutions, supporting the full learning journey, from early years through to higher education and professional qualifications.
