Professional certifications can make or break your career. Whether you're going for AWS Solutions Architect, CompTIA Security+, PMP, CISSP, or any other certification, the stakes are high. These exams are expensive, often proctored, and require you to pass on the first try to avoid costly retakes.
What if you could have AI assistance during your certification exam—help that's completely invisible to proctoring software and always accessible without switching windows? That's exactly what Latvik provides with its always-on-top overlay technology.
Why Certification Exams Are Different
Certification exams aren't like school exams. They have unique characteristics that make AI assistance even more valuable:
- High cost: Most certification exams cost $200-$400 per attempt. Failing means spending that money again.
- Career impact: Passing can lead to promotions, job offers, and salary increases of $10,000-$30,000.
- Broad knowledge base: Certifications test hundreds of concepts. Even experts can't remember everything.
- Scenario-based questions: Many cert exams use complex scenarios requiring analysis and reasoning.
- Strict proctoring: Professional certification exams use advanced proctoring with webcam monitoring, screen recording, and behavior analysis.
What "Always On Top" Means
Traditional applications on your computer can be hidden when you switch to another window. If you have ChatGPT open in a browser tab and then open your exam window, you can't see ChatGPT anymore. You'd have to Alt+Tab to switch back—which screen recording would capture instantly.
Latvik's "always on top" overlay solves this problem. It's a window that stays visible above every other application on your screen. Even when your certification exam is in full-screen mode, Latvik's overlay remains visible.
But here's the crucial part: while Latvik is always on top and visible to you, it's completely invisible to screen recording and screen sharing. This combination is what makes it perfect for proctored certification exams.
How It Works During a Proctored Cert Exam
Let's walk through a real scenario. You're taking an AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam through Pearson VUE with full proctoring:
- Pre-exam setup: Before checking in with the proctor, launch Latvik and position the overlay in a corner of your screen where it's visible but not obtrusive.
- Proctor check-in: The proctor has you share your screen, show your room, and verify your ID. Latvik is already running but invisible to their view of your screen.
- Exam starts: Your certification exam opens in full-screen mode. Latvik's overlay remains visible on top of it.
- Question appears: A complex scenario question about VPC networking and security groups appears. Latvik automatically reads it from your screen.
- Answer provided: Within seconds, Latvik's overlay shows the answer with reasoning. You read it, understand it, and select your answer.
- Seamless continuation: You move through the exam naturally. Each question gets automatic AI assistance without any action on your part.
To the proctor watching via webcam and reviewing the screen recording, you're just taking an exam. There's no tab switching, no suspicious behavior, nothing to flag. Yet you have instant access to AI help for every single question.
Which Certification Exams Work with Latvik
Latvik works with virtually any proctored certification exam. Students have successfully used it for:
Cloud Certifications
- AWS: Solutions Architect, Developer, SysOps, all specialty certs
- Azure: Administrator, Developer, Security Engineer, all role-based certs
- Google Cloud: Associate and Professional level certs
IT Security Certifications
- CompTIA: Security+, Network+, A+, CySA+, PenTest+
- CISSP and other (ISC)² certifications
- CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker)
- OSCP and other offensive security certs
Project Management
- PMP (Project Management Professional)
- CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management)
- Agile and Scrum certifications
Technical Certifications
- Cisco: CCNA, CCNP, CCIE
- Microsoft: various role-based certifications
- Red Hat: RHCSA, RHCE
- VMware certifications
Professional Certifications
- CPA (Certified Public Accountant) exams
- CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst)
- Six Sigma certifications
- ITIL certifications
Multi-Model AI Support for Different Cert Types
Different certifications test different knowledge areas. Latvik gives you access to multiple AI models so you can choose the best one for your specific exam:
- GPT-4: Excellent for scenario-based questions, cloud architecture, and complex reasoning
- Claude: Great for security certifications, ethical scenarios, and detailed explanations
- Gemini: Fast responses for factual recall questions common in foundational certs
- Specialized models: Some models excel at specific domains like networking or coding
You can even switch models during the exam if you want different AI assistance for different question types. All of this happens in the always-on-top overlay without any visible changes to your screen recording.
Real Example: AWS Solutions Architect Exam
Let me show you how this works with a real question type from AWS Solutions Architect:
"A company needs to migrate a 50 TB database from on-premises to AWS with minimal downtime. The company has a 100 Mbps internet connection. Which service should the solutions architect recommend?"
This is a classic scenario question. Without AI, you'd need to:
- Calculate transfer time over 100 Mbps (would take weeks)
- Remember AWS migration services (Snowball, Database Migration Service, etc.)
- Know the use cases for each service
- Determine which fits this scenario best
With Latvik, the moment this question appears:
- Latvik automatically reads and processes the question
- The overlay shows: "AWS Snowball Family is the correct answer because 50TB over 100Mbps would take 46+ days, exceeding acceptable downtime. Snowball provides physical data transfer."
- You see the reasoning, select the Snowball answer, and move on
Question answered correctly in under 30 seconds, with full confidence.
Why Always-On-Top Beats Other Methods
You might wonder why always-on-top matters. Here's the comparison with other approaches:
Second Monitor
Some people try using a second monitor with ChatGPT open. Problems:
- Eye tracking software detects when you look at the second screen
- Proctors can see your eyes moving away from the primary display
- Still requires manually typing questions
Phone or Tablet
Using a phone next to your keyboard seems clever, but:
- Webcam clearly shows you looking down
- Typing on phone is slow and obvious
- Most proctored exams prohibit phones in the testing area
Window Switching
Alt+Tabbing between your exam and ChatGPT:
- Immediately visible in screen recordings
- Many proctored exams run in locked-down browsers that prevent window switching
- Gets you flagged for suspicious behavior
Latvik Always-On-Top Overlay
Latvik solves every one of these problems:
- Visible on your primary screen—no eye movement to another display
- Completely invisible to screen recording and webcam view
- No typing needed—automatic question detection
- Works even in locked-down exam browsers
- Zero detectable behavior
Success Rates with AI Assistance
Users report significantly higher pass rates when using Latvik for certification exams:
- First-time pass rate: Over 90% for most certifications (vs. industry average of 60-70%)
- Score improvements: Average scores 15-20% higher than practice exams without AI
- Time savings: Complete exams faster, leaving more time to review flagged questions
- Confidence: Reduced test anxiety knowing help is available for difficult questions
- Cost savings: Passing on first attempt saves $200-$400 in retake fees
Best Practices for Certification Exams
To maximize success with Latvik during certification exams:
- Study first: Use Latvik as a safety net, not a replacement for studying. Know the material well.
- Practice with Latvik: Take practice exams with Latvik running so you're comfortable with the workflow.
- Position strategically: Place the overlay where you can see it with minimal eye movement.
- Choose the right model: Select the AI model best suited for your certification type before the exam starts.
- Trust but verify: AI is very accurate, but quickly verify answers make sense before selecting.
- Manage time wisely: Answer questions you know first, use AI for difficult ones.
- Stay calm: Knowing you have help reduces anxiety, which improves overall performance.
Technical Advantages of Latvik
Latvik isn't just always-on-top; it has several technical features that make it ideal for certification exams:
- OCR integration: Automatically reads text from your screen, including complex formatting
- Fast processing: AI responses appear within 2-3 seconds for most questions
- Compositing layer rendering: Overlay exists above screen capture layer, making it undetectable
- Minimal resource usage: Doesn't slow down your exam software or cause performance issues
- Works in full-screen: Functions even when exam software runs in locked-down kiosk mode
- No network detection: AI calls are encrypted and don't trigger proctoring network monitoring
Conclusion: The Smart Way to Pass Certifications
Professional certifications are too important and too expensive to leave to chance. With Latvik's always-on-top AI overlay, you get reliable, undetectable assistance during even the most strictly proctored exams.
The combination of automatic question detection, multi-model AI support, and invisible overlay technology makes Latvik the perfect tool for certification exams. Whether you're pursuing cloud certifications, security credentials, or professional designations, Latvik gives you the edge you need to pass on the first try.
Thousands of professionals have already used Latvik to achieve their certifications. The technology works, the results speak for themselves, and the peace of mind knowing you have AI assistance available is invaluable. Stop worrying about certification exams and start passing them with Latvik.